The Rachel Carson Center for Environmental Studies is a joint initiative of Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich and the Deutsches Museum. Generously supported by the German Ministry for Research and Education, the Rachel Carson Center’s goal is to further research and discussion in the field of international environmental studies and to strengthen the role of the humanities in the current political and scientific debates about the environment. Special emphasis will be placed on international, comparative and historical perspectives. The Center is designed to bring together leading academics from all over the world who work on the complex relationship between nature and culture across disciplines. Individual projects will focus on different time periods and different geographic areas. The Center is named after the worldwide recognized American scientist and nature writer Rachel Carson. It is conceived as an international think tank that will discuss and analyze the role of human actors and the role of nature in this relationship. The Center’s working language is English.
Starting in August 2009, the Center will award about a dozen fellowships per year to scholars from around the globe and from a variety of disciplines. Research and writing of applicants should pertain to one or more of the topics that will be at the core of the Center’s 2009-2011 agenda:
- Natural Disasters and Cultures of Risk
- Knowledge and Knowledge Societies
- Agrarian and Post-Agrarian Landscapes
The fellowship will usually be granted for periods of six, nine or twelve months. They can also be granted for a shorter duration or be broken up into several three-month periods.
Fellows are expected to be in residence in Munich and to work on a major research project as well as to engage with other Carson fellows, and to contribute to programs at the Center. The Carson Center will pay a fellowship that is commensurate with experience and current employment. Alternatively, it will pay for a replacement of the successful candidate at his or her home institution.
The Center will provide office space, access to some of the best libraries in Europe, research assistance, help with accommodation, and generally do everything in its power to make the tenure in Munich a pleasant and productive one.
The first deadline for applications is April 30, 2009. Applications should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, project description (2,500 words maximum), and three references. While applicants may write in either English or German, we recommend that they use the language in which they are most proficient. Please send applications in either PDF or Word format via email to CarsonCenter@lrz.uni-muenchen.de or via mail to Rachel Carson Center, Schellingstr. 9, 80799 München, Germany