ISTA Postdoctoral Fellowship Program 2026 in Austria (Fully Funded)

The ISTA-Fellow program at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) offers fully funded (two-year) postdoctoral fellowships for highly qualified candidates who have completed or will soon complete their PhD or equivalent in the natural or computer sciences, mathematics or any related discipline.

The fellowship is available to those who have already earned or are about to earn their PhD or an equivalent qualification. The program runs for two years and includes a full-time contract, a competitive salary, and comprehensive social security benefits. 

 ISTA-Fellows are affiliated with a host research group at ISTA that offers the scientific environment, infrastructure, and mentorship for the fellow. The ISTA-Fellow program features a bottom-up approach throughout the whole program, with fellows free to propose their own research project within the scientific fields represented on campus, including Biology, Neuroscience, Mathematics, Data and Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry, Earth Science & Astronomy

The official language of the program is English. In order to help fellows integrate into the host country, ISTA offers German-language courses on campus.

Eligibility

• The ISTA Post Doc Fellowship is open to all nationals.
• Eligible Research Fields: All research fields supported at ISTA are eligible. For more details on the available fields, please visit https://ist.ac.at/en/research.
• Applicants must hold a PhD (or equivalent) by the respective call deadline (which is September 16, 2025, for the upcoming call).
• Alternatively, applicants who anticipate completing their PhD degree before the fellowship start date (no later than June 15, 2026) are also eligible.
• Researchers already employed at ISTA before 01/09/2025 are not eligible to apply.
• Before applying, you must identify the professor (supervisor) with whom you plan to work at ISTA. The core/majority of your project should be aligned with the expertise of your selected host supervisor. You may identify a secondary supervisor at ISTA or nominate an external professor as a secondary supervisor when the specific scientific expertise required for a minor part of your project is unavailable at ISTA. 

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your proposed research matches the interests of your chosen supervisor/group. Projects that do not align with the group’s research interests or where the host does not have the required expertise or infrastructure to host the project risk being excluded as ‘out of scope/ineligible’ during the administrative checks.

Program Dates

• Application Deadline: 15th September 2025
• Fellowship Duration: 2 Years

Program Benefits

The ISTA Post Doc Fellows will receive:

• 2 Years full-time employment contract
• Min 72,100 EUR gross salary per year
• Social security coverage
• Visa support

Note: The fellowship includes a basic budget for project-specific costs that may be used for other costs such as consumables, travel, conference fees, membership fees, SSU costs, and external services. Additionally, to give incoming international fellows time to find permanent housing, on-campus accommodation is available for rent.

Required Documents

• Research proposal (max. 5 pages - not including references)
• CV
• Academic summary (1-page academic summary detailing up to 3 of your major academic achievements with selected works across your career)
• Motivation statement
• Completed Ethics Self-Assessments Form.
• PhD diploma/transcripts
• Three references (These referees should be former professors or other senior scientists you have worked with. However, in order to accommodate applicants with an intersectoral background, one letter of recommendation may be submitted by a previous non-academic supervisor. Your potential host at ISTA may not be listed as one of the referees on your application.

Please Read the Guidelines for the Applicant.

Application Process

Applicants must apply online through the official website (for more information, link provided below).