In the Fall of 2024, Invisible University for Ukraine (IUFU) will launch its new initiative: Invisible Graduate School (IGS), a support program for advanced students who have already been involved in IUFU activities and would like to develop their research further. The school offers an academic framework of intensive cooperation with peers and personalized mentoring aimed at facilitating the development of original research projects in an intellectually supportive environment.
The Invisible Graduate School members are supported with research scholarships on a competitive basis, up to 1200 EUR per semester. The program is designed in a hybrid format and combines online mentoring with small-group meetings and an on-site meeting during the IUFU Winter School in January 2025. IGS members should participate in research seminars organized around selected broader themes in humanities and social sciences by IUFU instructors. They are expected to work on a research-based academic publication and finalize their project in due time. They may also create their research teams, invite instructors with the assistance of IUFU faculty and organizers, mentor in IUFU courses, and participate in co-organizing IUFU on-site Schools.
Applicants are invited to implement empirical or theoretical projects of their choice, drawing on their academic background and previous work, that engage with the present intellectual challenges in Ukraine and globally. The projects’ results are expected to be published in prominent Ukrainian or international scholarly journals. IUFU will assist the members of the Invisible Graduate School in conceptualizing their topics, writing and editing the texts, peer-reviewing, and identifying the fitting publishing venue.
Who is eligible to apply?
Doctoral students holding Ukrainian citizenship who are currently enrolled in a Ukrainian or foreign educational institution and whose academic trajectory was affected by the Russian full-scale invasion in February 2022. Eligible applicants should have spent at least a semester in IUFU and completed successfully (with a ‘pass’ or a letter grade) at least one course. In exceptional situations, last-year MA students can apply if they prove they are experienced in conducting independent research and plan to continue their studies at the doctoral level.
How to apply:
Applicants should complete the online application form at https://forms.gle/V4XamCTR8mQyamFn8 and also send the application package (CV, motivation letter, research project proposal, and a writing sample) in a combined PDF file to iufu@ceu.edu with the subject ‘‘IUFU Graduate Application’’ (if the online application form is inaccessible, please indicate it in your letter to iufu@ceu.edu).
Applications should be submitted in English by 12 September 2024, 12 AM (midnight) CET. Admitted participants will be notified by 23 September at the latest. Applications will be evaluated based on their feasibility, originality, familiarity with possible sources and methodologies, and conceptual clarity of the project description.
The application package should contain:
- A short CV that includes the following: name in Ukrainian and in English as they appear in the applicant’s international passport; e-mail address; current location; previous education and current university; most recent degree and current program of study; involvement in civil activities and volunteering; list of publications; estimated level of English language competence;
- A motivation letter that describes a reason for applying for the Invisible Graduate School (up to 500 words);
- A research project proposal that includes the title of the project, description of the applicant’s thematic interests, a thematic outline of the proposed project, an overview of empirical data or sources, the planned timeline, and a specified project outcome (up to 1,500 words);
- An English writing sample (a term paper, an essay, or another piece of academic writing; 5,000–10,000 words long).
Timeline:
The grant’s envisioned duration is from October 2024 to January 2025. The most motivated and successful participants will have an opportunity to participate in a Winter School in January 2025 and extend their grant for the Spring Semester of 2025.
Prospective mentors and format:
The Invisible Graduate School will invite prominent specialists in the fields relevant to the cohort of students to assist them in developing their research as mentors. The team of mentors will be composed based on consultation with the students. Different formats will be available, including research seminars and small-group thematic consultations, advanced method training, academic writing seminars, assistance in preparing English-language publications, CV and cover letter writing workshops, etc. Students will be able to choose the thematically and intellectually most fitting format.
Organizers:
- Vladimir Petrović, Research Professor, Institute of Contemporary History, Belgrade, and CEU Democracy Institute (academic vice-director of IUFU, in charge of the Invisible Graduate School);
- Ostap Sereda, Associate Professor in History at the Ukrainian Catholic University and recurrent visiting professor at CEU (program director of IUFU);
- Balázs Trencsényi, Professor, CEU History Department, and CEU IAS Director;
- Renáta Uitz, Professor, Royal Holloway College London and Senior Research Fellow, CEU Democracy Institute;
- Tetiana Zemliakova, Lead Researcher, CEU Democracy Institute.
With questions about the application, please turn to IGS coordinator Nataliia Shuliakova, Yale University [shuliakovan@ceu.edu], or to one of the IUFU student coordinators: Olha Stasiuk, PhD student, CEU [stasiuk_olha@phd.ceu.edu] or Yevhen Yashchuk, PhD student, Oxford [yashchuk_yevhen@student.ceu.edu].
For further information, please check www.ceu.edu/non-degree/Invisible-University