UniGR-Guest Professorship


This initiative aims to support the short-term mobility of professors and post-doctoral researchers for two months between the seven partner universities of UniGR. The mobility promotes interdisciplinary cooperation and establishes a common quality standard between the universities. It serves as a crucial catalyst to support researchers on their way to producing comprehensive comparative studies within the Greater Region.

This call for proposals is made with the support of the Fondation Marienburg, under the patronage of the Fondation de Luxembourg.

 

Call for Applications 2025/2026: UniGR-Guest Professorship

The UniGR is pleased to relaunch the UniGR-Guest Professorship for the third consecutive year.

Who can apply?

  • Professors
  • Junior-professors
  • Post-doctoral researchers

from any discipline.

from the following UniGR partner universities (Applicants must remain affiliated with one of the UniGR partner universities for the duration of their stay.):

  • RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau
  • University of Liège
  • Université de Lorraine
  • University of Luxembourg
  • Saarland University
  • Trier University
  • htw saar

 

Support

The funding of a flat rate of 4.000€ finances a short-term mobility of two months between the aforementioned UniGR partner universities. During this period, the grantees are expected to work on a research project with a colleague at one of the UniGR partner universities

The following costs can be covered by the funding:

  • accommodation and transport costs
  • Costs for the workshop or seminar

A lump sum of €2,000 will be disbursed to the fellows prior to the start of their stay to cover planning expenses. The remaining €2,000 will be paid after the completion of the stay, once all obligations related to the UniGR visiting professorship (see final chapter) have been fulfilled.

Administrative matters and legal questions are the responsibility of the host university.

Application process

Two application stages are foreseen.

1) Expression of interest

The candidate hands in an expression of interest (download here) by 15/02/2026 in German, English or French containing contact details and affiliation as well as a brief description of the planned research.

Candidates will be informed about the decision taken by the selection committee in March 2026.


2) Application

Accepted candidates will be asked to hand in the following documents by 30/04/2026:

  • the completed full application form (download here) in German, French or English
  • a short CV (max. 3 pages)
  • a statement describing the candidate’s interest as well as a description of the project that you are going to collaborate on, a proposal for the open workshop, and a description of the outcomes that are foreseen
  • a time schedule for the short-term mobility
  • an authorisation letter of the sending and the receiving university

Candidates will be informed about the decision taken in May 2026.


Mobility period

The researcher mobility period will take place in autumn 2026.
 

Researchers will be selected based on the following criteria:

1. Researcher profile

  • Existing contacts with members / research groups of the proposed partner institutions
  • Potential for the medium and long-term development of a cooperation or network
  • Scientific excellence

2. Proposed research project

  • Relevance of the proposed research subject in line with the thematic orientations of the UniGR partner universities
  • Scientific quality of the project

3. Profile of the hosting institute

  • Justification for the choice of the host research centre

Responsibilities of the Guestprofessors

On-site Presence at the Host University

Fellows are expected to be present on-site and available for exchange and networking throughout the visit.

Organization of a Thematically Relevant Workshop/Seminar at the Host University

  • Official invitation to, among others:
    • UniGR (Central Office and President)
    • Participants from at least two subregions of the Greater Region
  • Visibility of UniGR support through:
    • Use of at least one UniGR roll-up
    • Display of the UniGR logo on the invitation, program, presentations, and similar materials
  • Agreement that UniGR may report on the event through its communication channels
  • Provision of the following event materials:
    • Invitation letter
    • List of participants
    • Event photos

Ensuring Further Dissemination of Research Results

  • At the home university and the host university
  • Through other suitable channels (e.g., websites, newsletters, professional networks)

Preparation of a Final Report

A brief report or scientific article (approx. two pages) describing the stay, the event, and the scientific exchange.

 

Contact

Applications are to be sent to:

Central Office – UniGR:  info(at)uni-gr.eu
Contact: Victoria Petri +49 681 30140803

Our UniGR Guestprofessors

 

   

Dr. Lasse Sinkkonen (Research Scientist, Co-Head of the Systems Biology & Epigenetics group)

Project: „Epigenetic underpinnings of sex differences in Parkinson’s disease“

The UniGR visiting professorship stay is currently ongoing.

Dr. des Marie Enders (Urban studies researcher)

Project: „Encounters in the Greater Region“

The UniGR visiting professorship stay is currently ongoing.

More information about her planned workshop in January 2026 can be found here.

 

Dr. Alistair Plum (Postdoc - Computational Linguist)

Project: "Cultural Reasoning in AI: Examining Language Models in the Context of the Greater Region"

The [UniGR-]Guest Professorship achieved more than originally planned. It enabled new research collaborations, strengthened interdisciplinary approaches to cultural AI, and laid the foundation for sustainable collaboration in the Greater Region.

More information about the stay in autumn 2025 can be found here.

 

Dr. Philipp Herzog (Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer (Faculty Position) in Clinical Psychology

Licensed Psychotherapist (CBT))

Project: "Unraveling the link between moral injury, posttraumatic stress disorder and depression: A high-density ambulatory assessment study“

„The UniGR-Guest Professorship program has thus not only significantly advanced my own research focus on moral injury, PTSD, and depression, but also supported the development of a robust research network between RPTU University Kaiserslautern–Landau, the University of Liège, and other partners in the Greater Region such as the University of Luxembourg“

More information about the stay in autumn 2025 can be found here.

 

Dr. Alexandre Abbass Hamadeh (Senior Scientist, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau)

Project: "Dynamics and interactions of coupled chiral vortices in multilayered dc-driven systems" 
"Le séjour a l'Université de Lorraine a été une excellente opportunité pour élargir et renforcer mon réseau international. Travailler à l'université partenaire a non seulement consolidé nos liens existants, mais a également ouvert de nouvelles perspectives de collaboration à long terme, au-delà des frontières."

More information about the stay in autumn 2024 can be found in the UniGR Annual Report 2023–2024 (p. 13) in French or German.

 

Prof. Dr. Lena Wetenkamp (Tenure-Track Professor Modern German Literature, originally at Trier University, now at University of Leuven)

Project: "Gender as Border- and Bodytexturing" 
„My stay in Metz offers me the opportunity to engage with questions of borders and interculturality not only on a theoretical level, but also through lived experience. The exchange with new colleagues, insights into different university and research systems, and not least the constant shift between the German and French languages present a stimulating and enriching challenge.“

More information about the stay in autumn 2024 can be found here.

 

Dr. Jérémie Ferrer-Bartomeu (Reseracher at F.R.S. and lecturer at the University  of Liège)

Project: "The European republic of offices. Writings, images and discourse of the
administration at work on itself in 16th-17th century Europe.“

"The opportunity offered to me by UniGR to join the University of Luxembourg for two months as a visiting professor is a great privilege in many respects. I am confident that this stay at Uni.lu, within the framework of the UniGR Visiting Professors Programme, will allow me to become more deeply involved in its scientific ecosystem—both within universities I already know and those I am keen to explore further within this academic network."

More information about the stay in autumn 2024 can be found here.