This prestigious appointment in the Fulbright Scholar Program is available for scholars and specialists for visits of 3–9 months in the areas of expertise within any of the following themes:
In addition to the broad themes, the university invests in three integrative multidisciplinary themes focusing on solving challenges that are important globally and for the Finnish economy:
The grant is jointly funded by the Aalto University and the Fulbright Finland Foundation (the Finnish Fulbright Commission).
The Fulbright - Aalto University Distinguished Chair will lecture and conduct research. The award emphasizes projects that highlight active research work but the Chair is expected to do some teaching as well. The position can be awarded for any field but the applicant‘s area of expertise should fall within the interdisciplinary themes mentioned above.
Aalto University strives to provide a very friendly and collegial atmosphere to pursue a variety of professional activities, such as research collaboration, teaching and lecturing, writing joint publications with Finnish colleagues, and mentoring student research at the master's and doctoral level. In addition to lecturing at Aalto University, the Fulbright - Aalto University Chair is able to network and create linkages throughout Finland and give occasional guest lectures at other Finnish universities. The Chair and Aalto University faculty at the department work together to design the Chair’s activities.
Applicants are requested to include a letter of invitation from the relevant unit at Aalto University in their application (the letter must be signed by the Dean of the relevant school). Before applying, the applicant must contact Mervi Rantanen ([email protected]) to facilitate the internal process at Aalto University. In addition, a research and teaching plan should be included in the project statement of the Distinguished Chair application.
The Schools that host Fulbright-Aalto University Distinguished Chairs in 2024-25 are
The Fulbright-Aalto Distinguished Chair is available for visits of 3–9 months. It includes:
* amounts are subject to change due to currency fluctuations.
** should be confirmed in the letter of invitation.
Distinguished Chair eligibility guidelines and review criteria are published on the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program website.
In Finland the applications are evaluated according to the evaluation criteria set by the Fulbright Finland Foundation Board.
Applicants residing in Finland are not eligible for a Fulbright grant.
Aalto University has six schools with 12 000 full-time degree students from over 100 countries, and a staff of about 4 000, of which 400 are professors. The share of international academic faculty is over 45%. Aalto University is one of Europe's most international universities. The university was founded in 2010 by merging three leading Finnish institutions: Helsinki University of Technology, the Helsinki School of Economics and the University of Art and Design Helsinki - as a society-embedded innovative research university for a better world.
The main campus in Espoo's Otaniemi supports Aalto University's vision for building an innovative society. The campus has turned into a world-class collaboration hub combining high tech, art and design, and business in a unique way and driving one of Europe's leading start-up ecosystems. Otaniemi is about 15 minutes from the city center of Helsinki. The campus and its immediate vicinity are the site for many of Finland’s largest companies’ headquarters, not to mention home to a great number of smaller companies.
The U.S. program partner in the Fulbright Distinguished Chairs Program is the Institute of International Education IIE. Applications are submitted through IIE and forwarded to discipline-based peer review committees in the U.S. Applications that pass this initial peer review in the U.S. are forwarded to the Fulbright Finland Foundation in Helsinki to be reviewed by the Fulbright Finland Foundation’s review committees. The Fulbright Finland Foundation makes the funding decisions and final selections of grantees.
Additional information and detailed application instructions are available from the Fulbright Finland Foundation and the Fulbright Scholar Program websites.
NOTE: Late June, July and early August are traditionally summer vacation months in Finland and responses to inquiries may be delayed. Applicants are advised to contact the Finnish host institution well ahead of time to solicit an invitation letter for their application. Please note that the Fulbright Finland Foundation office observes the summer Finnish holiday season and is closed in July. If you have urgent inquiries, kindly contact us prior to July.
Contact Information |
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| Fulbright Finland Foundation (overall program related questions) |
Aalto University (host institution related questions) |
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Karoliina Kokko |
Mervi Rantanen |
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| Application period start: | February 1, 2023 |
| Application period end: | September 15, 2023 |
| Earliest possible starting date: | August 2024 |
| Mandatory orientation: | TBC (expected in mid-August 2024 or mid-January 2025) |
Useful links:
The Fulbright Finland Foundation is a private, independent, not-for-profit organization based in Helsinki, Finland. The Foundation’s aim is
Fulbright-Aalto Distinguished Chair program is part of the global Fulbright program operating in over 160 countries worldwide.
