Eight PhD fellowships: One fellowship in each of eight humanities and social-science disciplines.
Funding: €1,850 per month plus €150 material allowance and, where applicable, €315 per child.
Duration: Two years with a possible 18-month extension, for a potential total funding period through September 2030.
Research theme: “Energy Cultures in Transition.”
Current deadline:24 November 2026; fellowships begin 1 April 2027.
Table of Contents
The Schaufler Kolleg@TU Dresden is offering eight doctoral fellowships for its third funding phase under the theme “Energy Cultures in Transition.”
The programme brings together doctoral researchers from the humanities, social sciences, cultural studies and educational sciences to investigate how energy systems and energy transitions shape—and are shaped by—culture, politics, technology, social values, environmental relationships and visions of the future.
Each fellowship provides:
- €1,850 per month
- €150 per month for material cost
- potentially €315 per month per child
- funding for two years
- the possibility of an additional 18-month extension.
The fellowships begin on 1 April 2027, and the overall third funding phase runs until September 2030.
Eight disciplines are represented:
- Cultural Studies
- International Politics
- North American Literature and Cultural Studies
- Civil and Digital Law
- Applied Linguistics and Digital Humanities
- Art History
- Educational Science / Media Education
- Sociology.
The current TU Dresden programme page and the individual fellowship calls state an application deadline of 24 November 2026
Schaufler Kolleg@TU Dresden Fellowships at a Glance
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Programme
Schaufler Kolleg@TU Dresden – Phase 3
Theme
Energy Cultures in Transition
Provider
TU Dresden and THE SCHAUFLER FOUNDATION
Location
Dresden, Germany
Number of fellowships
8
Academic level
Doctoral
Funding type
Scholarship / fellowship
Monthly stipend
€1,850
Material allowance
€150/month
Family allowance
Up to €315/month per child where applicable
Initial funding
2 years
Possible extension
1.5 years
Maximum funding period
April 2027–September 2030
Employment relationship
No
Start date
1 April 2027
Training language
English
Application deadline
24 November 2026
Application method
Online form + one PDF
The Schaufler Lab@TU Dresden is a joint initiative of TUD Dresden University of Technology and THE SCHAUFLER FOUNDATION.
What is the Schaufler Kolleg@TU Dresden?
The Schaufler Kolleg is the doctoral component of the broader Schaufler Lab@TU Dresden.
The Lab brings together:
- academic researchers
- doctoral candidates
- artists
to investigate relationships between:
- technology
- science
- culture
- society
- art.
The third funding phase runs from April 2027 to September 2030 under the new guiding theme “Energy Cultures in Transition.”
The programme is based within TU Dresden’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
What does “Energy Cultures in Transition” mean?
The programme treats energy not only as a technical or economic issue, but as a cultural phenomenon.
TU Dresden describes energy as deeply embedded in:
- aesthetic practices
- historical developments
- politics
- ecology
- economics
- technological systems
- social relationships.
The programme examines how energy regimes—from petromodernity and nuclear culture to post-carbon futures—shape society and are simultaneously shaped by it.
Research may therefore examine how energy relates to:
- infrastructures
- political power
- colonialism
- gender
- labour
- nationalism
- geopolitics
- environmental change
- consumer culture
- education
- social justice
- digitalisation
- knowledge systems.
Which eight PhD fellowships are available?
TU Dresden is offering one doctoral fellowship in each of the following areas.
1. Cultural Studies
The Cultural Studies fellowship is supervised by Prof. Dr. Orit Halpern ,Chair of Digital Cultures.
The individual call highlights research themes including:
- AI and energy
- finance, digitalisation and energy
- energy infrastructures
- environment, energy and design
- cybernetics and energy cultures.
Applicants should have an excellent university degree in Cultural Studies or a comparable field, with examples including:
- Geography
- Anthropology
- History.
TU Dresden particularly welcomes research with global perspectives, including work related to:
- North America
- Asia
- Africa.
The fellowship requires English at minimum C1 level.
German is described as desirable but not required.
The Cultural Studies application itself must be submitted in English.
2. International Politics
The International Politics fellowship is supervised by Prof. Dr. Anna Holzscheiter, Chair of Political Science with a focus on International Politics.
Relevant research directions include:
- transnational energy transitions
- social movements
- political conflict around energy transformation
- global governance
- labour relations
- transnational advocacy networks
- international norms
- political legitimation of climate and energy targets.
Applicants should have an excellent Master’s or equivalent in Political Science or a comparable social-science discipline.
Applicants should also have relevant methodological experience and prior academic exposure to:
- International Politics
- Social Movement Studies.
English at minimum C1 is required.
German is desirable but not mandatory unless the dissertation is written in German.
3. North American Literature and Cultural Studies
This fellowship is supervised by Jun.-Prof. Dr. Moritz Ingwersen, Junior Professorship in North American Literature with a Focus on Future Studies.
The fellowship sits within the broader Energy Cultures in Transition framework and approaches energy through North American literature and cultural analysis.
Relevant research can engage with questions around:
- energy imaginaries
- environmental futures
- cultural narratives of energy
- technology
- extractive systems
- post-carbon futures.
The exact academic and methodological requirements are stated in the individual discipline-specific call.
4. Civil and Digital Law
The Civil and Digital Law fellowship is supervised by JProf. Dr. Katharina Kaesling, LL.M.
Research proposals must connect the applicant’s legal doctoral research to the broader theme Energy Cultures in Transition.
Applicants should consult the current discipline-specific call for exact degree and doctoral-admission requirements.
5. Applied Linguistics and Digital Humanities
The Applied Linguistics and Digital Humanities fellowship is supervised by Prof. Dr. Simon Meier-Vieracker, Chair of Applied Linguistics.
Relevant themes include:
- discourses surrounding energy relations
- conceptualisations of energy transformation
- metaphors of energy transition
- political and economic communication
- technology-related discourse
- multimodal communication
- science communication about energy.
Applicants should hold an excellent Master’s degree or equivalent in areas such as:
- German Studies
- Linguistics
- Digital Humanities
- a comparable discipline.
Relevant prior experience in analysing environmental, technological or energy-related discourse is required.
Experience with digital research methods such as:
- corpus linguistics
- text mining
- network analysis
is an advantage.
English at minimum C1 is required.
German is desirable but not mandatory unless the dissertation is written in German.
6. Art History
The Art History fellowship is supervised by Prof. Dr. Kerstin Schankweiler, Chair of Visual Studies and Art History.
The call focuses particularly on the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Possible research themes include:
- artistic engagement with ecological crises
- social and gender conflicts around environmental transformation
- art in the GDR and post-1989 transformation
- extractivism and material resources
- colonial and neo-colonial resource relations
- African and African-diasporic art
- AI and digital image cultures
- energy infrastructures behind digital image production
- visual politics of climate and energy protest.
Applicants should hold an excellent university degree in:
- Art History
- Visual Culture Studies.
English at minimum C1 is required.
German is desirable but not compulsory unless the dissertation is written in German.
7. Educational Science / Media Education
This fellowship is supervised by Prof. Dr. Andreas Spengler, Chair of School Education / Media Education.
The fellowship examines the Energy Cultures in Transition theme from educational and media-education perspectives.
The programme provides:
- doctoral research support
- structured qualification
- interdisciplinary collaboration
- access to TU Dresden research infrastructure.
Applicants should consult the current discipline-specific call for the complete academic requirements.
8. Sociology
The Sociology fellowship is supervised by Prof. Dr. Susann Wagenknecht, Chair of Micro-Sociology and Technosocial Interaction.
Research should connect sociological approaches with the programme’s broader questions around:
- energy
- technology
- social transformation
- infrastructures
- practices
- technosocial relationships.
Applicants should consult the current individual Sociology call for its exact academic and methodological requirements.
How much funding do you receive?
Each doctoral fellow receives €1,850 per month for the initial fellowship period.
That equals €22,200 per year before additional allowances.
Fellows also receive €150 per month for material costs.
That adds €1,800 per year.
Where applicable, fellows may additionally receive €315 per month per child.
The family allowance is conditional and should not be treated as part of the guaranteed basic stipend.
What is the total guaranteed monthly funding?
The confirmed standard monthly package is:
- €1,850 stipend
- €150 material allowance.
That means the standard combined monthly support is €2,000 before any applicable child allowance.
However, it is more precise to keep the two components separate because TU Dresden formally describes them as: fellowship stipend and material-cost allowance.
Is this a salaried PhD job?
No. These are doctoral fellowships.
The individual TU Dresden calls explicitly state the fellowship does not constitute an employment relationship.
This distinction matters.
You should not describe these fellowships as:
- TV-L employment
- salaried university jobs
- research-associate contracts.
They are scholarship-funded doctoral positions.
How long does the fellowship last?
The initial fellowship is awarded for Two years.
There is an option to extend the funding by 1.5 additional years.
The maximum possible fellowship duration is therefore 3.5 years.
The complete programme period runs from April 2027 to September 2030.
Is the 18-month extension guaranteed?
No. TU Dresden describes it as an option for extension.
The initial confirmed fellowship period is two years.
Do not describe every award as automatically funded for the full 3.5 years.
When does the programme start?
The fellowships begin on 1 April 2027.
The third funding phase then continues until September 2030.
Can international applicants apply?
Yes, in practice the calls are internationally oriented and TU Dresden welcomes applicants regardless of origin.
The individual calls state that TU Dresden welcomes applications regardless of:
- gender
- origin
- sexual orientation
- worldview
- disability.
However, the programme does not frame eligibility through a fixed nationality list.
The safest database wording is No nationality restriction stated; international applications are welcomed.
Do I need German?
For several of the verified individual calls , No , German is described as desirable but not mandatory.
This applies, for example, to:
- Cultural Studies
- International Politics
- Applied Linguistics / Digital Humanities
- Art History.
If you choose to write your dissertation in German, corresponding German-language skills are required.
Because requirements vary by discipline, applicants should always read the exact individual call before applying.
Do I need English?
Yes, for the verified discipline-specific calls.
The structured training programme of the Kolleg is conducted in English.
The Cultural Studies, International Politics, Applied Linguistics / Digital Humanities and Art History calls explicitly require English C1.
Applicants should check the exact language requirement in their own discipline-specific call, but C1 English is clearly a recurring programme requirement.
What is the structured doctoral programme?
Fellows participate in an interdisciplinary structured qualification programme.
The programme includes collaboration across:
- humanities
- social sciences
- educational research
- STEM disciplines
- artistic practice.
Participation in the Kolleg’s English-language training programme is mandatory in the verified individual calls.
Fellows also gain access to:
- fully equipped office space
- TU Dresden research infrastructure
- Research Studios
- writing retreats
- Graduate Academy training
- interdisciplinary events.
Will conference travel be funded?
Potentially yes. The verified individual fellowship calls state that the Schaufler Lab can cover conference travel costs within the limits of available project funds.
This is an additional research benefit beyond the monthly stipend.
Do I have to collaborate with artists?
Yes. The fellowship programme explicitly expects doctoral researchers to participate in interdisciplinary exchange with:
- STEM partners
- artists connected to the Schaufler Residency.
This researcher-artist interaction is a central feature of the Schaufler Lab.
Is science communication part of the programme?
Yes. The verified individual calls expect fellows to participate in:
- science communication
- outreach.
The programme therefore goes beyond writing an individual dissertation.
What degree do I need?
The exact requirement varies by discipline.
However, the individual calls that could be verified generally require an excellent university degree or Master’s or equivalent.
Examples include:
- Cultural Studies or related fields
- Political Science or related social sciences
- German Studies, Linguistics or Digital Humanities
- Art History or Visual Culture Studies.
You should use the individual fellowship call—not only the central programme page—to determine whether your degree qualifies.
Is there a minimum GPA?
No universal numerical GPA threshold is stated across the programme.
The verified individual calls instead use wording such as excellent university degree.
Do not convert that into an invented threshold such as:
- German 1.5
- GPA 3.5/4.0
- 80%.
Do I need prior research experience?
This depends on the fellowship.
For example:
- International Politics asks for relevant experience with social-science methods and International Politics / Social Movement Studies.
- Applied Linguistics and Digital Humanities asks for relevant prior experience analysing environmental, technological or energy-related discourses.
- Cultural Studies focuses more broadly on disciplinary fit and an excellent academic background.
Check the individual call for your discipline.
What documents do you need?
The verified individual calls share a common application structure.
You need a research proposal connected to “Energy Cultures in Transition.”
The verified calls specify a maximum length of 20,000 characters including:
- project concept
- work plan
- time schedule.
6. Family information where applicable
Some calls ask applicants to provide information about their family situation where relevant, especially if a family allowance may apply.
Do I need a recommendation letter?
A recommendation letter is not listed among the shared mandatory documents in the individual calls reviewed.
Do not add recommendation letters as a universal requirement unless your discipline-specific call explicitly asks for one.
Does the research proposal need to fit my discipline?
Yes. Your proposed doctorate must connect your disciplinary field, and the overarching theme Energy Cultures in Transition.
For example:
- an Art History proposal should address energy-related visual or artistic questions
- an International Politics proposal should connect energy transition with political or transnational processes
- an Applied Linguistics proposal should investigate energy-related discourse or communication.
A generic doctoral proposal unrelated to the programme theme would not fit the call.
Can the application be in English?
For the calls reviewed Yes. Several discipline-specific calls allow applications in:
- German
- English.
The Cultural Studies call specifically requests the application in English.
Always follow the exact language instruction of your selected discipline.
How do I submit the application?
The verified calls require:
- completion of the online application form
- preparation of the remaining documents
- submission of the application as one PDF file.
Applicants are encouraged to use TU Dresden SecureMailto and send the application to schaufler.lab@tu-dresden.de
Each discipline has its own reference number.
Applicants must quote the correct reference for their selected fellowship.
Application Deadline
The current deadline is 24 November 2026.
This date is confirmed by:
- the central Phase 3 programme page
- the current TU Dresden jobs list
- the individual fellowship calls reviewed.
An earlier TU Dresden announcement published on 23 October 2026 stated 20 November 2026, but the central page was subsequently updated and the current live calls now consistently state 24 November 2026.
Applicants should therefore follow the current individual fellowship call.
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