Doctoral grants and post-doctoral contracts 2026-2027
Each year, the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac offers doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships to support the development of original and innovative research projects in the following disciplines: anthropology, archaeology, ethnomusicology, history, art history and sociology. Key areas of research include the arts, technologies, non-European cultures, tangible and intangible heritage, as well as museum institutions and their collections.
Particular attention will be given to projects that are likely to benefit from the environment of the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac (collections, archives, media library, scientific community). Likewise, projects that fall within one or more of the priority research areas of the Research and Education Department will be considered with special attention
The Research and Teaching Department's research priorities are as follows and downloaded here:
- Diversity of aesthetics and forms of creativity
- Museums, heritage, cultures and identities
- Colonial heritage: reappropriation, claims, sharing.
Applicants must specify how their project will fit into the environment of the musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac (collections, archives, media library, scientific community).
Applicants must be academically proficient, both orally and in writing, in French and English. There is no nationality requirement.
Doctoral grants
Each year, the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac offers doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships to support the development of original and innovative research projects in the following disciplines: anthropology, archaeology, ethnomusicology, history, art history and sociology. Key areas of research include the arts, technologies, non-European cultures, tangible and intangible heritage, as well as museum institutions and their collections.
Particular attention will be given to projects that are likely to benefit from the environment of the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac (collections, archives, media library, scientific community). Likewise, projects that fall within one or more of the priority research areas of the Research and Education Department will be considered with special attention.
These priority research areas are as follows :
1. Diversity of aesthetics and forms of creativity
2. Museums, heritage, cultures and identities
3. Colonial legacies: reappropriation, claims, sharing
A detailed presentation of the Research and Education Department’s priority research areas is available on the museum’s website and may also be downloaded in PDF format from the same page.
Applicants must demonstrate academic proficiency, both written and oral, in French and English. There is no nationality requirement.
DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS
Four doctoral fellowships are intended to support doctoral candidates enrolled in at least their third year for the 2026–2027 academic year, at a French or foreign university. These fellowships are intended to support the final writing stage of the doctoral thesis and do not fund fieldwork or archival research.
Applicants must specify how their project fits within the priority research areas as well as within the environment of the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac (collections, archives, media library, scientific community).
Doctoral fellowships are awarded for a non-renewable period of 12 months, from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027. The monthly amount is €1,400 net. Fellowships are awarded after assessment of the applications by the Selection Committee of the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac.
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS
This year, the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac is offering two postdoctoral fellowships to early-career PhDs to further develop their research.
Applicants must specify how their project fits within the priority research areas as well as within the environment of the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac (collections, archives, media library, scientific community). Successful candidates are expected to participate in the museum’s activities and to make an effective contribution to the collective work related to the priority research areas.
Successful candidates may benefit from a funded research trip of up to 30 days per year for fieldwork (outside mainland France) or archival research.
These postdoctoral fellowships are awarded for a non-renewable period of 24 months, from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2028. They will amount to €2,547 gross per month (€30,564 per annum), in the form of a full-time fixed-term contract (CDD).
They are awarded after assessment of the applications and interviews with shortlisted candidates by the Selection Committee of the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac.
The PhD defense must take place no later than the start date of the position (September 1, 2026). Candidates may apply for this fellowship up to three years after the defense of their thesis (in accordance with Article L412-4 of the French Research Code establishing a new framework for postdoctoral contracts), i.e. for theses defended since 1 September 2023.
Successful candidates (doctoral and postdoctoral fellows) will be hosted by the Research and Education Department. Their presence on the museum site is required (no part-time arrangements are available).
During the year, selected doctoral and postdoctoral fellows will present the progress of their research at the internal seminar of the Research and Education Department. Doctoral fellows will present a thesis chapter, while postdoctoral fellows will present an article intended for submission to a peer-reviewed journal. Participation in this seminar is mandatory.