Funding

Fully Funded · Grant

Fellowship•Saudi Arabia · Thuwal

KAUST Global Fellowship Program

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)

Application Deadline

October 1, 2026

Official Page

The KAUST Global Fellowship Program is a three-year postdoctoral fellowship run by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology on its campus in Thuwal, on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. It recruits early-career researchers who arrive with their own research idea rather than joining an existing project: fellows lead the work themselves, backed by a KAUST faculty member acting as Host PI. Proposals must address one of the university’s mission areas — water, food, health, energy, artificial intelligence or the Red Sea — and sit within one of four academic divisions (BESE, CEMSE, PSE or BioMed).

Selection runs in two stages: a short concept note, then an invitation-only full proposal. Fellows relocate to KAUST and work there full time with access to the campus core labs and research facilities. Cohorts published on the program site have been small, between two and six fellows a year.

Benefits & funding

  • Living stipend of US$75,000 a year (US$6,250 a month)
  • Up to US$40,000 a year in dedicated research funding, covering travel, consumables and core-facility access
  • Medical insurance
  • On-campus accommodation
  • Schooling support for up to three children, plus daycare assistance
  • Relocation allowance and annual travel assistance
  • Three-year term with a formal evaluation in year two; the fellowship is not renewed beyond three years

Eligibility

  • A PhD awarded within four calendar years of applying — for the 2027 call, a PhD received in January 2023 or later
  • Researchers still finishing a PhD may apply if they expect to complete it before the fellowship starts
  • Documented career breaks, such as parental leave or military and civil service, can extend the four-year window
  • Open to applicants of all nationalities; applicants must be able to meet the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s requirements for resident status
  • Willing to relocate to Thuwal and work at KAUST full time, with no other primary employment
  • Up to two representative publications are submitted with the application, together with a CV of no more than four pages and two reference letters
  • Researchers currently affiliated with KAUST as postdocs may apply only if employed for less than 12 months at the full-proposal deadline; former KAUST postdocs and MSc or PhD alumni affiliated for 12 months or more are not eligible
  • One proposal per applicant per cycle; unsuccessful applicants may reapply once if still eligible
  • The program encourages applications from women to improve gender balance in science and engineering; there is no gender restriction

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    PhD Enrolled · PhD

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Application process

  1. 1
    Read the current call guidelines and templates on the program’s How to Apply page, and shortlist KAUST faculty whose research aligns with the idea using the university faculty directory.
  2. 2
    Submit a Stage 1 concept note through the online portal between 1 September and 1 October 2026, with the concept note template, a CV of up to four pages including publications, up to two representative publications and two reference letters. No Host PI letter is required at this stage.
  3. 3
    Name up to two KAUST faculty members whose research aligns with the proposed work; they review the concept note and decide whether to support it.
  4. 4
    Shortlisted applicants are invited to submit a full three-year research proposal and budget between 15 November 2026 and 15 January 2027. Host PI support is required to reach this stage.

Program timeline

  1. Information webinar, exact date to be confirmed

    2026-08

  2. Stage 1 concept note submissions open

    Sep 1, 2026

  3. Stage 1 concept note deadline

    Oct 1, 2026

  4. Stage 2 full proposals open, by invitation only

    Nov 15, 2026

  5. Stage 2 full proposal deadline

    Jan 15, 2027

  6. Fellowship start

    agreed with the host division; the program site does not publish a date

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