The TWAS-CUI Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme is run by TWAS, The World Academy of Sciences, together with COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) in Pakistan. It places researchers from developing countries other than Pakistan in a CUI department or laboratory for a research stay of up to six months.
Hosting is offered in computer science, computer engineering and the Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Biomedical Materials, plus management science on the social and economic sciences side. Lists of host supervisors are published for the Islamabad and Lahore campuses.
The scheme is built for scientists who already hold a research post at home. Fellows keep their home employment, work with a CUI supervisor on an agreed project, and return home at the end. CUI is one of Pakistan’s largest universities, with seven campuses and more than 37,000 students.
Benefits & funding
- A monthly stipend paid by CUI, meant to cover living costs such as food, accommodation and health insurance.
- The stipend is paid locally and is not convertible into foreign currency; the programme does not publish the amount.
- A no-cost extension of up to six further months may be granted, with no stipend or other financial support during the extension.
- A named host supervisor and access to CUI laboratories and research facilities for the duration of the fellowship.
- Travel and visa costs are not listed as covered, and fellows are financially responsible for any family members who accompany them.
Eligibility
- Be a national of a developing country other than Pakistan.
- Hold a PhD in the natural sciences, or in an eligible social or economic science field, obtained no more than five years before applying.
- Be regularly employed in a developing country other than Pakistan and hold a research assignment there.
- Not be on site in Pakistan, and hold no visa for temporary or permanent residency in Pakistan or in any developed country.
- Hold an official acceptance letter from CUI, dated in the same year as the application.
- Provide evidence of English proficiency if previous education was not in English.
- Provide evidence of the intention to return home when the fellowship ends.
- Take on no other assignment during the fellowship period.
- There is no age limit.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Eligible nationalities
Afghanistan · Algeria · Angola · Antigua and Barbuda · Argentina · Aruba · Azerbaijan · Bahamas · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Barbados · Belize
+ 125 more
Benin · Bhutan · Bolivia · Botswana · Brazil · Brunei · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cabo Verde · Cambodia · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Chile · China · Taiwan · Colombia · Comoros · Republic of the Congo · Costa Rica · Côte d'Ivoire · Cuba · DR Congo · Djibouti · Dominica · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · Egypt · El Salvador · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Fiji · Gabon · Gambia · Ghana · Grenada · Guadeloupe · Guatemala · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Guyana · Haiti · Honduras · India · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Jamaica · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Kenya · Kiribati · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Malaysia · Maldives · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Mexico · Micronesia · Mongolia · Morocco · Mozambique · Myanmar · Namibia · Nepal · Nicaragua · Niger · Nigeria · Oman · Palau · Panama · Papua New Guinea · Paraguay · Peru · Philippines · Qatar · Rwanda · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Samoa · São Tomé and Príncipe · Saudi Arabia · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Solomon Islands · Somalia · South Africa · South Sudan · Sri Lanka · Palestine · Sudan · Suriname · Syria · Tajikistan · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Togo · Tonga · Trinidad and Tobago · Tunisia · Türkiye · Turkmenistan · Tuvalu · Uganda · UAE · Tanzania · Uruguay · Uzbekistan · Vanuatu · Venezuela · Vietnam · Yemen · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Residence required
Afghanistan · Algeria · Angola · Antigua and Barbuda · Argentina · Aruba · Azerbaijan · Bahamas · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Barbados · Belize
+ 125 more
Benin · Bhutan · Bolivia · Botswana · Brazil · Brunei · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cabo Verde · Cambodia · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Chile · China · Taiwan · Colombia · Comoros · Republic of the Congo · Costa Rica · Côte d'Ivoire · Cuba · DR Congo · Djibouti · Dominica · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · Egypt · El Salvador · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Fiji · Gabon · Gambia · Ghana · Grenada · Guadeloupe · Guatemala · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Guyana · Haiti · Honduras · India · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Jamaica · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Kenya · Kiribati · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Malaysia · Maldives · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Mexico · Micronesia · Mongolia · Morocco · Mozambique · Myanmar · Namibia · Nepal · Nicaragua · Niger · Nigeria · Oman · Palau · Panama · Papua New Guinea · Paraguay · Peru · Philippines · Qatar · Rwanda · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Samoa · São Tomé and Príncipe · Saudi Arabia · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Solomon Islands · Somalia · South Africa · South Sudan · Sri Lanka · Palestine · Sudan · Suriname · Syria · Tajikistan · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Togo · Tonga · Trinidad and Tobago · Tunisia · Türkiye · Turkmenistan · Tuvalu · Uganda · UAE · Tanzania · Uruguay · Uzbekistan · Vanuatu · Venezuela · Vietnam · Yemen · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Education required
PhD
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Application process
- 1Choose a research area and a prospective supervisor from the CUI host supervisor lists for the Islamabad and Lahore campuses.
- 2Contact the supervisor and request an official acceptance letter through cuitwasfellowships@comsats.edu.pk, as early as possible.
- 3Prepare the application documents, including the acceptance letter (preliminary or final) and signed reference letters on letter-headed paper.
- 4Submit everything through the TWAS online application portal; material sent by any other route is not accepted.
- 5Wait for the review by TWAS and CUI; successful applicants agree start dates with the host department.
Program timeline
8 May 2026
the 2026 call for applications opened.
20 June 2026
the 2026 application deadline; the call is now closed.
The acceptance letter must be dated in the same year as the application.
The programme runs annually; the next call is expected around May 2027.