Academia Sinica Postdoctoral Scholar Program

Academia Sinica Postdoctoral Scholar Program

Supports twice yearly postdoctoral appointments at Academia Sinica institutes for PhDs within of graduation.

Academia Sinica, Taiwan's highest national research academy, operates a Postdoctoral Scholar Program that recruits early-career researchers from any country and discipline into two-year appointments at its institutes in Taipei. The programme runs two selection cycles per year: the first accepts applications from 1 August to 1 September, with fellows beginning on 1 January; the second accepts applications from 15 January to 1 March, with fellows beginning on 1 July. Candidates must hold a Ph.D. that was conferred within the last five years at the time of appointment; the total tenure at Academia Sinica cannot exceed six years post-PhD, with deferrals available for childbirth, parental leave, or military service.

Successful scholars receive a salary set by the Academia Sinica Remuneration Standards for Ph.D.-Level Contract-based Employees, plus a research grant of up to NT$500,000 per year to cover consumables, equipment, and travel. International scholars may also receive an airfare subsidy. The initial appointment is for two years, renewable by reapplication for additional two-year terms up to the six-year post-PhD cap. The entire application process is conducted online. Before applying, a candidate must identify and secure a Sponsoring Mentor who is a principal investigator at an Academia Sinica institute — without this commitment the application cannot proceed.

The programme is genuinely open to researchers globally across all disciplines represented at Academia Sinica's institutes, which span the life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, and humanities and social sciences. Applicants should contact prospective mentors well in advance of the relevant application window, both to confirm the mentor's capacity and to allow time to obtain institutional reference letters. Academia Sinica's contact for the programme is aspublic@gate.sinica.edu.tw; its headquarters is located at 128 Section 2, Academia Road, Nankang, Taipei 115201, Taiwan.