Launch of the Western Academy for Advanced Research

Highlights

  • The Western Academy for Advanced Research is accepting proposals of themes and teams until September 30, 2021
  • The first official day of theme activities is September 1, 2022
  • You are invited to virtual information sessions on June 15 or July 13, 2021

Dear colleagues,

We have an exciting opportunity to join with peers across disciplines and from around the world to focus our efforts on some of the most pressing challenges of our generation. Which ones should we tackle first?

As announced in February, the Western Academy for Advanced Research will facilitate and fund interdisciplinary and international teams of scholars who will dedicate their year-long focus to themes related to major issues facing humanity.

Western Fellows will be selected and seconded from their faculties or schools on the basis of excellence and fit to themes. Internationally established or emerging scholars, thinkers or leaders from various sectors will be invited to London as Visiting Western Fellows.

This year’s abbreviated, one-step application process asks applicants to propose a theme, a core team of Western Fellows and Visiting Western Fellows and to describe why Western is the right venue for this work. A call for Western Academy Postdoctoral Scholars will follow theme selection.

Proposed themes of inquiry should be of broad significance and involve topics that can benefit from the full spectrum of scholarship. The Academy will accept applications for its inaugural cohort of themes and teams until September 30, 2021. We anticipate selecting two themes annually.

The first official day of theme activities will be September 1, 2022.

You likely have questions. I welcome you to join one of two virtual information sessions, held on Zoom, on June 15 at 10 a.m. or July 13 at 10 a.m. Registration is available here.

Please feel welcome to contact us with any questions and stay tuned for additional Academy programming over the coming year.

Sincerely,

Fred Longstaffe,
Director, Western Academy for Advanced Research