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Jacob Blaustein Center for Scientific Cooperation
Jacob Blaustein Center for Scientific Cooperation
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Postdoctoral Fellowships

Every year, the BCSC proudly awards 4-5 fellowships to exceptional postdoctoral scholars from all corners of the world. Our Blaustein Postdoctoral Fellows undertake fundamental and applied studies in various fields related to drylands, including desert ecology, solar energy, environmental physics, rainfed and irrigated agriculture, soil-plant-atmosphere interactions, hydrology, aquaculture, environmental microbiology, desalination and water treatment, and biotechnology.

The Blaustein Postdoctoral Fellowship program has fostered a remarkable network of alumni who have gone on to secure positions at prestigious universities, governmental and intergovernmental organizations, private enterprises, and more. Discover some of our esteemed Blaustein Postdoctoral Fellow Alumni here and read their reflections on how their time at the BIDR has influenced their chosen career paths!

We invite you to seize this opportunity to conduct vital research in an awe-inspiring setting, surrounded by a vibrant international community of scholars. Join us and become part of this exciting journey!

Submission Deadline:

  • March 17, 2026

Official call >>

Guidelines

First, select a topic of interest and identify a prospective supervisor. A detailed list of BIDR faculty members and their research activities can be found in BIDR Academic Staff >>

Contact the faculty member about possible postdoctoral positions and, if available, develop a research program with the faculty member.

  1. Complete the application form >>

  2. Send copies of your undergraduate and graduate degree diplomas and grade transcripts, as PDF or Word attachments, to the BCSC office, by email to inter@bgu.ac.il

  3. Have three referees send reference letters, Your referees should be faculty members who have taught and/or worked with you. One of the referees should be your dissertation advisor. Ideally, another referee should be a scientist who is familiar with your work but is from a university other than your own. The letters should be sent by the recommenders directly to your prospective BIDR host as a PDF or Word with the institute's letterhead and signature Attachment.

Please note that current BIDR postdocs in their first year of research who do not have a BCSC fellowship are eligible to apply for a Blaustein Postdoctoral Fellowship, in accordance with BGU regulations.

Application deadline: March 17, 2026

Incomplete or late applications will not be accepted for consideration.

Terms and Conditions

  • Candidates for the BCSC postdoctoral fellowship must have received their PhD degree within the preceding five years from the start date of the postdoctoral position
  • BCSC postdoctoral fellowships are not available to candidates who received their PhD degrees from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
  • BCSC postdoctoral fellowships are not available to candidates who have received any other postdoctoral fellowship from any unit or department of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
  • Current BIDR postdoctoral scholars are eligible to apply for this fellowship only during the first year of their position (i.e., by the time the fellowship period begins, they must have been a BIDR postdoctoral scholar for no longer than one year).

​The BCSC Committee for Postdoctoral Fellows shall select suitable candidates who will be awarded the status of postdoctoral fellow in the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research.

The amounts of the fellowships awarded by and through the BCSC and the arrangements for their payment shall be determined by the BCSC Administration and shall be reviewed periodically.

The current amount of the monthly fellowship is the following: NIS 6170 (paid by the BCSC) and NIS 2571 (paid by the host).

The scholarship is granted for one academic year.

The Committee will decide whether to recommend granting the scholarship for an additional academic year, based on the fellow’s activity and achievements during the first year.

The fellow must be in residence at the Sede Boqer Campus of the BIDR for the entire duration of the fellowship, with the exception of short trips abroad for conferences and other matters. Extended absences will result in a forfeiture of the fellowship.

A fellow shall not engage in any other employment during the period of the fellowship (either at the university or elsewhere), and shall dedicate all his/her time and efforts to research supported by the fellowship for the entire period of the fellowship.

The fellow may be permitted engage in teaching, for up to four hours per week during the academic year, in cases when this work is required by the unit, and approved by the BCSC.

  • Postdoctoral fellows with a full scholarship are required to devote their time to their research and, in general, they should not work elsewhere, either as volunteers or for wages.
  • A postdoctoral fellow’s advisor may approve certain additional work if it is not time consuming and only minimally interferes with their research; such extracurricular activity should not be related in any way to the postdoctoral studies. Approval of additional work is contingent upon approval by the BCSC Director.
  • As such, additional work for postdoctoral fellows is restricted to either no more than four academic hours per week of teaching at BGU or eight hours of another type of work per week. Nonetheless, it is strongly recommended that the additional work be less than half of the above amounts.

At the end of each academic year, the supervisor and the fellow shall submit to the BCSC a short report of the fellow’s academic activity over the course of the year. The report shall include copies of scientific papers resulting from the research, regardless of whether they have been published or not.

​The postdoctoral fellow and his/her supervisor affirm that all publications resulting from the fellowship-supported research will include the name of the Jacob Blaustein Center for Scientific Cooperation, even if the publication is submitted after the fellowship period has ended. The acknowledgement should be stated as “XXX is the recipient of a postdoctoral fellowship from the Jacob Blaustein Center for Scientific Cooperation” or words to this effect.

​The postdoctoral fellow shall be subject to all university regulations regarding intellectual property.

Any cessation of the research work requires the approval of the BCSC.​

​On the completion of the postdoctoral fellowship, the fellow shall be entitled to written certification attesting to his/her participation in the program.

Opening for postdoctoral fellowships are usually published once a year: with successful candidates notified in May- and the position beginning in October.

Requests for scholarships funded by the advisor can be submitted year round.​

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