Frequently Asked Questions

Below is a set of commonly questions regarding the KAUST Global Fellowship Program. If you do not find an answer to your query, please contact the program office KGFP@kaust.edu.sa

About the Fellowship

What is the scientific scope of KAUST Global Fellowship Program?

The KAUST Global Fellowship Program is supporting research in line with the KAUST Research Pillars (Economies of the Future, Health & Wellness, Sustainable Environment & Essential Needs, Energy & Industrial Leadership) and the programs of KAUST academic divisions; Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering (CEMSE), and Physical Science and Engineering (PSE).

For more information about the KAUST academic divisions and programs: https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/research

For more information about the KAUST Research Pillars: https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/about

KAUST Global Fellows are expected to live and work at KAUST and undertake work in one of the research laboratories on campus, in Saudi Arabia* on a full-time basis.

*Candidates need to satisfy all Kingdom of Saudi Arabia requirements to obtain resident status.
We anticipate to announce the nominated Postdocs within 3-4 months since the cut-off date. Once nominated, Global Postdoctoral Fellows are expected to join KAUST within 3-6 months. Please check the selection process mentioned on the Fellowship website: https://kgfp.kaust.edu.sa/how-to-apply
Yes, but as soon as you accept another fellowship or position you need to inform the KAUST Global Fellowship Office (kgfp@kaust.edu.sa). Please mention any other fellowship you are applying to or planning to apply for, in the online application form. This information is important to us for statistical purposes but does not influence the evaluation process and outcome.
Yes, you may apply. However, at the time the Global Fellowship Program starts you need to be able to move work on a full-time basis on your proposed research project here in KAUST. This means you will have no obligations with other institutions or funding agencies.

Fellowship Eligibility

What is meant by post-PhD relevant experience?
Post-PhD relevant experience is considered any experience obtained after the applicant's PhD, not just a postdoctoral position. If you need clarification about this or confirmation about your eligibility, please contact the Global Fellowship Program Team at: kgfp@kaust.edu.sa
Please see our eligibility requirements and details on what we look for in a KAUST Global Fellow at: https://kgfp.kaust.edu.sa/how-to-apply 
KAUST Global Fellowship Program encourages the participation of scientists and engineers of all nationalities. However, candidates need to satisfy all Kingdom of Saudi Arabia requirements to obtain resident status and participate in the program.

Candidates must identify in their application the KAUST faculty member who will host them and their research during the Fellowship duration. Host PIs need to provide a support letter confirming their willingness to host the Postdoc in their lab. Please note that the PI will be covering 50% of the Postdoc stipend, therefore having a Host PI before applying is very important. The Host PI letter shall be submitted on the provided template and shall be submitted by the applicant or the PI directly. Either way, the PI will be notified to approve it.

We encourage applicants to check the KAUST Faculty directory when identifying their KAUST Host PIs and contact them in advance: https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/study/faculty

There is no age restriction; however, the candidate must have no more than four years of research experience after completing their PhD.
To be eligible, applicants need to have less than four years of post-doctoral research experience at the time of the application. Exceptions to the four-year rule are made for applicants with well-justified career breaks during the relevant period due to parental leave or mandatory military/ civil service in which case the time of the career break will not be counted. No exceptions will be made for other voluntary career breaks.
For this program, you need to apply with a proposal that is not directly connected to any running project. The research proposal submitted for this Fellowship must fall under KAUST Research priorities and programs and meet the selection criteria as described in the Application Guidelines. Having said that, among other things, we are looking for scientific quality, approach, novelty, and significance of the proposed research that will potentially lead to innovation and development of research outputs. Likewise, submitted research proposals need to go beyond an applicant's PhD work and/ or current research.
Shortlisted candidates who were not nominated with the Fellowship in the first cut-off date after their submission, will not be rejected, but rather remain on our system and be evaluated at the next cut-off date with the new applications that shall be received.

Fellowship Application Process

How do I apply for the KAUST Global Fellowship Program?
Applications are submitted online through the online application portal. Please make sure that you have read the Eligibility criteria and application Guidelines and have all the necessary documents to complete the application form: https://kgfp.kaust.edu.sa/how-to-apply
Each applicant may submit only one application and with one primary KAUST Host PI.
Your application will be reviewed by scientific and industry experts from our network following our privacy policy. We will not share application materials outside of the review process without your expressed permission. While we encourage you to be as open as possible in your application, we would advise against including any critically sensitive proprietary details.
The selection criteria can be found in the KAUST Global Fellowship Application Guidelines document. Please download and carefully read all documents found at: https://kgfp.kaust.edu.sa/how-to-apply
Most communications from the KAUST Global Fellowship Program will come from the kgfp@kaust.edu.sa email address. We recommend making sure emails from this address are not sent to your spam or promotion folders. You may see our application review timeline at: https://kgfp.kaust.edu.sa/how-to-apply
The research budget varies with discipline. To see what applies to your project, please download and carefully read the documents found at: https://kgfp.kaust.edu.sa/how-to-apply
Any work-related travel including field activities and conferences, is covered under the 'travel budget' you need to mention and identify in your proposal budget.
As a KAUST Global Postdoctoral Fellow, you can only have one official host PI. You can apply with a research proposal that requires collaboration with other PIs, but you have to choose your primary PI. You should describe the planned collaboration(s) within the research proposal.
You can add figures or tables in your application, but you still need to use the proposal template and stay within the max page limit. Citations are exempt from the page limit.

KAUST Applicants

Can I apply if I am already affiliated with KAUST as a Postdoc?

KAUST-affiliated Postdocs may apply to this Fellowship Program as long as they haven't been affiliated with KAUST for more than 1 year (12 months) by the time of the next cut-off date after their application (i.e.: those who apply and will be evaluated at the July 2024 cut-off date, must have joined KAUST in or after July 2023).

For more information download and carefully read the relevant document found at: https://kgfp.kaust.edu.sa/how-to-apply

Yes. On-boarding Postdocs are eligible to apply under the same PI and are not considered ‘internal’ or ‘KAUST affiliated’ Postdocs.
The contract-limit will not affect the application. However, applicants must meet the eligibility requirements of the Fellowship.
Yes. The selection criteria are the same for all applicants, regardless of their current affiliation.