Spring 2026 Westlake Fellows Program Nominations and Applications Open

The Westlake Fellows Program is seeking outstanding newly minted or imminent PhD graduates with a track-record of excellence and creativity to establish their own independent research programs at Westlake in any area of science and engineering. Westlake University offers a fully international research environment, with English and Chinese as working languages, strong institutional support for interdisciplinary collaboration, and a highly competitive start‑up package that includes generous research funding, salary, and comprehensive benefits aligned with leading global standards. The spring 2026 call for nominations and applications is now open. We warmly invite exceptional fresh PhD graduates from institutions around the world to apply.

To learn more about the Program, please visit https://westlakefellows.westlake.edu.cn/ .

WESTLAKE UNIVERSITY

Westlake University is a new type of research university in China, supported by both public and private funding. Founded by prominent scientists and scholars, Westlake is committed to building a truly international, world-leading, research-focused university, and strives to serve the global community and promote developments for the common good of all humanity. At present, Westlake University has four academic schools: the School of Life Sciences, the School of Engineering, the School of Science, and the School of Medicine.

APPOINTMENT TERMS AND SUPPORT

Westlake Fellows are appointed for a fixed term of three years, with the possibility of one renewal of up to an additional three years, subject to a successful review. The start date is flexible and may be negotiated with the Office of Westlake Fellow Program and the relevant School. Fellows receive an internationally competitive salary and comprehensive benefits, together with substantial start-up research funding to establish independent laboratories and build research teams. During their appointment, Fellows have no mandatory classroom teaching duties and are not required to devote significant time to securing competitive research grants, allowing them to focus fully on frontier and innovative research. Fellows are nevertheless encouraged to pursue external funding should it benefit their research and career development.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants are about to receive a PhD or have obtained a PhD within the past two years, as of the application deadline, and haven’t held a tenure-track or tenured faculty position (Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Full Professor, or equivalent). Candidates should demonstrate exceptional promise, independence, and scientific maturity during their doctoral training, and show strong motivation to explore the frontiers of science and engineering. Applicants' research area may include, but not limited to:

School of Science: mathematics, physics, chemistry, astronomy and astrophysics, and interdisciplinary science.

School of Engineering: electronic and information engineering, materials science and engineering, artificial intelligence, biological engineering, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, environmental engineering, and mechanical engineering.

School of Life Sciences: structural biology and biophysics, cell biology, stem cell research and therapy, neural and behavioral biology, bioinformatics and computational biology, aging and degenerative diseases, and cancer biology.

School of Medicine: microbiology and vaccine, immunology and inflammation, physiology and metabolism, cancer biology and therapy, medical genetics, clinical medicine, pharmacology, and public health.

HOW TO APPLY

1. Nominations:

Candidates can be nominated by a senior investigator from Westlake University or other leading universities & research institutions, who can provide an in-depth analysis of their accomplishments and future potential. Nominator should send the nomination form* and the full CV of the nominee to WestlakeFellows@westlake.edu.cn . Upon acceptance of the nomination, the nominee will be invited to submit the following application materials: application form*, letter of intent, research plan for the three-year term (up to 2 pages), three reference letters (to be sent directly by the referees to WestlakeFellows@westlake.edu.cn ). We will consider your application only when all application materials are received.

2. Direct Applications:

We also welcome direct applications from exceptional young scientists. Application materials include: application form*, letter of intent, full CV, research plan (up to 2 pages) for the three-year term, three reference letters (should be sent by the referees directly to WestlakeFellows@westlake.edu.cn ). We will consider your application only when all application materials are received.

*Templates for the nomination form and application form can be downloaded from the Program website: https://westlakefellows.westlake.edu.cn/westlake_fellows/ .

Diversity and inclusion are core values of Westlake University. All applications will be equally evaluated based on their experience and qualifications.

APPLICATION TIMETABLE

January 1, 2026: Nominations and applications open.

February 28, 2026: Deadline for nominations and applications.

By June 30, 2026: Fellowship awards announced.

Please address further inquiries to: WestlakeFellows@westlake.edu.cn