Fulbright-Natural History Museum Vienna Visiting Researcher
Austria
Number of recipients
In addition to being a prestigious academic exchange program, the Fulbright Program is designed to expand and strengthen relationships between the people of the United States and citizens of other nations and to promote international understanding and cooperation. To support this mission, Fulbright Scholars may be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the host community, in addition to their primary activities.
Scientific research at the Natural History Museum in Vienna, one of the premier research museums in the world, which houses over 30 million artifacts in its extensive and precious historic collections in the fields of anthropology, botany, geology, mineralogy, paleontology, prehistory, and zoology. It is equipped with modern electron microprobe and electron microscopy as well as DNA laboratories.
The Natural History Museum Vienna is a public institution and one of the largest non-university research centers in Austria. The museum connects art and science under one roof with about 40 exhibit halls and over 60 scientists. As a research center in earth sciences, life sciences, and human sciences, the Natural History Museum Vienna features modern research labs and exciting collections for the study of anthropology, biological diversity, prehistoric objects, and early human life. The collection includes over 30 million objects including a range of fossils and dinosaurs, pre-historic treasures including the Venus of Willendorf, minerals and gems, extinct animals species, the largest and oldest meteorite display, and a world famous herbarium.
To learn more about Vienna, visit Austria's official travel portal.
Grants must begin in late September 2025 or late February 2026 in line with the Austrian academic year and the mandatory orientation. Grant activities at the host institution will begin on October 1, 2025 or March 1, 2026 and end on January 31, 2026 or June 30, 2026 respectively.
The Natural History Museum will consider applications for Flex awards which allow grantees to split their four-month stay into two two-month stays, if appropriate to the design of the research project. All grant activity must be completed by June 30.
The Flex Award is designed for scholars who require multiple visits to the host country. This option allows grants to be conducted over two or three short segments. Applicants must select Flex in the application form, and clearly describe their plans for Flex in their project statement, including a project timeline. Flex grantees may be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the host-country academic community.
All disciplines relevant to the collections and resources of the Natural History Museum, Vienna will be considered. The Museum's departments are home to around 60 staff scientists carrying out fundamental research in a wide range of fields related to earth sciences, life sciences, and human sciences.
All specializations that address the Museum's extensive collections, research infrastructure, and potential collaboration with on-site research staff and curators are eligible. Please note that if applying in the “Arts” sector this relation to our scientific work is particularly important and should lead to an application in “Arts and Science;” if applying under “Communication” it should be in “Science Communication.”
All applicants must meet the Program eligibility requirements (click to review the requirements).
Instruction will be in English. Some knowledge of German is advantageous but not required.
If German is required to complete the proposed research project, proficiency must be documented in the project proposal.
This award is open to academics and professionals with required terminal degrees, career profile, and teaching experience in relevant fields.
Natural History Museum Vienna
Applicants are welcome to reach out to Ms. Katharina Woelfel, Research Coordination, with questions.
To view the alumni for this award, please visit Fulbright Austria's website.
This award is generously funded by the Natural History Museum Vienna.
€3,300 per month (approx. $3,600; exchange rates may fluctuate) for four months
All grantees receive a travel and relocation allowance of €1,000 (approx. $1,100 exchange; rates may fluctuate).
For an estimated overview of the cost of living in Austria, please click here.
Final grant amounts will be determined prior to the start of the academic year and are subject to the availability of funds. The United States Department of State and the Fulbright Commission in the host country reserve the right to alter, without notice, participating countries, number of awards and allowances.
Austria
Fulbright Austria offers up to 24 awards, including two research awards and 22 teaching awards with research options. The great majority of awards are anchored at specific Austrian institutions and correspondingly dedicated to host institutions' specific fields of interest, ranging from natural and life sciences, engineering, and business and economics to the social sciences, arts, and humanities. Fulbright Austria hosts two US scholar cohorts per year, with the majority of scholars arriving in spring.
In recent years, Austria has established itself as one of the top-ten destinations for Fulbright US Scholars, a success which is largely due to the excellent partnerships the Austrian Fulbright commission has built with institutions across the country. As enthusiastic supporters of the Fulbright program, Austrian institutions are excited to welcome US scholars to their campuses and to expand their professional networks.
Please note that Austrian institutions will be on summer break from July 1 until September 30. If you contact faculty and staff, please consider that turnaround times will potentially be longer as of early July.
Fulbright Austria (the Austrian-American Educational Commission) evaluates proposals in terms of their potential to fulfill the program's mandate of promoting mutual understanding between the peoples of Austria and the United States. Proposals for flexible combinations of teaching and research will be evaluated for their scholarly excellence, comparative approaches, bilateral relevance and potential for establishing or enhancing institutional relationships. As a rule, the quality of an applicant's proposal is more important to the Austrian-American Educational Commission than the academic rank of the applicant.
Fulbright Austria expects applicants to take all possible measures to avoid plagiarism. For resources on plagiarism, please visit these external resources:
• The Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research’s Best Practice Guide for Research Integrity and Ethics
• The Austrian Agency for Research Integrity’s website
Grantees to Austria are responsible for costs related to obtaining a visa in the US.
In country, the first grant payment will be disbursed at the start of the grantee's assignment, pending submission of the Austrian bank information form. Bank processing times for the first grant payment may take up to two weeks from the date of submission. Grantees should be prepared to cover their own expenses for this period. No dependent support is available.
For an estimated overview of the cost of living in Austria, please visit: https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/austria.
For further information on life in Austria, please visit the U.S. Embassy Vienna's website and the Austrian Embassy Washington's website.
Dr. Franziska Brunner, Scholar Program Officer
Fulbright Austria (Austrian-American Educational Commission):
Email: fbrunner@fulbright.at
Address: Fulbright Austria, MQ, Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna, Austria
Website: www.fulbright.at
Diversity Statement download: .pdf
To view the alumni who have awards to Austria, please visit the grant pages on Fulbright Austria's website at https://www.fulbright.at/programs/in-austria/scholars.
Visit our Scholar Directory to view and search all Fulbright alumni. You can also learn more about Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors.