• About
• Eligibility & Selection Criteria
• Supported Fields of Study
• Value of Fellowship
• Service Commitment
• Application Process
• Contact Information

About

The OPF aims to provide doctoral candidates who are about to complete or have recently completed their studies an opportunity to engage in advanced training and/or research at an overseas university for one year.

Besides financial support, awardees will also receive academic mentorship.

Upon completion of the Fellowship, awardees will be considered to join SMU’s faculty as an Assistant Professor on the tenure track. 

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Eligibility & Selection Criteria

• Singapore citizens
• Doctoral candidates who have recently completed or are about to complete their studies in a discipline relevant to SMU
• Excellent academic record plus a high degree of proficiency and motivation for selected research area
• Have been accepted or have applied for a post-doctoral training at a leading overseas university in a research area that is aligned with SMU’s core areas of excellence
• A keen interest in an academic career at SMU

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Value of Fellowship

The Fellowship provides

• Monthly stipend
• Overseas maintenance allowance
• Return economy airfare
• Conference and fieldwork grants
• Overseas medical insurance

Fellows will also each be assigned a SMU faculty mentor throughout their post-doctoral training and have opportunities to participate in faculty development programmes.

The fellowship is tenable for one year. On an exception basis, a two-year programme may be supported.

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Service Commitment

One year for every year of sponsorship.

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Application Process

Interested candidates are required to complete and submit the Overseas Post-doctoral Fellowship Application Form to START_OPF_Coordinator@smu.edu.sg along with the following:

• Personal statement detailing the motivation for pursuing an academic career at SMU
• Research statement that includes a synopsis of applicant’s PhD research and how the applicant's research interests are aligned with SMU’s core areas of excellence
• 2-3 research papers, of which at least one shall be related to applicant’s PhD work
• Outline of proposed post-doctoral training programme and how it would benefit the applicant and SMU
• Detailed CV
• Degree certificates & academic transcripts
• Names and email addresses of three references whom you have approached to provide a referee report on applicant. Referees to send the referee reports to SMU at START_OPF_Coordinator@smu.edu.sg directly.

Applications may be submitted throughout the year but candidates are advised to submit them at least nine months prior to the intended commencement date of the post-doctoral training.

Shortlisted candidates will first be invited for an interview with faculty from their discipline of interest and upon their recommendation, may be invited to an interview with the Selection Panel. The Selection Panel will typically convene twice a year, in the first and fourth quarters. Decisions on the fellowship award will be based on the interviews and the application materials submitted.

Contact Information

For further information about SMU’s Overseas Post-doctoral Fellowship, please refer to the FAQs or write to our coordinator at: START_OPF_Coordinator@smu.edu.sg.

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