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Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis ASCA

Visiting Researchers at ASCA

Staff members of ASCA can invite colleagues from abroad to spend a certain period of time at ASCA as a guest researcher. Researchers who are affiliated with the University of Amsterdam​ or another Dutch university or research institute cannot be invited as guest researcher, but they are welcome to participate in ASCA research activities.

What we expect:

We expect visiting researchers to be active and visible in our research program. Guests are in regular contact with their hosts, participate in one or more research groups, present their work, and co-organize seminars, workshops or other events.

The host is responsible for embedding the guest in the research community and to guide them in finding their way around. For this reason, it is important that you only invite people that you want to work with. Many countries stimulate their researchers to go abroad with visiting scholarships. Since you are expected to invest time and energy in them we recommend that you be somewhat selective.

NB. We cannot assist guest researchers with housing.

There are two options for visiting researchers to join ASCA.

1. Affiliated Researcher

The first option is the easy one of joining ASCA as affiliated researcher. The guest can simply come to Amsterdam and join the program. Beware: we cannot assist this person with their visa application, and they will not get the visa without support from the university. So this option is only open to people who do not need a visa.

We can provide affiliated guests with a letter of invitation, they can buy a library card (40 euros) and we can arrange free access to secured WIFI eduroam. We can add their name to the list of affiliated researchers on the ASCA website. And they can be added to the mailing list and kept informed of all our activities, to which they are welcome to join.

What we offer affiliated researchers:

  • Affiliated researchers at ASCA have full access to the program;
  • They can receive a formal letter of invitation;
  • They can receive the monthly newsletter;
  • They have free access to secured WIFI Eduroam;
  • They can buy a Library Card and make use of the workspaces available in the library and other UvA buildings ​
  • Their affiliation can be shown on the ASCA website.

2. Guest Researcher

The second option is the more complicated and restricted one of joining ASCA as a guest researcher: This option is only open to researchers who have received independent funding to do a postdoc project at ASCA and/or to researchers who will make a considerable contribution to the ASCA program, for example by closely working together with an ASCA member on the organization of a seminar/reading group or by presenting their work and contributing in other ways to one or more research groups. 

What we offer guest researchers:

  • Guest researchers receive everything affiliated researchers receive, plus:
  • a staff card which gives access to the library and other facilities;
  • an UvAnet ID which allows them to upload a personal page on the UvA website;
  • assistance with their VISA applications;

Duration of your stay:

  • As a rule, the maximum duration of the affiliated and guest researcher status is one year (with the exception of externally funded postdocs, who can get an extension for the duration of their postdoc).
  • For guest researchers the minimum duration is 6 months.

How to apply:

  • All affiliated and guest researchers need to have a host, an ASCA staff member who is willing to support their application and to provide guidance once they have arrived. 
     
  • Affiliated guests: Write a short paragraph (max. 150 words) of what you plan to do and which group, seminar or reading group you will join. Send this to your host and to asca-fgw@uva.nl, with a short bio (100 words), the period you want to spend in Amsterdam, and a draft of the invitation letter, if you need one.
     
  • Guest researchers: Fill out the guest research application form (which will be provided by your host), have it co-signed by your host, and send it, together with your CV and a copy of your ID, to ASCA asca-fgw@uva.nl. Please do this at least 3 months before you want to arrive in Amsterdam.
     
  • If your application is approved, you will be informed within about a month. About a month after the approval (longer if you need a visa), you will receive an e-mail with your UvAnet ID and the request to activate it and to upload your CV and ID onto an online database.