Doctoral Co-Direction Grant - Application Requirements

Application materials include the following documents and must be submitted in English on the application form at https://alliance.columbia.edu/form/doctoral-mobility-application:

• Applicant’s Curriculum vitae
   
• Student ID from the Graduate School of one of the 4 Alliance partner institutions: Columbia University, Ecole Polytechnique, Sciences Po, or Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne
   
• Letter of recommendation from the Ph.D. Supervisor from the home institution:
  • To protect confidentiality, this letter should be emailed directly by the Ph.D. supervisor to the Alliance Program at: [email protected].
     

• Letter of Invitation:
  
  In order to qualify, applicants must identify a co-director who will contribute susbtanively to their PhD thesis, and explain how their expertise is intrumental to the research; projects for joint publications are encouraged.

  Applicants must identify and secure the agreement of a proposed faculty co-director at the host Alliance institution prior to submitting an application. The proposed co-director should have expertise that is directly relevant to the candidate’s doctoral research and should be expected to contribute substantively to the development of the PhD thesis.

• For Students from Ecole Polytechnique, Sciences Po or Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne:
  
  Letter of invitation confirming the sponsorship and proposed co-direction of a Columbia University faculty member: Scholars must secure the sponsorship of a Columbia University faculty member who agrees to serve as the candidate’s academic supervisor during the research stay and as a co-director of the candidate’s doctoral research.

  It is strongly recommended that the student’s PhD supervisor establish contact with the proposed Columbia faculty co-director.

  The Letter of Invitation from the proposed host supervisor/co-director must:

• Confirm the faculty member’s willingness to serve as the doctoral candidate’s dissertation co-director;
• Describe the faculty member’s anticipated role in providing academic guidance and contributing substantively to the candidate’s doctoral research;
• Explain how the faculty member’s expertise is relevant and instrumental to the candidate’s PhD thesis;
• Confirm the faculty member’s willingness to collaborate with the candidate during the grant period;
• Acknowledge the expectation that the co-director will participate in the candidate’s dissertation defense; and
• Acknowledge that the Alliance Program may provide the co-director with up to $4,000 in reimbursement for eligible travel and accommodation expenses associated with attending the dissertation defense.
  
  In order to protect confidentiality, the sponsorship letter should be sent to the Alliance Program by e-mail at: [email protected].
   
  For Columbia Law School and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, students must submit a copy of the Visiting Scholars application.

• For Students from Columbia University
  
  Letter of invitation from a faculty member from École Polytechnique, Sciences Po, or Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne confirming the proposed co-direction arrangement: Applicants must secure the agreement of a faculty member at the host Alliance institution who will serve as the candidate’s academic supervisor during the research stay and as a co-director of the candidate’s doctoral research.

  It is strongly recommended that the student’s PhD supervisor establish contact with the proposed host faculty co-director.

  The Letter of Invitation from the proposed host supervisor/co-director must:

• Confirm the faculty member’s willingness to serve as the doctoral candidate’s dissertation co-director;
• Describe the faculty member’s anticipated role in providing academic guidance and contributing substantively to the candidate’s doctoral research;
• Explain how the faculty member’s expertise is relevant and instrumental to the candidate’s PhD thesis;
• Confirm the faculty member’s willingness to collaborate with the candidate during the grant period;
• Acknowledge the expectation that the co-director will participate in the candidate’s dissertation defense; and
• Acknowledge that the Alliance Program may provide the co-director with up to $4,000 in reimbursement for eligible travel and accommodation expenses associated with attending the dissertation defense.
  
  To protect confidentiality, this letter should be sent to the Alliance Program by e-mail at: [email protected].
   

5. Research project description:
   • The research project description should indicate how the visit will contribute to the applicant’s field of research, and how the stay at the partner institution will help the progress of their dissertation. Any additional information on the student’s specific interest in a visit at the partner institution (undertaking field work, courses or writing an article, etc.) may be included. The research project description should not exceed three pages (single-spaced, size 12).
   • Add the name and institution of the co-director who will contribute susbtanively to your PhD thesis, and explain how their expertise is intrumental to the research.
      
6. Dates of the stay
    
7. A photo ID and short biography
    
   • Please note that the biography and photograph of selected scholars will be published on the Alliance website and the Newsletter announcing Ph.D. Mobility recipients.
     
     A description of the Alliance Doctoral Mobility program is available on the Alliance website. Applicants’ supervisors/advisors should forward this document when contacting potential faculty sponsors at the partner institution.

PLEASE NOTE: Some schools and institutes require a separate application to be Visiting Scholars and, such as but not limited to, the Columbia Law School (CLS) or at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). Please refer to this page. 

Program and administrative fees vary by host school, institute, or department. Students are responsible for any fees associated with obtaining Visiting Scholar status, as well as any other applicable Columbia University administrative fees. These costs are separate from the Alliance grant. Visit the ISSO website and check with your host department for more information.