Post Career-Break Fellowship

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Post Career-Break Fellowship

Wanting to return after a long break?

Welcome to the Post Career Break Fellowship Programme

Have you taken time out for personal reasons from your career in science or engineering? Would you be interested in returning to a scientific career if you could?

CERN has launched a programme to offer full-time or part-time Fellowships to science and engineering graduates looking for a way back into science. This is an outstanding chance for you to update your knowledge and skills working for up to three years in an international environment at the forefront of research.

The Program

As a Post-Career Break Fellow, you might
Join a research project at CERN or create your own.

Within either contexts, there will be…
A lot of catching up on field developments you might have missed out on.

As well as…
The opportunity to publish those findings of yours! The specifics and weight of each of the activities outlined above will vary from case to case. 

The candidate

In order to qualify for a place on the programme you will need to meet the following requirements:

  • You have been on a career break for personal reasons (for example for family or caring responsibilities, health issues) for at least two years. Please note that periods of unemployment or a change in field from your studies or in the direction of your career are not considered a “career break” within the spirit of our programme.
  • You have a “Quest” profile, for nationals of Member or Associate Member States with a MSc degree and between 2 and 6 years’ experience or PhD with up to three years of relevant experience. If you are applying in the fields of experimental or theoretical physics, you must have a "Research Fellowship" profile, holding a PhD and up to six years’ experience in the field after obtaining their PhD.
  • Please note that candidates who are registered as CERN Users may be asked to justify how their status relates to their application.
  • CERN Staff members are not eligible to apply.

Apply for the Post Career-Break Fellowship