PhD Scholarships in Political Science: China's Scientific Silk Road, Geopolitics, Environment, and Space Université Laval in Germany

Université Laval, in partnership with the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) in Berlin, is offering two fully funded PhD scholarships for research on the scientific Silk Road of China and the new geopolitics of knowledge production. The project, funded by the Volkswagen Foundation, critically examines the impacts of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on global scientific practices, with a particular focus on environmental and space-related issues. The program is interdisciplinary, drawing on political science, international relations, sociology, anthropology, geography, and science and technology studies (STS). Doctoral students will be co-supervised by Professors Hang Zhou and Jean-Frédéric Morin at Université Laval, and Professors Han Cheng and Anna Lisa Ahlers at MPIWG.

Students will be affiliated with the Department of Political Science, the School of International Studies, and CIRGoM at Laval, and may spend time at MPIWG in Berlin and participate in a doctoral seminar at the University of Oslo. The scholarship covers tuition, provides a stipend of $40,000 CAD per year for four years, and includes additional funds for research, travel, and workspace. Applicants must have or be completing a master's degree in a relevant field by 2026, demonstrate strong interest in scientific diplomacy and global science governance, and be proficient in English or French.

Applications are open to all nationalities, with a deadline of November 14, 2025. Interested candidates should email Professor Han Cheng with required documents and later submit an official application to Université Laval.