Professor Leszek Koczanowicz, an esteemed expert in cultural and political studies at SWPS University, has accepted an invitation to the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton, one of the world's most influential scientific institutions. Professor Koczanowicz was selected from over 600 fellowship applicants.
USWPS Scholar Selected for Prestigious Institute of Advanced Studies Fellowship
In September, Professor Leszek Koczanowicz from SWPS University's Institute of Humanities will begin his one-year residential fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton. This is a highly prestigious recognition, as there are hundreds of applicants and the selection criteria are rigorous.
The IAS comprises four schools: the School of Historical Studies, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social Science. Each school has a small faculty of outstanding specialists in their respective fields. Each year, a handful of eminent scholars are given the opportunity to work in each school for a full academic year. The faculty and the director of the Institute carefully review all applications and select the most qualified candidates.
Professor Koczanowicz applied for an invitation several times. Once he was even on the reserve list, but resignations from fellowship positions are extremely rare. This year, his application to the School of Social Sciences was successful despite intense competition.
Of course, my first reaction was immense joy at the opportunity of a year's work in optimal conditions, free from conventional constraints, amidst brilliant colleagues with whom I can engage in scholarly discourse and exchange ideas. Yet, this moment also brought a sense of recognition of my previous contributions to the international scientific community. It's hard not to feel an overwhelming sense of fulfillment.
Prof. Leszek Koczanowicz
Institute of Humanities at SWPS University
IAS operates independently and offers its members a comfortable environment for conducting theoretical research. Rather than becoming bogged down by administrative tasks, scholars can focus solely on their research program. As Professor Koczanowicz explains, the fellowship gives them the necessary "time to think."
During my stay, I will be working on a project that aligns with this year's School of Social Science theme, The Politics of Migration and Displacement as a Form of Life. I want to approach this issue from the philosophical and cultural studies perspective, also drawing on personal experiences of the first generation born in the Western Territories of Poland.
prof. Leszek Koczanowicz
Institute of Humanities at SWPS University
Professor Koczanowicz is the second scholar from Poland to receive the prestigious fellowship at the IAS School of Social Sciences.
About the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton
Established in 1930, the Institute for Advanced Study is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of knowledge. Among its former and current staff and members are 35 Nobel laureates, 44 winners of the Fields Medal, and almost all recipients of the Abel Prize, which is considered the mathematical equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
One of the first professors at IAS was Albert Einstein, who continued to work there until his death in 1955. Notable figures associated with the institute include Kurt Gödel, J. Robert Oppenheimer (who served as director from 1947 to 1966), Erwin Panofsky, Hetty Goldman, Homer A. Thompson, John von Neumann, George Kennan, Hermann Weyl, and Clifford Geertz, among others.
Several similar institutes exist today in countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, and South Africa.