UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTÓNOMA DE MÉXICO INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES FILOSÓFICAS

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Frequently Asked Questions
UNAM’s Institute for Philosophical Research - Academic Secretariat

The following questions are the ones that UNAM’s Institute for Philosophical Research’s Academic Secretariat gets most frequently asked by applicants for our research fellowships. Do feel free to get in touch with us via email (posdoc.iif@gmail.com) in case you have any other doubts.

• In what language can I present my application to the Institute?
  We accept applications in either English or Spanish. Applications in any other language will not be considered.

• How can I send my letters of recommendation?
  There are three ways in which we can receive letters of recommendation in favour of applicants. Letter of recommendation can be sent personally by their authors to the email posdoc.iif@gmail.com. They can also be submitted via Interfolio. Finally, they can also be provided by the applicant’s university of adscription personal via email.

• May I send my application in any way other than email?
  No, you may not. We only receive applications via email. Please, do not send us complete applications via another platform which is not personal email. By other platforms, we mean WeTransfer, Dropbox and the like. The only bits of applications that we can receive from another platform which is not email are the letters of recommendation in favour of applicants.
   
• How long does it take for the Institute to reach a decision?
  It takes about a month and a half, and two months for the Institute to deliberate. Once the Institute has decided who will it postulate to UNAM’s Coordination of Humanities as recipients of the research fellowships, then applicants will receive an email informing them whether they’ve been selected or not.
   
• Are the research fellowships given to some preferred areas of research in philosophy over others?
  No, they are not. We accept applications of all areas of research in philosophy. The need to support some areas of research over others at the Institute is a criterion that changes each semester. That is not only the only criterion for choosing amongst all the received applications. There other considerations such as the academic profile of the applicant (the quality of the project, impact and quality of publications, letter of recommendation). The Institute encourage researchers to send their application dossiers regardless of the area in which they specialise.
   
• Is there a preferred format to write the Cover Letter?
  No, there is not. The Institute are interested to know what are your research plans and the reasons why you are interested in a research fellowship at the Institute. Feel free to include information that may be pertinent for us to know for our deliberation.
   
• Is there a need to send hard copies of any of the documents solicited?
  No, there is not. All documents need to be sent electronically.
   
• Format CV
  Is there a format in which the CV needs to be given?
  No, there is not. Do make sure to include your full name, residential address, current job (if any), your areas of specialisation and interest, the name of the university, university of adscription of PHD supervisor and date in which your PhD degree was obtained (or expected date), and the publications you have.
   
• Do I need to have a letter of recommendation from someone from Institute?
  No, you don’t have to. You don’t need to have ongoing collective work with any of the researchers either to be considered for the research fellowships.
   
• If I have another source of income (from a scholarship or a job), is that a problem?
  Yes and no. It is a problem only once you have been accepted. You cannot have another source of income once your research fellowship starts. It is not a problem during your application process. You can be working or having a scholarship while you are applying for our research fellowships.
   
• I have not defended my PhD dissertation, but I expect to finish soon. Can I apply for the research fellowships?
  Yes, you can. However, you need to have finished your PhD program before the start of the research fellowship at the Institute. In the meantime, you need to send an official document written issued by your university of your PhD supervisor stating the day of the expected conclusion of your PhD programme.
   
• To whom should the letter of recommendation be addressed?
  The letters of recommendation in favour of applicants should be addressed to Dra Teresa Rodríguez González, Head of Academic Affairs at the Institute for Philosophical Research at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
   
• How should I send my application dossier to the Institute?
  Your application dossier contains the documents required in our call for applications. Please check our call for applications at the following link: www.filosoficas.unam.mx. All the required documents should be sent in one single email, in separate PDF files and each clearly identified. We suggest the following titled for each document:

1.    CV
2.    Identity document
3.1  Article ([Title])
3.2  Article [[Title]]
4.    Research Project ([Title])
6.    Workplan with timetable
7.    Cover Letter
8.    PhD Diploma
9.    PhD abstract and derived publications

In the parenthesis, you should write the required titles. Notice there is no point 5  since those are your letters of recommendation and you do not send those.
 

• How long does the research fellowship last?
  The research fellowships last one year. Your timeline and research project should be formed considering that year. You may request to stay for another year just once after your first year. Then, a different timeline and research project (ideally, a continuation of the one carried during the first year) will be presented.

• When does the research fellowship start?
  The research fellowship whose call for applications ended during the Autumn semester starts on the 1st of March. The research fellowship whose call for applications ended during the Spring semester starts on the 1st of September.