Visiting Scholars Program

The LIS Visiting Scholars program provides funded visits on-site in our Luxembourg office. Awarded visits are usually from one to two weeks long.

LIS Visiting Scholars are assigned office space and given access to a secure personal computer with office applications and statistical software packages, including SAS, SPSS, and Stata. LIS staff members are available for consultation, assistance, and possible collaboration.

Advantages of being a Visiting Scholar

LIS Visiting Scholars:

  • have direct access to the microdata for which providers have given their consent for such access. (Direct access means that Visiting Scholars are not restricted to using the remote-execution system during their stay in Luxembourg.)
  • countries that allow direct access
  • may have approved software (other than SAS, SPSS, or Stata) installed on the secure personal computer assigned to you
  • have access to the LIS data staff for intensive consultation, as needed

Program Expectations

As a LIS Visiting Scholar, you are expected to:

  • meet any special conditions before direct access to the data is permitted
  • present your work during an informal seminar at LIS
  • post the results of any research carried out during the visit to the Working Papers Series before publication in a professional venue

Eligibility Criteria

The LIS Visiting Scholar Program:

  • is open to researchers of all nationalities, with preference granted to researchers from participating countries
  • welcomes applications from researchers at all levels of seniority, although prior experience using the LIS or LWS microdata is required
  • accepts applications from individual researchers or from groups working on a collaborative project
  • considers proposals that indicate a clear need for an onsite-stay in Luxembourg

Deadline

Research proposals are accepted throughout the year.

How to Apply

A complete application must include three things:

1. Application
The application form is available online in PDF format. Note that with Adobe Reader you can only fill in the fields and print; Adobe Professional also allows you to save and email the document. Apply Now

2. A brief description of your proposed research project
This should outline your plans for research, including a justification of your on-site empirical work. Explain how your research interests can benefit from and contribute to cross-national research using the LIS or LWS microdata.

3. Curriculum Vitae
Send your completed application to admin@lisdatacenter.org.

Applicants will be informed of the results of their application within four weeks of submission. If the Selection Committee rejects a proposal, it will indicate the reasons for the rejection and possibly make suggestions for a revised proposal.

Selection Criteria

The Visiting Scholars Selection Committee will evaluate each proposal based on:

  • overall quality of the project
  • scientific value
  • technical value
  • originality
  • methodological approach
  • potential for academic publication
  • clear indication of how the project will benefit from an on-site visit in Luxembourg
  • clear indication of a product that can be used by LIS staff, researchers, and users (i.e., a new dataset or methodological contribution)

NOTE: Projects that can be completed easily off-site will not be considered.