Applications are now open for the competition for Visiting Professor at Georgetown University during the academic year 2026/27, an initiative of FLAD and the Department of Government at Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C., USA. This open call includes financial support for a stay of one semester or one year.

The competition aims to select visiting professor(s) in the area of Political Science and International Relations to teach at Georgetown University for one or two semesters of the 2026/2027 academic year.

Preference will be given to candidates with availability for the two semesters. Candidates with experience in government and/or in applied research for the development of public policies (policy-based research) will be particularly valued, to the detriment of exclusively academic profiles.

Applications must show teaching experience in higher education and include positive evaluations of students in curricular units relevant to the areas mentioned. Scientific and professional production will be considered with equal weight in the ranking of applications.

The selected professor will teach one curricular unit per semester. The unit program is proposed by the candidate (via syllabus). In case of selection, the program may be adjusted in accordance with the objectives of FLAD, Georgetown University and the selected candidate.

The professor is also expected to actively participate in the academic life of the department, promote initiatives in conjunction with FLAD, and collaborate with institutions in the Washington, D.C. region, including think tanks, foundations, embassies, universities, and other local partners.

Periods

A Visiting Professor will be selected for each of the academic semesters, or a single Visiting Professor who will remain throughout the academic year:

  • Fall Semester (September-December) 2026
  • Spring Semester (January-May) 2027

Eligibility criteria

Applicants must:

  • Have Portuguese nationality or reside in Portugal;
  • PhD completed at the time of application
  • Affiliation with a higher education institution in Portugal and/or integrated member or collaborator of an R&D unit recognized by FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology.
  • Have published work in their academic or professional area;
  • Have teaching experience in English.

Application process
Applications must be submitted here.

Required documentation

  • Letter of motivation;
  • CV, with papers published in the area and teaching experience;
  • Proposal for the curricular plan of the course (syllabus) that the candidate intends to teach. A total of 15 sessions lasting 2h30/week should be considered, as an indication;
  • Copy of the PhD certificate;
  • Two letters of recommendation from professionals in the professional and/or academic sector (research and teaching) in Portuguese or English.
  • Consent under the General Data Protection Regulation

Note: Letters of recommendation may be submitted in Portuguese or English. All other documents must be submitted in English.

The application period will run from August 1st to November 30, 2025.

The results will be communicated by December 15, 2025.

Selection

Applications will be reviewed by the following selection committee:

  • Nuno Morais Sarmento, President, FLAD (President of the jury)
  • Michael Baum, Executive Council, FLAD
  • Pedro Magalhães, Researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon
  • Lívia Franco, Professor at the Institute of Political Studies of the Catholic University of Portugal

FLAD Funding

Each chosen candidate will award a scholarship in the amount of 5,000 EUR/month. Additional support of 500Eur will be allocated to support the cost of the insurance policy and 1000Eur to subsidize the costs related to the trip.

Supplemental Funding – Georgetown University

In addition to the financial support granted by FLAD, the selected Visiting Professor will receive an additional amount of 7,000 USD, paid by Georgetown University, upon presentation of the Social Security Number and according to the conditions available on the University’s website.

We advise you to read the notice of this call (Notice – Georgetown University Visiting Professor Competition 2026/2027) where you can find all the application requirements and other relevant information.

For more information, please email ricardo.pereira@flad.pt.