Call for Applications: PhD Summer School, Warsaw, Poland, 22nd -24th August 2026, Apply by January 30th 2026
Focus: Within the intensive Summer School program, participants will present aspects of their ongoing doctoral research projects, primarily in relation to the key topics of the conference: democracy, social action, solidarity, and sustainable future. Instructors’ and fellow peer feedback will be provided, focusing on the theoretical basis, epistemological approach, methodological features, as well as scientific and practical implications of the research presented. In the concluding plenary session, an open debate will deal with the widest scope of queries and challenges that early career scholars encounter in their PhD journeys. This event represents an outstanding opportunity for networking with peers all across Europe and beyond and thus enhancing academic career prospects.
Number of places: We will select 25 PhD students for the school. An additional set of 5 candidates will be included in a waiting list.
Format of event: on-site
Language: English
Funding: Funds will be provided for 3 nights’ accommodation (22-24 August 2026) and meals in Warsaw (booked by ESA). Up to 350,00 Euro will be available to each student towards their travel costs (reimbursement after the event). Please, bear in mind that ESA promotes and encourages the use of more sustainable and environmentally friendly types of transport whenever convenient for reaching an event’s venue.
Eligibility: Students registered for a PhD in Sociology or in an allied discipline in a European University. Students must be ESA members or become ESA member before the Summer School: https://www.europeansociology.org/membership
Guidelines for applying: Please submit an abstract of your paper (max. 350 words) and a short CV (max. 3 pages) via the ESA ConfTool 2026 by January 30th 2026. When submitting via ConfTool, you will be asked to choose the ESA Research Network in which you would like to present at the main ESA 2026 conference, in case your paper is not selected for the Summer School.
Your CV should contain the following at the beginning:
· Full Name
· Academic affiliation (department, university)
· Country (where registered for PhD)
· Year of the PhD programme
· E-mail address
· Phone number
· Name, institutional affiliation, and e-mail address of your main supervisor
Your abstract should contain the following subheadings:
· Title of paper
· Keywords (up to 4)
· Research question
· Theoretical framework
· Methodology (if empirical paper)
· Preliminary findings or conclusions
· The novel contribution and significance of your research.
Selection: Participants will be selected through a peer-review process and on the basis of the scientific excellence of their proposed abstract and its scholarly contribution to sociological knowledge. In addition, a fair balance between different regions of Europe and areas of sociology as well as topics will be considered. Priority will be given to candidates who have not joined previous ESA Summer Schools and who are in the last stages of their PhD.
If you are selected you will be required to submit a manuscript of a full paper (6000 words max., including footnotes and bibliography) by 15th May 2026 to communication[at]europeansociology.org . This is essential to ensure that participants get the most out of this program. Papers will be circulated in advance and allocated to peer discussants.
We kindly ask you to apply only if you accept these terms and conditions and are prepared to follow the guidelines and deadlines.
Summer School’s instructors are members of the ESA Executive committee: Milica Antić Gaber (Slovenia), Nilay Kaya (Turkey), Marilena Macaluso (Italy), Maggie O’Neil (Ireland), Ana-Cristina Santos (Portugal), Ana Vidu (Spain), Krešimir Žažar (Croatia), and ESA’s President Kaja Gadowska (Poland).
For more details, refer here
