Fulbright-Aalto University Distinguished Chair

Purpose of the Grant Program

This prestigious appointment in the Fulbright Scholar Program is available for scholars and specialists for visits of 3–9 months in the areas of expertise within any of the following themes:

• ICT and digitalization
• Global business dynamics
• Materials and sustainable use of natural resources
• Arts and design knowledge building
• Human-centred living environments
• Health and wellbeing
• Advanced energy solutions. 

For the academic year 2026-2027, the Fulbright-Aalto University Distinguished Chair provides U.S. scholars with the opportunity to conduct research and teach at Aalto University: 

• The School of Business is Finland's leading business school and one of the top business schools in Europe. The School was the first business school in the Nordic countries to receive the most important international quality accreditations of the field: AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS. This makes it one of the best business schools in the world.
• The School of Chemical Engineering advances sustainable solutions and breakthroughs for bio- and circular economy by scientific and engineering excellence through multidisciplinary and industrial relevance. Applications are exclusively accepted in areas represented by the Research Council of Finland funded flagship FinnCERES (the mission is to harness the natural properties of lignocellulose to create new sustainable materials).
• The School of Electrical Engineering intertwines electrical engineering, the natural sciences and information technology to form smart systems and innovations that save energy and increase well-being. The research is applied in mobile telephones, electricity networks and in satellites.
• The School of Engineering teaches and researches fields that encompass all aspects of our built-up environment. Global warming, energy conservation and sustainable use of natural resources are the focus areas of both research and teaching.

The grant is jointly funded by the Aalto University and the Fulbright Finland Foundation (the Finnish Fulbright Commission).

The Chair Position

The Fulbright-Aalto University Distinguished Chair will lecture and conduct research. The award emphasizes projects that highlight active research work but the Chair is expected to do some teaching as well. The position can be awarded for any field but the applicant‘s area of expertise should fall within the interdisciplinary themes mentioned above.

Aalto University strives to provide a very friendly and collegial atmosphere to pursue a variety of professional activities in research, teaching and lecturing. Collaboration is encouraged such as research and writing joint publications with Finnish colleagues and mentoring student research at the master's and doctoral levels. In addition to teaching at Aalto University, the Fulbright-Aalto University Distinguished Chair has the opportunity to network and create linkages throughout Finland and give occasional guest lectures at other Finnish universities.

Benefits

The Fulbright-Aalto Distinguished Chair is available for visits of 3–9 months. It includes:

• Monthly allowance of 5,600 EUR (approx. 6,200 USD*). A total stipend for 9 months is 50,400 EUR (approx. 56,000 USD*).
• Travel allowance of 2,000 USD.
• Residence permit allowance (based on the actual permit fees, including grantee and accompanying family members).
• Housing is arranged and payed for by the host institution for the scholar.**
• Work facilities and administrative support.
• Orientation and support services provided by Fulbright Finland in Helsinki. For example, Fulbright Finland will arrange a four-day arrival orientation in Helsinki for all American Fulbright grantees at the end of August each year.
• Fulbright Finland mid-year activities and networking opportunities (such as the American Voices Seminar at the University of Turku) each year.
• Possible guest lecturing opportunities in other Finnish higher education institutions and in other European countries.

* amounts are subject to change due to currency fluctuations.
** should be confirmed in the letter of invitation. 

Read about Professor Peter Hans Matthews' visit to Finland as a Fulbright-Aalto University Distinguished Chair! 

Support for Grantees with Disabilities

Extra funding support is available for grantees with disabilities. If you have a disability that would cause additional costs for the grant term, contact the Foundation to discuss reasonable accommodations. Send your self-assessment with a description of the disability and the specific accommodations requested to the Foundation ([email protected]) by the grant application deadline.

Please note that disclosing the need for disability accommodation does not affect the review and selection process.

Eligibility

Distinguished Chair eligibility guidelines and review criteria are published on the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program website.

In Finland the applications are evaluated according to the evaluation criteria set by the Fulbright Finland Foundation Board.

Applicants residing in Finland are not eligible for a Fulbright grant.

Aalto University

Aalto University was founded in 2010 by merging three leading Finnish institutions - Helsinki University of Technology, the Helsinki School of Economics and the University of Art and Design Helsinki - as a societally embedded, innovative research university for a better world.

Today the university has six schools, 12,000 full-time equivalent degree students from over 100 countries, and a staff of about 4,000, of which 400 are professors. Share of international academic faculty is close to 50%. Aalto University is one of Europe’s most international universities.

The campus in Espoo's Otaniemi supports Aalto University's vision for building an innovative society. The campus has turned into a world-class collaboration hub combining high tech, art and design and business in a unique way and driving one of Europe's leading start-up ecosystems. Otaniemi is about 15 minutes from the city center of Helsinki. The campus and its immediate vicinity is the site for many of Finland’s largest companies’ headquarters, not to mention home to a great number of smaller companies.

How to Apply?

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program competition for 2026-27 opens in February 2025.

The U.S. program partner in the Fulbright Distinguished Chairs Program is the Institute of International Education IIE. Applications are submitted through IIE and forwarded to discipline-based peer review committees in the U.S. Applications that pass this initial peer review in the U.S. are forwarded to the Fulbright Finland Foundation in Helsinki to be reviewed by the Fulbright Finland Foundation’s review committees. The Fulbright Finland Foundation makes the funding decisions and final selections of grantees.

Additional information and detailed application instructions are available from the Fulbright Finland Foundation and the Fulbright Scholar Program websites.

Applicants are required to include a letter of invitation from the relevant unit at Aalto University. Before applying, the applicants are strongly advised to contact Jérôme Rickmann ([email protected]) to facilitate the internal process at Aalto University. The letter of invitation must be signed by the Dean of the respective school, and include information on the agreed teaching and research plan, length and dates of the proposed visit, and confirmation that the host institution will fund the monthly grant payment and pay for and arrange housing (for the scholar and accompanying family) during the visit (Finnish host institution should refer to these instructions).

NOTE: Late June, July and early August are traditionally summer vacation months in Finland and responses to inquiries may be delayed. Applicants are advised to contact the Finnish host institution well ahead of time to solicit an invitation letter for their application. Please note that the Fulbright Finland Foundation office observes the summer Finnish holiday season and is closed in July. If you have urgent inquiries, kindly contact us prior to July. 

Resources for Hosts

• Instructions for writing invitation letters and a checklist for a U.S. scholar's host

Alumni Experiences

"Solving Problems the Finnish Way" Joshua Pearce: A Life Changing Experience

Useful links:

• Fulbright Finland Outreach Ambassadors

What is the Fulbright Finland Foundation?

The Fulbright Finland Foundation is a private, independent, not-for-profit organization based in Helsinki, Finland. The Foundation’s aim is

• to promote a wider exchange of knowledge and professional talents through educational contacts between Finland and the United States, and
• to support the internationalization of education and research in Finland, and help U.S. and Finnish institutions create linkages.

What Makes the Fulbright Finland Foundation Programs Unique?

• In addition to the grant, the Fulbright Finland Foundation offers the grantees several additional benefits and free support services, as well as an access to a global, multi-professional network.
• We are looking for applicants who want to impact the future and to make a difference – applicants who want to facilitate positive change, develop and advance their own profession or discipline, and find solutions to national and international challenges in their field.
• The grantees also act as ambassadors for the Fulbright Finland Foundation, their home country, and their home organization and, in this way, do their part in sharing their home country and culture and contributing to the relations between Finland and the U.S.

Fulbright-Aalto Distinguished Chair program is part of the global Fulbright program operating in over 160 countries worldwide.