As of the academic year 2025-26, SCAS launched a new Sabbatical Fellowship programme, targeting researchers from Swedish universities. The first Sabbatical Fellows to join the SCAS community were Egil Asprem (History of Religions, Stockholm University); Peter Bergsten (Medical Cell Biology and Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University); and Andreas Kirschning (Chemistry, Leibniz University Hannover & Uppsala University) who are all in residence during the spring of 2026.

Being in residence at SCAS comes with many advantages, and when asked, Egil Asprem, Peter Bergsten and Andreas Kirschning instantly mention many of the core features of an institute for advanced study. Kirschning points out the joy of “being less distracted by everyday routines and obligations”, and says that this has “allowed for a deeper intellectual focus on [his] research”. Also Asprem agrees on the “conducive environment away from the typical distractions” and mentions the rareness of “spaces [such as SCAS] that allow scholars to pursue curiosity-driven research without any strings attached – while still managing to create a sense of collegiality and social support”. Bergsten emphasizes how rewarding it is to meet people with perspectives that differ from his own – on life, science, and other things.

When discussing unexpected benefits of being in residence at SCAS, the joint lunches are brought up. Something that at first glance may seem a bit unusual could turn into a highlight of the day. “Now I think that the mandatory lunches at SCAS are a stroke of pure genius”, says Egil Asprem. Not only the very good food, he continues, but also, more importantly, the ongoing, casual conversations with the other fellows are appreciated. Chemist Andreas Kirschning also enjoys the discussions across disciplines and mentions that he has been inspired by conversations with co-fellow Anders Ekström, who is a historian of science and ideas, and that he would like to expand his own work to include this field.

SCAS hosts fellows from around the world and from a wide range of disciplines and thus offers a very international inter- and multidisciplinary environment. This allows for new experiences and the opportunity to learn, grow and get new influences.

With scholars from the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences in residence at the same time, one gets the opportunity to learn and collect an understanding of how research and academic life work in other fields and how this can differ from one’s own. “A stay of this kind broadens one's horizons and helps to gain a broader perspective on science and society – an important aspect for the natural sciences”, says Andreas Kirschning. Coming from different backgrounds, fellows are exposed to different ways to discuss, express, and present research, as Peter Bergsten points out.

Or as Egil Asprem puts it: “As a scholar who's moved between disciplines and countries, I feel right at home in this sort of environment. It's inspiring to hear a top-notch lecture on some interesting subject outside one's own field every Tuesday, and especially to discuss and digest the ideas that arise in an informal setting over lunch. I've already learned a lot from this. But it is also very useful to discuss broader institutional and political issues that affect all disciplines in different ways, from the allocation of research funding and application processes to journal rankings, editorial policies, and peer review to the impact of AI on the academy.”

To sum up, the stimulating environment provided by SCAS, with space for both deep thinking and new ideas and perspectives, seems fundamental. All three inaugural Sabbatical Fellows agree that they would definitely recommend a stay in residence at SCAS to other researchers out there.

Does a Sabbatical Fellowship at SCAS sound interesting to you? Read more here 

The Sabbatical Fellowship programme offers residential fellowships, open to scholars mainly in the humanities and social sciences who hold a position at one of the nominating Swedish universities. The programme gives fellows the opportunity to concentrate on their own research interests, free from the teaching and administrative duties of ordinary university life. At the same time they are expected to be active members of the Collegium’s scholarly community and to participate in its various activities. Candidates are nominated by their Swedish home universities. It is not possible to apply to the programme.