Call for Applications

The progress of research in organizational studies relies upon the commitment and the creativity of advanced PhD students, post-doctoral fellows, and junior scholars who explore new questions, new methods, and new phenomena. EGOS puts special emphasis on supporting the academic development of younger scholars and their positioning and integration in the academic community/ies.
 
The purpose of the EGOS pre-Colloquium Post-Doctoral & Early Career Scholars Workshop is to facilitate the academic socialization of junior scholars. We aim to provide an arena for exploring challenges early-career scholars face relating to the different dimensions of academic work, including research (and funding), teaching, engagement, administrative duties, and community service.
 
This workshop is an active exchange based on a dialogue among junior and senior academics that seeks to strengthen junior scholars’ involvement with the EGOS community and to help them find their ways in academia.

It takes place onsite (with the option to participate online), at the University of Bergamo, all-day on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, before the main 42^nd EGOS online Colloquium 2026 hosted by the University of Bergamo.
 

Content and objectives

To our understanding, the main challenge in an academic career is balancing personal passions and preferences on the one hand and the needs of and pressures from various parties on the other while sustaining a meaningful career over time. How do we manage these conflicting demands, and how do we achieve impact and relevance in our careers? These questions weigh on all academics, and especially early career scholars, so we aim to create a space for their discussion.
 
In 2026, the pre-Colloquium Post-Doctoral & Early Career Scholars Workshop will focus on presentations, discussions, and small-group workshops dedicated to:

• Developing a better understanding of the various dimensions of academic work, their rationale, and their importance in different stages of your academic career.

• Reflecting upon your identity and voice as a researcher, an educator, and a citizen of various academic communities (e.g., within your institution, EGOS, AoM, etc.), with an opportunity for hands-on exchange about diverse career paths and ways to achieve relevance and impact.

• Thinking of your career and the interplay of serendipity and strategic action in navigating it. To facilitate your reflection, we will hear about the experiences of senior scholars who will reflect on their career paths, highlighting failures, dead ends, and missed opportunities – and what they have learned from them – as much as about what brought them motivation and joy.

Mode of participation

The EGOS 2026 Colloquium is planned as an online event, but the pre-Colloquium workshops on Tuesday will be organized onsite at the University of Bergamo. We encourage participants to take part in presence; however, there will be the possibility to take part online as well. This means that plenary talks and panels will be streamed, and for the interactive discussions, we will designate online participants to an online roundtable.

Participants that come to Bergamo can expect to engage in face-to-face interactions, enjoy informal networking opportunities, and participate in in-person roundtable discussions designed to foster deep dialogue and connection with peers and senior scholars. All this will take place in dedicated spaces conducive to both collaborative and individual work, sourrounded by the inspiring setting of Bergamo’s historic city centre. Participants will also be supported throughout the day with regular breaks and a thoughtful provision of Italian coffee, food, and refreshments.

For the initial submission of your application, you will be asked to provide information about your preferred mode of participation, should your application be accepted.
 

Application guidelines

To be considered for participation in the pre-Colloquium Post-Doctoral & Early Career Scholars Workshop 2026, applicants should have completed their doctoral dissertation within the last five academic years (excluding maternity leave or similar).
 
Please apply for admission to the workshop by Friday, January 9, 2026, 12:00 (CET) at the latest, and upload (via the EGOS website) a single PDF file that contains the following information:

• A letter of application (1 page), including name, affiliation, & e-mail address, as well as a short motivation for why you want to participate in the workshop and your preferred mode of participation. Please also indicate clearly when you obtained your PhD or the date when you expect to obtain your PhD

• Your curriculum vitae

• An aspirational curriculum vitae explaining where you would like to see yourself in 10–15 years in terms of your academic achievements and focus. It can be written as a free text or as a list-like CV, as long as you also explain your choices and reflect upon the major challenges you will face in your efforts to move from your current CV to your desired one (2 pages max.)
   

Please note!

• Participants in the workshop will be selected based on their potential benefit from, and contribution to, the workshop.

• Applicants will be notified of acceptance by early March 2026. Given the interactive nature of the workshop, the number of participants will be limited. Please keep in mind that registration for the workshop must be submitted separately from the main EGOS Colloquium registration.

• Upon acceptance to the workshop, participants will be given the opportunity to re-vise and finalize their aspirational CV up until June 15, 2026 (fixed deadline) and upload it via the EGOS website.

• Between June 15 and the workshop (July 7), each participant will be asked to review at least one aspirational CV of another participant.

• We expect your full commitment once your application has been accepted and you have agreed to participate: a late cancellation effectively blocks an opportunity for one of your colleagues.