Plans and ideas we have discussed during the spring come to fruition when new Themes and Advanced Study Groups start their work at the Pufendorf institute. International fellows have arrived and are fully engaged in bringing their perspectives into Themes. The Pufendorf IAS is also fully engaged in the Network for Nordic Advanced Study Institutes, which translates into new opportunities for our Themes and for Lund University researchers who are interested in broadening their horizons.
And best of all our new program, Pufendorf Academy, was launched in October. We are so happy to welcome the first Academy to the institute and to interdisciplinary research.
/ Stacey Ristinmaa Sörensen, Director of the Pufendorf IAS
(Last) call for applications to start a Theme at Pufendorf IAS in 2026
This year's call for Themes is still open! Deadline for applications to start a Theme: 9 December 2025.
Pufendorf IAS is more than an internal Institute for Lund University researchers. Each year, we connect local and global expertise by welcoming international Fellows:
The Pufendorf IAS is part of NordIAS, a network of eight Institutes for Advanced Studies in the Nordic region: Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
The NordIAS network wants to increase collaboration between the institutes: It offers several cooperation opportunities, including research and staff exchanges.
Are your a researcher within humanities or social sciences? Some of the Institutes for Advanced Studies have exciting calls (sabbaticals) open thanks to Riksbankens Jubileumsfond. Or are you a member from one of our recent Themes here at Pufendorf IAS?
Read this year's launch of The NordIAS Fellowship Programme:
Every year on or about the 20 September, Lund transforms into a city filled with cultural activities and Pufendorf IAS opens its doors to the public. This year was no exception. Was it our programme, the tasty fika in our garden, the wonderful weather, the general "feel" in the city - whatever it was, the public came in hoards.
Two of our former Themes hosted exhibitions in the house:
A Samuel Pufendorf chatbot, a robot triptych, the ambient sound of cash and glitchy visualizations of digital courts… The exhibition What is Lost // What is Found uses playful and speculative approaches to invite deeper reflections on the future of being human in the Age of AI. The exhibition was hosted by the Theme
DigiJustice: Rethinking Digital Inequalities and Human Rights in the Age of AI
Read more about the exhibition in the Pufendorf IAS calendar:
People, Patterns, and Places is a creation of the Theme
Ecological Loss and Damage. It brings together interdisciplinary science and art in the context of the twin global climate and biodiversity crises. In an increasingly polarised social and political landscape shaped by misinformation, the exhibition weaves together experiences of the climate crisis with tangible, local ecological loss, connecting them to memories of landscapes and small acts of resistance. Read more about the exhibition in the Pufendorf IAS calendar (in Swedish and English):
Responsible Neurotechnologies Symposium 20 November
Welcome to the Responsible Neurotechnologies Symposium
introducing renowned international speakers working in an array of disciplines connected with neurotechnologies development and use.
Policy frameworks currently lag behind the pace of neurotechnological innovation. Some tools provide some guidance to address concerns that arise in clinical and consumer uses – but many questions still remain within the ethical, legal and scientific spheres.
When: 20 November 09.00-15.00 Where: Pufendorf Institute for Advanced Studies, Biskopsgatan 3
