Short-Term Visiting Fellowships at NLS Bangalore: Rolling Applications!

National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, established in 1986, is India’s premier law school, consistently ranked 1st in the NIRF Law Rankings. It offers integrated B.A. LL.B (Hons), LL.M, and 3-year LL.B programs.

About the JSW Centre for the Future of Law

The JSW Centre for the Future of Law was established in 2024 at NLSIU, Bengaluru, with support from the JSW Foundation. The Centre aims to expand academic learning, advance research, and inform policy debates on law, technology, and system reform. It focuses on interdisciplinary issues such as:

• The interface between health and regulation
• The environment and the law
• Corporate governance
• The impact of new technologies on the legal system, profession, and education

The Centre commenced research activities during the Academic Year 2025-2026.

About the JSW Visiting Fellowship

The Centre is pleased to announce Visiting Fellowships to support scholars in developing research, producing critical scholarship, and fostering collaborations while in residence. Fellows will join an intellectual community engaged in re-imagining law’s institutions and methods.

Thematic priority areas include:

• Law and artificial intelligence
• Data governance and regulation
• Health, biotechnology, and ethics
• Risk regulation and regulatory design
• Climate, biodiversity, and ecological justice
• Technology and legal system reform

Fellows are expected to pursue an independent research project aligned with these themes, present their work in a seminar or public lecture, and contribute at least one research or policy output (e.g., working paper, article, or policy brief). They will also participate in the Centre’s projects, workshops, and teaching activities, including mentoring students and collaborating on joint initiatives.

Fellows must be resident for one trimester in the academic year: November 2026 – January 2027 or March 2027 – May 2027. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Eligibility

• PhD degree in law, public policy, or allied disciplines, or ten years of experience in research or academic roles.
• Demonstrated expertise in at least one of the Centre’s thematic priority areas.
• Proven research activity, including publications or equivalent output.

Desirable Qualifications

• 1–3 years of post-doctoral research experience.
• Excellent writing and editing skills across academic, policy, and public-facing formats.
• Strong analytical, communication, technical, and time-management skills.
• Ability to work independently while being self-driven and collaborative.

Responsibilities

• Work full-time at the JSW Centre for the Future of Law on the NLSIU campus in Bengaluru.
• Develop and execute a research project aligned with the Centre’s thematic priority areas.
• Produce at least one working paper and/or two short-form pieces (e.g., blog articles, policy briefs, case briefs, opinion pieces, or commentaries in popular media).
• Present at a faculty seminar or research colloquium.
• Contribute to the Centre’s research activities through feedback, evaluation, and participation in strategy meetings.
• Deliver guest lectures in a relevant course.

Other Terms of the Fellowship

• Opportunity to participate in NLSIU’s intellectual environment, workshops, seminars, and access its library and digital resources.