Ibrahim Sjarief Assegaf Fellowships
These Fellowships honour the life and legacy of Ibrahim Sjarief Assegaf (1971–2025), an alumnus of Melbourne Law School, providing opportunities for Visiting Fellows (Postdoctoral Level) and Visiting Fellows.
Melbourne Law School (MLS) is pleased to announce the inaugural Ibrahim Sjarief Assegaf Fellowships, supported by the generosity of Assegaf Hamzah & Partners (AHP), one of Indonesia’s leading law firms.
The Fellowships honour the life and legacy of Ibrahim Sjarief Assegaf (1971–2025), an alumnus of Melbourne Law School, founder of Indonesia’s first online legal database, and a managing partner of AHP. An outstanding lawyer, legal scholar and activist, he made profound and enduring contributions to law reform in Indonesia. For more information about Ibrahim’s life and work, see https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6466738
MLS now invites expressions of interest for a Visiting Fellow (Postdoctoral Level) (up to 6 months) and a Visiting Fellow (up to 3 months), who will be resident at the Melbourne Law School in 2026. They will be hosted there by the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society (CILIS), the only university research centre outside Indonesia that is dedicated to Indonesian law. The Fellows will be provided with a workspace, research supervision and access to the University of Melbourne library collections, electronic resources and computing facilities.
The Fellows
The Fellows will be exceptional academics or legal practitioners (including lawyers, judges and prosecutors, among others), or civil society leaders undertaking innovative legal research projects. They may be from Indonesia or any other country. Visiting Fellows (Postdoctoral Level) must hold a PhD, and a strong research track record is desirable for all Fellows. Fellows will play an active role in the MLS academic community, including by participating in workshops, seminars and other academic events.
Their Research
The Fellows’ research will develop innovative approaches to contemporary legal challenges in Indonesia, deepen critical reflection on prevailing legal practices, or advance concrete proposals for reform in specific fields of Indonesian law.
Key areas of focus include, but are not limited to, legal reform, judicial reform, access to justice, law and technology, corporate law, and banking and finance law.
Outputs
The Fellows will:
- present research findings on law in Indonesia at a public seminar (delivered both in-person and online) at MLS during the term of the Fellowship.
- submit an article on law in Indonesia to a reputable academic journal or other academic publication as approved by MLS within 12 months of completing the Fellowship at Melbourne.
Funding
Funding support of A$26,000 will be available to the Visiting Fellow (Postdoctoral Level) and A$14,000 for the Visiting Fellow.
Applications
Applicants should submit:
- A proposal of not more than 3 pages that responds to the criteria for Fellows and for research, showing how they would advance the objectives of the Ibrahim Sjarief Assegaf Fellowship outlined above.
- A proposed timeline for their Fellowship (not more than 1 page).
- A curriculum vitae, including contact details, legal and research experience and publications.
Applications should be submitted by Friday 10 July, 2026 to Ms Kathryn Taylor at CILIS. Shortlisted applicants may be required to attend an interview by Zoom.