This initiative, founded in 2025, honours the legacy of Saint John Paul II, whose profound connection to Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (PASS) and the Faculty of Social Sciences (FASS) at the Angelicum serves as a cornerstone of this partnership.
An alumnus at the Angelicum in the 1940s, John Paul II later founded the PASS in 1994, embodying the shared values and scholarly aspirations that this programme seeks to advance. Through this partnership between PASS and FASS, we aim to foster academic excellence and deepen the ties between these institutions, offering scholars a rare opportunity to work alongside top experts in the fields of Catholic Social Teaching and the social sciences.
The John Paul II Post-Doctoral Programme is designed for scholars who are not only academically accomplished but also committed to using their research to advance the Church’s social mission. Through their participation in both the joint and individual research projects, scholars will contribute to a larger body of knowledge aimed at improving the Church’s effectiveness in civil society and enhancing its engagement with contemporary social issues.
The inaugural 2025 JPII Cohort Project focuses on The Church’s Contribution to Integral Human Development, offering five John Paul II Post-doc Scholarships from October 2025 to June 2026 in Rome.
The 2026 JPII Cohort Theme is Building a response to Agentic AI and the Virtual World using Relational Social Science. Download the Call for Applications (submission deadline 19 April 2026).
Prof. Helen Alford, O.P.
Director of John Paul II Post-Doctoral Fellowship Programme
Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas
President of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences
