Senior Fellows: Stewards of Vision and Action

Shape the future of conscious collaboration at the Auroville Centre.

In times of transition and complexity, leadership often emerges not through titles, but through presence, wisdom, and the ability to inspire others into action. At the Auroville Centre, this form of conscious stewardship is embodied by our Senior Fellows — individuals who are not just experienced, but attuned to the deeper rhythms of transformation.

The Senior Fellowship is a call to those who resonate with Auroville’s vision, who understand the balance between dreaming and doing, and who are ready to guide others while continuing to grow themselves. It’s a unique space where leadership is not a function of authority, but of responsibility, creativity, and service.

This is more than a role. It is an invitation to shape the present and future of a global experiment in human unity.

---

Who is a Senior Fellow?

Senior Fellows are experienced individuals who have a demonstrated commitment to conscious work, collaborative learning, and systemic change. Many are mid-career or senior professionals, thought leaders, educators, entrepreneurs, or changemakers — but more importantly, they are those who have a deep respect for Auroville’s ideals and are comfortable navigating its unique social, cultural, and spiritual context.

Unlike conventional fellowships where knowledge is unidirectional, Senior Fellows mentor while co-learning, guide while co-creating. They work closely with a cohort of Research Fellows (10–20 per Centre), offering intellectual, emotional, and operational guidance.

This is a role for those who:

• Have experience leading teams, projects, or institutions
• Are comfortable holding space for diverse people and perspectives
• Can balance visionary thinking with practical execution
• Are familiar with Auroville — or ready for deep immersion

It is ideal for individuals looking to deepen their engagement with Auroville, while also making a strategic and systemic contribution to its future.

---

Core Responsibilities

As a Senior Fellow, your work will be both structured and fluid, shaped by the needs of the Centre, the aspirations of the community, and the energy of the Research Fellows under your wing.

Some of your key responsibilities include:

Mentorship and Guidance:
You will directly guide a team of Research Fellows — helping them refine their focus, navigate Auroville’s ecosystem, and shape meaningful outputs. This involves regular one-on-one conversations, group check-ins, and reflective review sessions.

Project Leadership:
Senior Fellows take the lead on major initiatives — whether it’s curating a public campaign, facilitating a workshop series, designing a learning program, or collaborating with Auroville units to build prototypes and policy proposals.

Knowledge Curation and Publication:
You’ll oversee the quality and coherence of Centre outputs — including papers, reports, courses, toolkits, and events. Your editorial guidance and critical feedback will help ensure each output reflects the rigour and spirit of the Centre.

Network Building and Outreach:
Senior Fellows help build bridges — with academic institutions, policy platforms, civil society actors, and the global Auroville diaspora. You’ll represent the Centre in external dialogues and help convene transformative conversations.

Centre Stewardship:
Along with other Senior Fellows, you’ll help shape the strategic direction, thematic priorities, and internal culture of the Centre. Your presence and participation will influence how the Centre evolves over time.

Ultimately, your role is to help others flourish — while holding the larger vision of the Centre with clarity, humility, and commitment.

---

Compensation Model

We believe in value-based exchange — and that meaningful work deserves meaningful support.

Senior Fellows are compensated through the Fellowship Contribution Pool, a shared funding model sustained by the monthly contributions of Research Fellows, grants, and partner support.

This model reflects a mutual commitment:

• Research Fellows invest in their learning and contribution.
• The Centre invests in quality mentorship, facilitation, and coordination.
• Senior Fellows receive modest but fair compensation for their time and guidance.

This isn’t a high-paying consultancy. It’s a sustainable ecosystem that prioritises alignment, trust, and long-term relationships over transactional dynamics.

Additional support — including housing, travel, or project expenses — may be arranged on a case-by-case basis, depending on individual needs and Centre capacity.

---

Impact Channels

Senior Fellows shape the most visible and transformative dimensions of the Auroville Centre. Your impact will be felt across multiple forms and platforms, including:

Workshops and Learning Labs
Design and deliver immersive, experiential spaces for Research Fellows, Auroville residents, visiting students, and global collaborators.

White Papers and Reports
Lead or co-author publications that document insights, propose models, or influence policy — grounded in both research and lived experience.

Campaigns and Events
Curate public-facing programs that engage the wider world with Auroville’s vision — including online dialogues, on-ground exhibitions, and multi-stakeholder gatherings.

Courses and Learning Journeys
Develop structured learning modules for youth, educators, practitioners, and partner institutions — rooted in Integral Education and transformative practice.

Global Partnerships
Initiate and nurture relationships with universities, NGOs, think tanks, and fellow experiments in conscious living and systemic change.

In every channel, your role is to hold integrity, depth, and relevance — ensuring that what emerges from the Centre is both rooted and resonant.

---

Life in Auroville

To be a Senior Fellow is to commit not just to a role, but to a way of life.

Full-time presence in Auroville is essential — not as a constraint, but as an opportunity for deeper integration. Living here allows you to engage with the community, access the land and people who make the work possible, and participate in Auroville’s evolving collective processes.

It is not always easy. The rhythm is slower, the systems are non-linear, and certainty is a rare currency.

But for those who embrace it, life in Auroville becomes a crucible — a place where inner work meets outer action, where community becomes a mirror, and where the boundaries between work, learning, and living dissolve into a deeper flow.

You will find yourself challenged. You will also find yourself changed.

---

Apply / Express Interest

The Senior Fellowship is by invitation or nomination, with a strong emphasis on alignment, readiness, and relational fit.

That said, we welcome expressions of interest from individuals who feel called to this journey. If you believe you are ready to contribute as a Senior Fellow — or wish to nominate someone who is — you can fill out a short interest form or reach out to the Centre’s core team.

The process includes:

• A preliminary dialogue
• A review of your background, interests, and possible alignment
• A collaborative co-design of your role, rhythm, and responsibilities

This is not about fixed templates or job descriptions. It is about finding the right people to hold the Centre’s evolution with care and courage.

---

Final Thought

At its heart, the Senior Fellowship is not a career move. It is a calling. A chance to step into a space that asks much — but gives even more.

If you’re looking to mentor, build, heal, lead, and learn — all at once — in a place where vision meets action, perhaps this is your place.

We are ready. Are you?