Guide to Fellowships
Listed below are the major fellowships that are relevant and available. Please check carefully your eligibility against the criteria in the links. Most of these are only available only to UK, EU and Commonwealth researchers. We intend to support a number of outstanding candidates through the Fellowship application process each year. If you believe you are a potential candidate, please contact Prof. Morgan Alexander (morgan.alexander@nottingham.ac.uk ).
The Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship scheme supports excellent scientists at an early stage of their career. The Royal Society invites in particular female candidates to apply for an opportunity that is designed to help successful candidates to progress to permanent academic positions in the UK. Each fellowship offers:
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The possibility of holding appointments on a part-time basis or converting from full-time to part-time and back again to help match work and other commitments.
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The possibility to claim back time spent deferring the fellowship and/or working part-time at the end of the fellowship.
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The possibility of claiming some funds for family support where these can be justified on scientific grounds, e.g. the cost of child care during a conference or collaborative visit abroad.
Eligibility: Applicants are expected to be at an early stage of their career. As an example, applicants could have had one or two post doc positions. At the time of application, applicants must either:
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be a citizen of the European Economic Area (EEA), i.e. European Union, Iceland, Norway or Liechtenstein; or a Swiss citizen,
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or have a relevant connection to the EEA or Switzerland (a relevant connection can be established if an individual has a PhD from a university in the EEA or Switzerland, or has worked as a research scientist in a university or research institute in the EEA or Switzerland for at least the past two years, or has done so before taking up an appointment outside the EEA or Switzerland).
Persons holding a permanent post in a university will not be considered (includes UK).
Length of tenure: A maximum of 4 years.
These prestigious postdoctoral fellowships are funded by the University of Nottingham and targeted at excellent women scientists who are under-represented in these subjects. Successful candidates will be funded for a period of 2 years in order to begin to establish an independent research career in the UK.
Eligibility: Applicants must be female and must have a PhD and less than 4 years postdoctoral experience.
Career Acceleration Fellowships provide support for talented researchers at an early stage of their career. Up to five years funding is available, and there is an annual call for proposals. Career Acceleration Fellowships are offered across the whole of the EPSRC remit.
Eligibility: You should not hold or have held a permanent academic post, or have received, before the start date of the award, the promise of a permanent academic post. You should have between 3 and 10 years postdoctoral research and/or relevant industrial experience by the start date of the fellowship. This period is calculated from the date of your PhD viva to the start date of the fellowship. The start date of the fellowship must lie between 1 July of the calendar year following outline application and 31 March of the following year. Further details about eligibility are provided in the outline call. Applications are welcomed from candidates who wish to re-establish themselves after a career break or other period of absence from active research.
The University Research Fellowships scheme aims to provide outstanding scientists, who should have the potential to become leaders in their chosen field, with the opportunity to build an independent research career. Those appointed are expected to be strong candidates for permanent posts in universities at the end of their fellowships.
Eligibility:
Applicants must have a PhD or equivalent research experience by the time they apply. Applicants are expected to be at an early to mid-stage of their career. As an example, you could have had between one and three post doc positions. At the time of application, applicants must either: be a citizen of the European Economic Area (EEA), ie European Union, Iceland, Norway or Liechtenstein; or a Swiss citizen or have a relevant connection to the EEA or Switzerland (a relevant connection can be established if an individual has a PhD from a university in the EEA or Switzerland, or has worked as a research scientist in a university or research institute in the EEA or Switzerland for at least the past two years, or has done so before taking up an appointment outside the EEA or Switzerland).
Early Career Fellowships aim to provide career development opportunities for those who are at a relatively early stage of their academic careers but with a proven record of research. It is anticipated that a Fellowship will lead to a more permanent academic position. Applications are welcomed in any discipline, and approximately 70 Fellowships were available in 2009. Fellowships can be held at universities or at other institutions of higher education in the UK.
Eligibility: Applicants must have a UK PhD, be under 35 years old and not hold a permanent academic post.
The Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme supports the most promising newly qualified postdoctoral researchers in their first steps to an independent research career with a burning biomedical research question to investigate. This funding provides a chance to begin an independent research career and work in some of the best labs in the UK and overseas.
These awards support the most promising newly qualified postdoctoral researchers by providing £250 000 over four years to cover salary, research costs and travel/subsistence. To apply, you must be in the final year of your PhD studies or have no more than one year of postdoctoral research experience.
The deadline for preliminary applications is 1 November 2011, and full applications will be due by 31 January 2012. Interviews for shortlisted candidates will take place in May 2012.
Eligibility: These awards are open to individuals with a relevant connection to the European Economic Area.
The Ramsay Memorial Fellowships Trust was constituted in 1920 for the purpose of administering the award of Ramsay Memorial Fellowships for Chemical Science. The Fellowships comprise a British Ramsay Fellowship and a number of overseas Fellowships, each is tenable for 2 years.
British Ramsay Fellowships are awarded annually by the Ramsay Memorial Fellowships Trust to distinguished chemists, so that they may conduct research at universities in the United Kingdom. Ramsay Fellows are typically mature research chemists who usually continue their work in the chemistry field after their Fellowships have ended.
Within the overall scheme the British contribution to this elite group is drawn from people of the requisite standard from the British Commonwealth, who are nominated by an Advisory Council consisting of Professors of Chemistry at UK universities.
Eligibility:
Must have a PhD from a Commonwealth University.
The long-term aim of the scheme is to build a global pool of research leaders and encourage long-term international collaboration with the UK. The Newton International Fellowships scheme is run by The British Academy, The Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society. The Fellowships cover the broad range of natural and social sciences, engineering and the humanities. The fellowships are for 2 years.
There are a number of Fellowship schemes available for both Europeans and those from the rest of the world. These fellowships are extremely competitive and only those with exceptional track records should apply. Each type of fellowship requires a joint application between the academic PI (Host) and the researcher. The University of Nottingham has a good track record of success by offering support in creating the applications giving a success rate of around 1 in 3 which is approximately 3 times the European average.
Eligibility:
Candidates will have a PhD. Various other criteria apply.
The scheme of 1851 Research Fellowships is intended to give a few PhD level scientists or engineers of outstanding promise the opportunity for conducting research for a further period. Previously for two years, these fellowships from 2009 will be awarded for three years, providing an exceptional opportunity for PhD graduates to pursue further research at the highest level. Approximately eight awards are made each year.
Eligibility:
The Fellowships are open to candidates in any of the physical or biological sciences, in mathematics, in applied science, or in any branch of engineering. Candidates in science subjects should normally have recently obtained their PhD degree, or be in the final stages of their PhD studies. Those offering engineering do not have to be in possession of a PhD, but must be of at least PhD standard. A candidate must be a citizen of the United Kingdom or the Commonwealth, or of the Republics of Ireland or Pakistan. He or she should either have spent at least two out of the past three years at a UK Institution, or be intending to hold the Fellowship at a UK Institution, or both.
The NERC Fellowship levels correspond to different stages in a typical research career, and there are no fixed age limits for the scheme. Full consideration will be given to applicants returning to science following a career break or where the candidate has come late to a research career.
Eligibility: NERC Fellowships are open to any nationality. Applicants should not have a permanent academic position (or the equivalent in institutions other than universities). Applications are especially welcome from candidates who are not yet established within the higher education system or who are intending to use the Fellowship as a means of re-establishing themselves in the United Kingdom following a period overseas.
All applicants must hold or expect to hold a PhD/DPhil, or be able to demonstrate equivalent and substantial research experience. Applications for Postdoctoral Research Fellowships will be accepted from PhD students, but awards may not start until NERC has received written confirmation of the outcome of the applicant's PhD viva. Some post-PhD experience is an advantage when seeking a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, and typically candidates will have one to five years of postdoctoral experience. However, NERC is committed to supporting the best candidates and it is usual for some successful candidates to be awarded their PhD after having submitted their fellowship application.
Candidates for Advanced Fellowships must have had at least two years research experience at postdoctoral level, not necessarily in the UK, at the time of application. They must also have proved their ability as independent research workers and show potential as team leaders.
Scientists who have demonstrated high potential and who wish to establish themselves as independent researchers. Awards are for 5 years and proposals can be submitted in any area of science within the BBSRC portfolio, but particularly in bioenergy research and where a systems biology approach is proposed to the research programme
Eligibility: Applicants must have between 5 and 10 years postdoctoral experience.
The Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) supports novel, innovative and interdisciplinary basic research focused on the complex mechanisms of living organisms; topics range from molecular and cellular approaches to systems and cognitive neuroscience. A clear emphasis is placed on novel collaborations that bring biologists together with scientists from fields such as physics, mathematics, chemistry, computer science and engineering to focus on problems at the frontier of the life sciences. Cross-disciplinary fellowships are intended for postdoctoral fellows with a Ph.D. degree in the physical sciences, chemistry, mathematics, engineering and computer sciences who wish to receive training in biology.
Eligibility:
Applicants must have obtained a PhD after September 2006, and be from one of the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus (EU part only), Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States of America.
The Nottingham Advance Research Fellowship is a University funded fellowship offering a recognised first step into an independent research career. It offers two years independent funding to conduct research while based at the University of Nottingham.
Candidates must have submitted their PhD (though the viva does not need to have taken place) and have no more than 6 years postdoctoral experience by 1st October 2011. Career breaks such as maternity leave, EU national service and Voluntary Service Overseas can be discounted but teaching experience and/or time spent in industry since the award of a PhD should be included in the total amount of postdoctoral experience. Part-time work would be considered on a pro-rata basis. Individuals who have been promised, or already have, a permanent position are considered to have achieved the aims of the scheme already and will not be eligible.
The MRC funds a range of fellowship award schemes for both clinical and non-clinical researchers. It is a good idea to use the MRC Fellowship Eligibility Checker to see which best suits your needs.
For example the MRC offers a Career development award which provides up to five years' support for outstanding post-doctoral researchers who wish to consolidate their research skills and make the transition from post-doctoral research trainee to independent investigator. It includes an option of two years' research training outside the UK, in UK industry, or at another UK research centre, to enable fellows to acquire new transferable techniques and skills. The scheme also provides a jointly funded postdoctoral award in partnership with the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Eligibility:
Applicants should have a PhD or DPhil and have at least three to six years’ post-doctoral experience at the time of application, although applications with over six years' post-doctoral experience will also be considered in exceptional circumstances.
This Fellowship supports outstanding non-clinical scientists at the start of their independent careers. Fellows will have shown special promise in their initial studies in a cancer relevant research field, but may not yet have sufficient experience or the track record to obtain a more senior Fellowship. The Fellowship provides the opportunity to set up an independent research group for the first time.
Applicants will have a strong publication record. Applications are considered on the basis of the applicant's academic achievements and potential, the scientific merit of the research proposal, and the research environment provided by the sponsoring department.
Studies on a wide variety of organisms and model systems has greatly benefited the understanding of the molecular basis of cancer and subsequent the development of new treatments. Therefore, proposals from applicants with interests in any aspect of science with the potential to generate novel insights into fundamental biological problems relevant to cancer are encouraged.
Eligibility: Applicants will have at least three and no more than six years of postdoctoral research experience at the time of submitting the preliminary application. Applicants must therefore not have had a prior opportunity to develop a research group. Fellows are expected to work independently of other laboratories in the host institution, and to demonstrate the ability to lead a research team and direct a programme of work. However, it is anticipated that Fellows will wish to develop collaborations with others within the institution.
Lister Institute of Preventative Medicine
Eligibility: Any post-doctoral scientist (clinical and non-clinical, including Research Council and research charity employees) who normally has guaranteed employment for the first three years of the award is eligible to apply. Typically they will be holders of university appointments and other equivalent research positions, or of long-term fellowships.
Any post-doctoral scientist (clinical and non-clinical, including Research Council and research charity employees) who normally has guaranteed employment for the first three years of the award is eligible to apply. Typically they will be holders of university appointments and other equivalent research positions, or of long-term fellowships.
Regardless of nationality, the applicants must be employed by UK or Republic of Ireland not-for-profit institutions, usually, but not exclusively, universities. The research should be such that the Institute achieves its educational and public benefit objectives.
Every applicant should have a minimum of three and less than ten years' post-doctoral experience by 1 October 2012.