Nottingham Research and Anne McLaren Fellowships
We've got a world to change. Apply for your fellowship today.
You've got the skill. You've got the passion. You've got the ambition. Join us.
Our pioneering research fellows receive generous funding and specialist support in a diverse, thriving community. As a university with an international reputation for transformative discoveries – 7th in the UK for research power in REF2021, according to analysis by Times Higher Education – you will have exciting opportunities to become a research leader.
Register your interest by 6 October 2022. Please discuss your research proposal with your host school or faculty. You must have been awarded your PhD to apply.
Our fellows are essential to our mission to deliver exceptional research that transforms lives in the UK and across the world. They are the research leaders of tomorrow, working with inspirational pioneers from across disciplines to find solutions to complex global problems.
Apply now and join a university with a diverse, thriving community and a reputation for transformative discoveries.
- The expected start date for successful fellows is spring/autumn 2023
- Please discuss your research proposal with your host school or faculty before you register your interest in the scheme
- You can express your interest until 6 October 2022
- You must have been awarded your PhD to apply
We recognise that exceptional people come from many backgrounds, with diverse career paths and circumstances that are as individual as you are. We are committed to an inclusive and dynamic research environment, and welcome applications from those wishing to work part-time to meet personal responsibilities. We are especially interested in supporting those from Black and Asian backgrounds.
For further information about the scheme or the application process, please contact fellowships@nottingham.ac.uk
Our fellowship schemes
We have two schemes, each offering the same package of support:
- Anne McLaren Fellowships are aimed at outstanding female postdoctoral researchers in science, technology, engineering and medicine, who are at the early stage of their academic careers and wish to establish a research career in the UK
- Nottingham Research Fellowships are aimed at outstanding postdoctoral researchers who are at the early stage of their academic careers from all academic disciplines represented at the university
Find out how we support external fellowships
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We offer:
- three years’ independent research funding, covering salary costs at c. £42,155 to £53,353
- the link to a permanent academic post, subject to performance
- additional funding for research expenses totalling £75,000
- childcare costs of up to £15,000
- access to mentoring, career development and networking with the wider fellowship community
Our fellowships actively support applicants from diverse career paths and backgrounds, including those returning from a career break or from other roles. We also support applications from those wishing to work part-time in order to combine the fellowship with personal commitments.
“For my areas of focus, Nottingham is unbeatable for its world-class facilities”
— Anne McLaren Research Fellow, Pearl Agyakwa
“I'd like to lead the next generation of scientific advances at the forefront
of pharmaceutical and
medical science”
— Nottingham Research Fellow, Veeren Chauhan
“I wanted the freedom to be able to explore my own ideas, and to work with other researchers to make new discoveries.”
— Anne McLaren Research Fellow, Jennifer Ashworth
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Am I eligible to apply?
Candidates must have been awarded their PhD – or equivalent such as postgraduate MD/DM for clinical applicants – prior to the closing date for registering interest in the scheme (6 October 2022).
This scheme is aimed at early career researchers, and candidates who do not normally have more than eight years' post-doctoral experience. However, there are no eligibility rules based on years of post-doctoral experience as this doesn’t allow for variations of career paths across disciplines. Candidates will be assessed on their quality, potential, trajectory and track record, relative to their career stage.
Candidates for the Anne McLaren Fellowships must be pursuing a career in a STEM subject. Female researchers are typically under-represented in STEM subjects and female applicants are strongly encouraged.
Candidates for the Nottingham Research Fellowships can be from any academic discipline across the university.
Candidates should be able to demonstrate:
- an outstanding track record of research for their career stage and discipline, including high-quality publications, research funding and/or prizes and awards
- evidence of a growing reputation, both nationally and internationally
- an aptitude to lead and inspire others within the research team and institution more broadly
- potential to act as an ambassador in their research field and more widely
Part-time appointments will be considered on a pro-rata basis.
Candidates are not normally expected to have a permanent position, as they may be considered to have achieved the aims of the scheme already. Explore our FAQs for further information.
The scheme is open to external (including international) and internal candidates. The University of Nottingham will act as sponsor for any candidate who does not have the right to work in the UK.
For more details on what makes a good application, details of current fellows and the characteristics of successful fellows, please go to the our fellows and what makes a good candidate sections.
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How to apply
Please ensure you have completed the following mandatory steps:
- Identify your host school or faculty from the list below
- Contact the identified school contact to discuss your research proposal – see list below for details
- Ensure your proposed research aligns with identified strategic priority areas for your host school/department
- Follow the 'Apply now' link to the online form for your host school or faculty (which is listed below) and ensure you upload your CV and research proposal. The format of the CV/Research Proposal is provided in the individual application links below
Faculty of Arts
All proposed work programmes should be interdisciplinary in nature and have the potential to lead to large, collaborative funding bids in the medium term. They can be located in any discipline, but should be aligned with at least one of the faculty’s strategic priorities, notably:
- Black-centred research, including Black studies
- Arts and computing, including Digital Humanities
- Creative and Cultural Industries
- Health Humanities
Contact details
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Faculty of Engineering
We invite applications from all areas of engineering research. For this year’s call we are prioritising applications in the areas of:
- Electrical machines for sustainable transportation
- 3D Printing of advanced biologics-based healthcare devices
We have identified the following strategic areas where applications are particularly encouraged:
- Sustainable, low carbon and zero carbon process engineering
- Low carbon construction and civil engineering
- Climate resilience in the built environment
- Recycling, re-use and circular economy
- Future and renewable power systems
- Net zero transport and transportation electrification
- Digital manufacturing
- Artificial Intelligence and/or Machine Learning in Engineering
- Smart buildings and structures
We encourage applications from excellent early career researchers to all of our research groups.
We strongly suggest you familiarise yourself with our structure, teaching and research.
As an applicant, you are advised to think in detail about how your research proposal and future work fits within our faculty and identify the best research group for your research.
Once you have selected an appropriate research group to host your fellowship, you must contact the head of this research group. You can find their contact details on the 'Meet the team' page for each group.
Please approach the head of the research group to:
- discuss your fellowship
- gain their confirmation of support for your application
Contact details
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Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Quick links
Medicine
We welcome applications that align with our research themes and groups. In particular, we encourage translational science applications in the following priority areas linked to our National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre*:
- Mental health and technology
- MR and Precision Imaging
- Gastroenterology and hepatology
- Hearing
- Respiratory
- Musculoskeletal aging, surgery, injury and recovery
Nottingham research fellows have access to clinical patients at the following locations. Research fellowship applications are welcome that complement the research interests of these sites.
- The Queens Medical Centre and Major Trauma Centre
- Nottingham City Hospital
- The National Rehabilitation Centre
- University Hospitals Derby and Nottingham City Healthcare
Find more and contact theme leads at nottinghambrc.nihr.ac.uk. However, other research areas aligning to the School of Medicine are also welcome.
*The NIHR’s 20 Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs) are collaborations between world-leading universities and NHS organisations that bring together academics and clinicians to translate lab-based scientific breakthroughs into potential new treatments, diagnostics and medical technologies.
Contact details
Health Sciences
We encourage applications in the following priority areas:
- Mental health
- Rehabilitation (particularly research aligned to the National Rehabilitation Centre)
- Maternal health and wellbeing
- Palliative and end of life care
- Children and Young People’s healthcare
Contact details
Life Sciences
We encourage applications in the following priority areas:
- Immunology of Infectious Diseases
- RNA technologies/therapeutics
- Biomaterials based therapeutics for inflammation
- Human metabolism and integrative physiology in healthy ageing
- Engineering Biology
- Spatial organisation of cell signalling
- Human Developmental Anatomy
- Vertebrate genomics
- Microbiology (anti-microbial resistance or microbiome)
Contact details
Veterinary Medicine and Science
We encourage applications in the following priority areas:
- Diagnostics and Therapeutics – in particular RNA therapeutics
- Infection and Immunity – in particular viral immunology
- Sheep health and welfare
Contact details
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Faculty of Science
Quick links
Biosciences
We encourage applications in the following priority areas:
- Climate change
- Sustainable agriculture and food production systems
- Engineering biology
- Food and nutrition for all
- Animal biotechnology
- Microbiology
- Digital agriculture/smart farm/Agri-tech
- World leading fundamental biosciences
Contact details
Chemistry
We encourage applications in the following priority areas:
- Experimental science of surfaces and interfaces
- Experimental methods of imaging and analysis
- Heterogenous catalysis (including heterogeneous electro- and photocatalysis)
- Coordination, supramolecular or organometallic chemistry for functional materials
- Inorganic chemistry for hydrogen production, storage or utilisation
- Low-dimensional materials and colloids
- Functional devices
- Biocatalysis
- Biophysical chemistry/Biological NMR
Contact details
Computer Science
We encourage applications in the following priority areas:
- Embodied intelligence
- Cyber security
- Cyber health
Contact details
Mathematical Sciences
Contact details
Pharmacy
We encourage applications in the following priority areas:
- Biotherapeutics
- Anti-infective technologies
- Diagnostics and analytics
- Digital health
Contact details
Physics and Astronomy
We encourage applications in the following priority areas:
Contact details
Psychology
We are open to considering applications from researchers in any area of psychology that complements or extends our existing research strengths.
Contact details
Faculty of Social Sciences
Quick links
Economics
We encourage applications in the following priority areas:
- International trade
- Microeconomics
Contact details
Education
We encourage applications in the following priority areas:
- Disciplinary education (maths, languages, science)
- Educational Leadership and Management
- Higher, Adult and Vocational education
- International, Refugee and Migrant education
- Learning sciences
- Professional development of teachers and counsellors
Contact details
Geography
We encourage applications in the following priority areas:
- Human or physical geography, on topics that include:
- Environmental sustainability
- Geospatial analysis
- Meteorology
Contact details
Law
We encourage applications in the following priority areas:
- Domestic criminal justice
- International commercial law
- Private law
Contact details
Nottingham University Business School (NUBS)
We encourage applications in the following priority areas:
- Research into improving work and employment in health and social care to address the workforce crisis
- Digital innovation/data analysis for business
- Levelling up, SMEs resilience and climate risks
Contact details
Politics and International Relations
We encourage applications in the following priority areas:
- Cyber security
- Political communication
- Chinese security, defence and/or foreign policy
- Democratisation and representation in areas currently under-represented in the school, especially the United States Canada and Latin America
Contact details
Sociology and Social Policy
We encourage applications in the following priority areas:
- Sociology – including but not limited to:
- social inequalities
- work and organisations
- sociology of health and illness
- Criminology – including but not limited to:
- crime and intersectionality
- drugs and crime
- developmental criminology
- policing
Contact details
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Recruitment timeline
August 2022
Scheme launch
6 October 2022
Expression of interest deadline
October/November 2022
School and faculty longlisting
11 November 2022
Candidates invited to submit a full application
9 December 2022
Full application deadline
16 December 2022
Head of School/Department supporting statement
January 2023
External reviews collated
January 2023
Shortlisting meeting
Useful links
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