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Science Fellowships

A number of Fellowship schemes are available across the sciences, as detailed below. If you would like to discuss any further, please get in touch on fellowships@reading.ac.uk. Note that the University of Reading runs internal selection processes for the schemes run by STFC, NERC, Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering.

 

Fellowships in the Environmental and Physical Sciences

The University of Reading operates an internal review process, based on Expressions of Interest (EoI), to support candidates who are interested to apply to any of the following four fellowship schemes:

Interested applicants are asked to email fellowships@reading.ac.uk as soon as possible so that we can register your interest and direct you to the Research Development Manager who will be supporting you through the fellowships application process, and who will provide you access to resources which can support your application.

Eligible candidates will then be asked to complete the pro forma document, and send this to their allocated Research Development Manager.

 

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

Fellowships are on offer via the following routes: 

EPSRC postdoctoral fellowship (Recommended if you have not previously held a significant grant (usually defined as those which included PDRA time, capital equipment or were in excess of £100,000 FEC)). 

EPSRC open fellowship and EPSRC open plus fellowship

Applications for Open Fellowships and Open Plus Fellowships can be across any topic in the EPSRC portfolio. Post‐doctoral opportunities will vary across themes.

Projects can focus on discovery science, innovation, instrumentation/technique development or software engineering, or a combination of these. The Open Fellowships have an optional Plus component, for when the applicant plans to spend 20‐50% of their time on the fellowship to create positive culture change in the research community beyond their proposed scientific project and research group e.g. fellowships with a significant industry collaboration, knowledge exchange or impact element (examples provided in document annex).

Applications can be submitted at any time and are processed on a rolling basis at a prioritisation panel after peer review. Submission should be timed to have the best chance of being assessed at a forthcoming prioritisation panel (please refer to the fellowships Fellowships Guidance for full details).

Duration: You can apply for up to three years of support for post‐doctoral awards, and up to five years of support for open awards.

Maximum funding: None

Application deadline: these opportunities are open now with no closing date

EPSRC quantum technologies career acceleration fellowships

Applications must cover sufficient quantum technologies remit to deliver an outcome with a significant impact in the QT landscape.

Duration: three to five years

Maximum finding: £14 million

Application deadline: 10th April 2024; RES deadline is 27th March 2024

 

UK Intelligence Community (IC) Postdoctoral Research Fellowship

These Fellowships are designed to promote unclassified basic research in areas of interest to the intelligence, security and defence communities. Each year members of the IC identify research topics and the Research Fellows work locally with their University Research Advisor to develop and submit research proposals (maximum duration 2 years) that align with the topics.

The Research Fellowships are aimed at early-career researchers from all branches of science and engineering who have up to 5 years of postdoctoral experience. Only citizens of Australia, Canada, the EEA, New Zealand, Switzerland, the UK or the US can apply.

Each application is capped at a maximum contribution of £250,000 for the 2 year period at 80% full economic cost (fEC).

More information is available here: UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (raeng.org.uk)

Application deadline: 23 April 2024, but interested applicants are asked to email fellowships@reading.ac.uk as soon as possible so that we can direct you to the Research Development Manager who will be supporting you through the fellowships application process, and who will provide you access to resources which can support your application.

 

Royal Society Career Development Fellowships

This is a four year postdoctoral fellowship which aims to support the retention in STEM of researchers from underrepresented backgrounds; initially a pilot will be run with researchers from Black heritage. If successful, it may then be broadened to include other underrepresented groups. 

Please be aware that there are very specific eligibility criteria, as follows: 

Research must be within the Royal Society’s remit of natural sciences. For a full list, please see the breakdown of subject groups and areas supported by the Royal Society.  

To be eligible to apply for the pilot scheme, you must: 

  • Self-identify as being from a Black heritage including mixed Black background; and 
  • Have a PhD or will have one by the time the funding starts; but have less than 24 months post-doctoral experience

 

The scheme offers: 

  • Up to £690,000 over four years to cover salary, overheads (at 80%) and research expenses 
  • A high-quality programme of training, mentoring and engagement to support career development 
  • Flexibility to accommodate personal circumstances including part-time working, with provision for maternity, paternity, adoptive or extended sick leave 
  • Relocation and visa costs for researchers and their dependents (partner and children) in addition to the grant cap of £690,000 over four years 

The scheme is open to both UK and non-UK domiciled researchers but the research must be undertaken in the UK. 

For further information, please read the Scheme Notes and FAQs. 

Application deadline: 19 November 2024, but interested applicants are asked to email fellowships@reading.ac.uk as soon as possible so that we can direct you to the Research Development Manager who will be supporting you through the fellowships application process, and who will provide you access to resources which can support your application.

 

Leverhulme Trust

The Early Career Fellowship is for early career researchers with a research record (but who have not yet held a full-time permanent academic post) to undertake a significant piece of publishable work. Applications are invited from those with a doctorate who submitted their doctoral thesis for viva voce examination not more than four years prior to the application closing date.

Applications will be considered in all subject areas with the following exceptions: studies of disease, illness and disabilities in humans and animals or research that is intended to inform clinical practice or the development of medical applications.

Duration: 3 years.

Maximum funding: 50% of the Fellow's total salary costs (max. £26,000 per year) £6,000 research expenses per year.

Internal process for applicants:

The University supports 10 applications. Only one application per School is expected.

The Head of School must submit an Expression of Interest to the University Committee for Research and Innovation (UCRI) in November (details tbc) with the following:

1. Details of the proposed project (max 1 side of A4)

2. a CV (max 2 sides of A4)

3. Confirmation that the 25% of the salary costs will be covered by the School

Funder Deadline Date: expected February 2025

Candidates are required to approach the proposed host department in advance of the November deadline for the Expression of Interest to discuss being hosted and any internal selection processes at School level. Research Services host a Workshop for all candidates to the scheme in January.

Royal Society Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowship

This scheme is for experienced academic researchers who would benefit from a period of full-time research without teaching, administration and pastoral care duties. It is funded by the Leverhulme Trust. Research must be within the Royal Society’s remit of natural sciences, which includes but is not limited to biological research, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and physics. Note that the Royal Society does not cover clinical medicine (such as patient orientated research and clinical trials), social sciences or humanities, other than when working in partnership with organisations.

To be eligible to apply, you must:

  • have a PhD or equivalent
  • hold a permanent post at a UK university or not-for-profit institution
  • be at a stage in your career when you would particularly benefit from a period of full-time research

The award lasts between one term and one academic year. The applicant’s employing institution will be reimbursed for the full salary cost of a teaching replacement (up to the equivalent of the minimum point on the lectureship scale as paid by the host university). Research expenses up to a maximum of £2,500 are available to cover the costs of consumables, equipment, travel and communicating science.

More information available here: https://royalsociety.org/grants-schemes-awards/grants/leverhulme-trust-senior-research/

Application deadline: 20 November 2024.

 

Daphne Jackson Trust

The Daphne Jackson Fellowship scheme supports researchers who are returning to work after a career break of 2 or more years, taken for a family, caring or health reason. The scheme is open to researchers from all fields of research; previously the scheme was only open to STEM subjects but the remit expanded in July 2020 to also include arts and humanities. Fellowships are flexible and part-time, usually completed over two years at 0.5 FTE, and consist of a challenging research project and at least 100 hours' retraining per year. Funding is provided through a number of funders, so the exact duration may vary; please check the funders' websites for details.

Duration: 2 or 3 years. Maximum funding: variable depending on the funder.

 

Marie Sklodowska-Curie (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships (European Commission)

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships aim to enhance the creative and innovative potential of researchers holding a PhD and who wish to acquire new skills through advanced training, international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility. The scheme is open to excellent researchers of any nationality.  MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships also encourage researchers to work on research and innovation projects in the non-academic sector and is open to researchers wishing to reintegrate in Europe, to those who are displaced by conflict, as well as to researchers with high potential who are seeking to restart their careers in research.

Through the implementation of an original and personalised research project, MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships aim to foster excellence through training and mobility and to equip researchers with new skills and competences in order to identify solutions to current and future challenges. Postdoctoral researchers are encouraged to reach out to society at large to make the results of their research visible to citizens.

The EU portal call webpage provides all official EC call documents. An unofficial applicant Handbook, prepared by MSCA-NET (network of MSCA National Contact Points), may also prove useful.

Duration: European Postdoctoral Fellowships 12-24 months, Global Postdoctoral Fellowships 12-24 months + 12 month return phase

*An additional period of up to six months can be requested for a placement, at the end of the project, in an organisation from the non-academic sector.

Maximum funding: n/a - budget calculated based on unit costs, multiplied by the requested person months

Application deadline (annual scheme): Closing date 11 September 2024 but note internal deadlines below.

Interested candidates should contact Ioanna Theophanous

Internal screening process via RDLs applies for this scheme.

Cut-off date for accepting new applications: 14 August 2024

Internal deadline (for finalised application): 28 August 2024

 

Faraday Discovery Fellowships

Faraday Discovery Fellowships are funded by the Royal Society and are prestigious long-term awards to support emerging research leaders to undertake high-quality, original research. The programme is aimed at outstanding mid-career STEM researchers and will provide grants of up to £8m over a 10-year period to support the development of world-leading research in the UK.

Duration: 10 years

Maximum funding: up to £8 million.

An internal screening process is in place. A completed Expression of Interest form together with a CV (of no more than 3 pages) must be submitted to Tristan Glenn copying in your RDL by noon on 6 August 2024.