Fellowship opportunities

The School of Physics and Astronomy seeks to support fellowship applications from outstanding individuals who are at a career stage where a prestigious independent fellowship will offer the opportunity to develop an independent research profile and enable them to become a research leader of the future.

The School offers a supportive and collaborative environment on which to build an independent career with a strong tradition of nurturing and promoting independent research fellows. Many current academics of the School have joined through advanced fellowships.

To express an interest in any of the schemes listed below, contact Professor Ian Bonnell (Head of School, iab1@st-andrews.ac.uk) and Professor Peter Wahl (Director of Research, gpw2@st-andrews.ac.uk) and include a CV and a separate outline of your proposed research (two pages).

When assessing your expression of interest for support, the School considers:

• your track record
• the research that you propose to carry out and how it is embedded in the School and fits with our School strategy
• your career stage, experience and why you would benefit from this fellowship at this stage in your career.
• The fit of your proposal and CV to the fellowship scheme you intend to apply to.

The School of Physics and Astronomy holds Juno Championship and Athena Swan Silver Awards and encourages expressions of interest from highly motivated candidates of any self-identifying group or background.

Fellowship schemes

The School is looking to support exceptional candidates in the schemes listed below. Note that most of these have annual deadlines, dates are indicative:

Postdoctoral fellowships (2-5 years, funding only the position of the fellow):

• 1851 Fellowships – postdoctoral fellowships funding for three years, - deadline typically in January.
• Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships – postdoctoral fellowships for three years, expression of interest deadline is in November.
• EPSRC postdoctoral fellowships – available only in select priority areas, currently Mathematical Sciences and Energy Themes, synthetic biology and “Stephen Hawking’s area of research”, rolling deadline.
• Marie Curie fellowships – deadline typically in September.
• Stephen Hawking Fellowships – these are three year fellowships in theoretical physics, rolling deadline.
• Royal Society Newton fellowships – for applicants from outside the UK for a postdoctoral stay of three years, deadline in March.

Advanced fellowships (5 years and more, funding the position of the fellow):

• Ernest Rutherford Fellowships – Please check our astronomy group webpage for information: Astronomy group page for STFC ERF
  
  
• Royal Academy of Engineering Fellowships – five-year fellowships for early career researchers up to four years after their PhD. Deadline typically in September. Applications are subject to demand management, deadline for expression of interest typically in July each year. Award budget capped at £500k.

Advanced fellowships (5 years and more, funding the position of the fellow and a research group):

• Royal Society University Research Fellowships – for applicants between 3-8 years after their PhD, submission deadline typically in September. Provides funding for the position of the fellow, as well as PDRA positions, PhD students, consumables, and travel.
• Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships – offers a recognised first step into an independent research career for outstanding scientists at an early stage of their research career who require a flexible working pattern due to personal circumstances, such as parenting or caring responsibilities or health-related reasons. Provides funding for the position of the fellow, as well as PDRA positions, PhD students, consumables, and travel.
• UKRI (EPSRC) Open Fellowships – there are rolling deadlines for this scheme, please check EPSRC’s webpage for the one applicable for the area of your intended application. Expressions of interest are welcome at any time. Typical funding level up to £1.3M to fund the position of the fellow, of PDRAs, consumables and equipment at 50%.
• UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships – these fellowships provide funding for up to seven years, with a clear path to a permanent position. Applications for these fellowships are subject to demand management at the University level – so please enquire about six months before the published deadlines about applications for these. Typical funding level up to £1.3M. Funds the fellow, PDRAs, consumables and equipment at 50%.
• ERC Starting Grants  – prestigious five year awards which provide funding for the fellow and a research group (award up to 1.5M€, up to 2M€ including equipment; can fund the Principal Investigator, PDRAs and PhD students as well as consumables).

For European schemes (Marie-Curie fellowships and ERC grants) please check eligibility for future rounds before considering applying.