Postdoctoral Fellowships

The Astronomy Section, covering the CEA, CfAI, and ICC, of the Physics Department welcomes applications from candidates interested in applying for personal fellowships at Durham University. We provide basic details and links for further information for some of the main fellowships below. The fellowship list is not exhaustive and interest from applicants for other fellowships are very welcome.

For all fellowship applications please identify a relevant member of academic staff to act as your host in the preparation of your fellowship application. If you are unsure of who to contact then please email one of the directors of the CEA, CfAI, and ICC or astro.secretary@durham.ac.uk:

• David Alexander (d.m.alexander@durham.ac.uk): Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy (CEA)
• John Girkin (j.m.girkin@durham.ac.uk): Centre for Advanced Instrumentation (CfAI)
• Shaun Cole (shaun.cole@durham.ac.uk): Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC)

We are committed to advancing equality and diversity and aim to ensure that our culture is inclusive. We welcome applications from everyone irrespective of gender, ethnic group, or nationality. Our systems also allow for flexible support and family-friendly working.

Fellowship summary;

Shorter duration (≤ 3 years):

1851 Research Fellowships

Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship

Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships

Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship

Newton International Fellowships

Royal Astronomical Society Fellowships

STFC Daphne Jackson Fellowships

Longer duration (>3 years):

Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship

EPSRC Fellowships

Royal Society University Research Fellowships

STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowships

UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships

UKRI Stephen Hawking Fellowships

Fellowship basic information;

1851 Research Fellowships

Deadline	Fellowship applications open from October each year
Eligibility and guidance	See guidance. Early career scientists or engineers with (normally) no more than 3 years post PhD experience; must take position in different institution to PhD
Basic award information	£6k/year travel and research expenses / 3 years either as employed or self employed

Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship

Deadline	1th November 2022
Eligibility and guidance	Need for flexible support, PhD required, up to six years postdoctoral experience / any nationality
Basic award information	See online: salary, research expenses, contribution to PhD student / 5 years

EPSRC Fellowships

Deadline	Early May, end of Sept, end of Dec
Eligibility and guidance	PhD required / any nationality (Tier 1 visa required)
Basic award information	See guidance / 5 years

Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship

Deadline	Applications accepted at any time
Eligibility and guidance	See details / up-to 12 years post PhD experience / must be hosted by former Humboldt fellow: Simone Scaringi
Basic award information	Salary depends on personal circumstances / 6-24 months

Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships

Deadline	tbc
Eligibility and guidance	Must have not held full-time permanent academic post in UK institution; no more than 4 years of post PhD experience.
Basic award information	£6k/year travel and research / 3 years

Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship

Deadline	14th September 2022
Eligibility and guidance	Must be moving from a different country / any nationality
Basic award information	See online / 1-2 years

Newton International Fellowships

Deadline	28th March 2023
Eligibility and guidance	PhD required, up to seven years postdoctoral experience, must be residing outside the UK at least one year prior to the deadline, and not hold UK citizenship at time of application. More detailed guidance provided here.
Basic award information	see guidance / 3 years

Royal Astronomical Society Fellowships

Deadline	tbc
Eligibility and guidance	PhD required, up to 5 years postdoctoral experience / any nationality (Tier 1 visa required) / Durham University can only host one fellow at a time
Basic award information	See guidance / 3 years

Royal Society University Research Fellowships

Deadline	6th September 2022
Eligibility and guidance	3-8 years post PhD / any nationality (Tier 1 visa required)
Basic award information	See scheme notes / 5+3 years

STFC Daphne Jackson Fellowships

Deadline	None
Eligibility and guidance	Flexible fellowship aimed at those returning to careers following a break; see online for more detailed information
Basic award information	Part-time for 2 years with additional third year at 50-100% FTE

STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowships

Deadline	21st September 2023
Eligibility and guidance	See fellowship guidance for applicants (2022 version)* / any nationality (Tier 1 visa required). There is a quota on the number of ERF applications that can be submitted from Durham each round. All ERF applications will need to be internally reviewed. We therefore require all applicants to submit a CV, using the STFC Narrative_CV_template (2022 verssion)*, a publication list, and a short (*strict* 1 page limit) research outline, including a brief additional paragraph (not counted within the 1 page limit) on why Durham and how the project connects to Durham. In addition, please identify (and contact) a member of staff to be your academic host to support you in the preparation of your application. Please ensure that the name of your academic host is included at the top of the research outline. This material should be submitted by 22nd July to astro.secretary@durham.ac.uk, and copied to your academic host. * Please check with UKRI for updated 2023 versions of these documents.
Basic award information	£5k consumables + £2k per yr travel / 5 years

UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships

Deadline	4th July 2023
Eligibility and guidance	See guidance / any nationality (Tier 1 visa required). There is a quota on the number of UKRI applications that can be submitted from Durham each round. All UKRI applications will need to be internally reviewed to select which applicants can apply. For specific details please contact a member of staff; see below for our contact details.
Basic award information	Up to £1.5M / 4-7 years

UKRI Stephen Hawking Fellowships

Deadline	Open ended
Eligibility and guidance	There is a quota on the number of UKRI applications that can be submitted from Durham each round. All UKRI applications will need to be internally reviewed to select which applicants can apply.
Basic award information	Up to £10K equipment / up to 4 years

Contact Details

For all fellowship applications please identify a relevant member of academic staff to act as your host in the preparation of your application. If you are unsure of who to contact then please email one of the directors of the CEA, CfAI, and ICC (see above for details) or astro.secretary@durham.ac.uk.