Research Fellowship Applications

We enthusiastically welcome the most promising early career researchers to join our communities via external fellowships from funders including the UKRI, the Royal Society & European Research Council.

Together the Department of Earth Sciences at UCL and Earth and Planetary Sciences (part of the School of Natural Sciences) at Birkbeck form a vibrant and diverse research community situated in the heart of London. With both our department’s situated in Bloomsbury, only a short walk apart, we share complementary research expertise spanning the full breadth of Earth and Planetary Sciences. We host multiple collaborative research projects, share key lab facilities and jointly supervise several PhD students within the London NERC DTP.

Independent research fellows form a key part of our community, making valuable contributions across all aspects of our research environment and workplace. We aim to help realise the goals and aspirations of our research fellows by ensuring they are fully embedding within, and supported by, our closely-knit network of colleagues. In return, our fellows bring energy and dynamism to our departments, pursuing novel and original research questions and approaches and new collaborative opportunities, as they widen or deepen our current research portfolio.

What we offer

Earth Sciences at UCL and Birkbeck offer substantial support for the preparation of your Fellowship applications and throughout their duration. Fellows receive laboratory and office space, access to state-of-the-art equipment as well as access to postgraduate research student supervision if desired. In addition, we will provide mentoring and access to training courses to ensure continued professional development; we aim to maximise the chances of success for all our Fellows.

How to apply

The Earth Sciences Fellowship Panel reviews expressions of interest 2-3 times per year. Deadlines are timed to reflect the major fellowship funding calls (indicated in the details below). If not specified below we ask candidates to apply to a call at least 3-4 months in advance of their target Fellowship application deadline.

To apply please send the following to es-fellowships@ucl.ac.uk

a research CV (max 2 pages)
a brief (max 2 page) research vision/fellowship proposal outline
a single paragraph suitable for a general audience about your research to date and your research proposal
a cover letter explaining how your proposal is suitable for the scheme(s) you are interested in, and your rationale for applying at UCL/Birkbeck

After receipt, application assessment will be undertaken by the fellowship panel. We may invite applicants to an online interview prior to deciding whether we will support your fellowship application. We aim to contact all applicants within 2 weeks of our expression of interest deadlines.

We are looking for someone who is:
• competitive, dynamic and has an innovative research vision,
• a well-rounded individual with a sense of community spirit.

We will assess:
•   Your suitability to the intended fellowship scheme(s) based on your research experience, outputs etc.
•   The significance and scientific merit of your fellowship vision,
•   The feasibility of your proposed research at UCL/Birkbeck,
•   Your institutional fit.

Upcoming Deadlines

15th November 2024:
•   Royal Commission of 1851 (deadline tbc Jan 2025)
•   Daphne Jackson (no deadline)
•   Newton International Fellowships (deadline tbc March 2025)
•   Any other schemes with closing dates from Jan-March 2025

tbc May-June 2025:
•   University Research Fellowships 2025 (The Royal Society) tbc Sept 2025
•   NERC Independent Research Fellowship 2025 tbc Oct 2025?
•   STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowship 2025 tbc Oct 2025
•   Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship 2025 (The Royal Society) tbc Oct 2025
•   Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Fellowships 2025 tbc Sept 2025
•   ERC Starting Grant 2025 tbc Oct 2025