Research fellowships

Applications for Research Fellowships

Candidates wishing to select Imperial Physics as their host institution are advised to contact the relevant Research Group to discuss their application. You are encouraged to contact them early for initial discussions to maximise the support we can give you and also because this is a two-way process and you need to assess if we’re the right fit for you.

To ensure the submission of high-quality, competitive proposals, the Department runs a competitive internal selection process.  The deadlines for Research Groups to submit their supported nominated candidates to the Department are given below and you will need a member of the academic staff to act as an internal sponsor during the application process. Requests received after these dates will not be considered.

We strongly encourage applications from all backgrounds, especially those historically underrepresented in Physics. The majority of the schemes we support applications to can be held part time for personal circumstances such as caring responsibilities or disability/chronic health conditions. Applications are welcome from applicants who are returning from a career break or those working outside of academia. We are an IoP JUNO Practitioner and an Athena Silver SWAN Award winner reflecting our commitment to building a supportive, inclusive and highly motivated community. See our EDI webpage for more information and further resources/support for working at Imperial on our Opportunities page. 

We want to make our application process as inclusive and accessible as possible so if you experience any barriers that we may have overlooked please tell us and we can make adjustments.

We also recognise the unequal impacts that COVID-19-related disruption might have had. Where disruptions have occurred applicants can highlight this within their application if they wish.

If you are approved to submit a formal application the Department will assist you throughout the application process. We set internal submission deadlines which are substantially earlier than the sponsor deadlines to allow for sufficient preparation and approval time, you will be advised of this and you can also see the deadlines on the application guidance webpage.

The Imperial Postdoc and Fellows Development Centre provide a host of ongoing support from preparing the application to mock interviews available to anyone who is applying through Imperial.  You are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this support in conjunction with that from your host Research Group.  For more information, applicants should read the guidance on their web pages and contact pfdc-support@imperial.ac.uk.

We’ve successfully supported many research fellowship applications. See Summary of started researcher fellowships in Physics from 1 August 2013 - updated 01.07.23

Research fellowships

Calls

 

 Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellow, a Program of Schmidt Futures 

  • Closing 28th September 2023, see information below:

    Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship, a program of Schmidt Futures (Research Fellow)

    Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship, a program of Schmidt Futures (Research Associate)

 

EPSRC Doctoral Prize fellowships

  • Open.
  • Department quota - two into the College process
  • Please contact Research Groups. Each Group can submit one to the Department review by 3rd August 2023.
  • Nominations are Case for Support, CV, Letter from PhD supervisor (read the guidelines for instructions for these documents).

EPSRC Postdoctoral & Open Fellowships

Imperial College Research Fellowships

  • Open but note Physics is only accepting applications for ICRFs supported by Schmidt Futures under the AI in Science Theme (see College page for information and the guidance on how to indicate this in your application)
  • Please contact a Research Group in your areas of interest. The expectation is each Group will support their top two applicants.
  • College deadline 21st August 2023. Requests for the required Department approval on your Research Proposal and Budget form should be made to Louise Hayward and can be accepted until midday on the 21st August.

Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships 

  • Open
  • Department quota - none
  • Confirmation to the Department and ECAS Part A completed 5th September 2023 ECAS access to be given to Louise Hayward and Brooke Alasya 
  • Imperial participates in the standard European Fellowship mode of the MSCA PF scheme but does not participate in the Global Fellowships mode.
  • Check the Imperial’s EU Team webpage with advice and information to help applicants. Some areas of the webpage require an Imperial login, ask your sponsor to share the information.  You can also contact the team with questions mscapostdocfellowships@imperial.ac.uk
  • Check the UK Research Office’s webinars

NERC Independent Research Fellowships

  • Open (for nominations, the call is not live yet)
  • Department quota - none
  • The Grantham Institute at Imperial is providing support for candidates to apply for the 2023 round. Applications within any NERC remit will be considered. Eligible candidates will first need to be nominated by a co-host department at Imperial. Nomination deadline 31st August 2023. If you want to be nominated through the Space & Atmospheric Physics Group please contact Prof Helen Brindley before 11th August.

RAEng UK Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Research Fellowships

  • Closed
  • Department quota - none

  • Nominations closed 31st March 2023. Nominations consist of CV, publications list and a one page outline.

Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowships

  • Closed 
  • Department quota - two into the College process
  • Department nominations closed 26th June 2023.  Nominations consist of a College application form.

Royal Astronomical Society Fellowships 

  • Closed
  • Department quota - five
  • Nominations to the Department closed on 26th September 2022. Nominations consist of CV, publications list and a one page outline.

Royal Commission 1851 Research Fellowships 

  • Closed (Opens October)
  • Department quota - five
  • Nominations to the Department by 4th December 2023. 
  • Nominations consist of CV, publications list and a one page outline

Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship 

  • Closed (Opens 5th September 2023)
  • Department quota - none
  • Nominations to the Department by 11th September 2023.
  • Nominations consist of CV, publications list and a one-page outline.

Royal Society Newton Fellowships

  • Closed
  • Department quota – five Please contact a Research Group in your areas of interest.
  • Nominations to the Department closed 27th February 2023. Nominations to the Department consist of your CV, publications list and a one-page outline

Royal Society URF

STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowships

  • Closed 
  • Department quota set by STFC  - seven 
  • Nomination deadline was 11th July 2023 

UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellowships

  • Closed.
  • Round 8 was only open to Imperial Physics academic/proleptic staff
  • College deadline was 17th April 2023

UKRI Stephen Hawking Fellowship

  • Open.
  • Department quota - none.
  • Please contact a Research Group in your area of interest. Nomination deadline 31st July 2023 if you are wanting to apply for the 28th September round.
  • Nomination paperwork is CV, publications list and brief research proposal.
  • Scheme has moved to The Funding Service as part of EPSRC Fellowships.

    Further Info

    If you are at Imperial you can register for the online funding news service Idox ResearchConnect.


    If you have any general questions about the fellowship process please contact our Research Operations Team (Louise Hayward). Note that you have to contact the Research Groups to find a sponsor. 

     

    Things to remember

    Before applying, please keep in mind...

    • Timeliness of Fellowship at this point in your career
    • Independent Researcher
    • Current standing within the national / international community
    • Referees & their comments
    • Quality, originality and potential impact of proposed research
    • Broader context surrounding the research 
    • Abilty to plan and manage resources 
    • Ability to communicate to a generalist audience 
    • Potential to fulfil the wider responsibilities of an academic career (teaching, public engagement etc) and evidence of leadership ability
    • Appropriateness of the Group with whom you want to work with
    • Alignment with the strategic priorities of the research council/sponsor

    Fellowships Elsewhere

    Group Information

    Some of the Research Groups have Fellowship opportunities pages with their Group information: