Postdoctoral Funding Opportunities

2023 Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships - Expressions of Interest

We are inviting outstanding early career researchers to apply for the Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship Scheme. If you are interested in applying for this scheme through the School of English and Drama, please submit an application in one document (Word or PDF, using a 12 pt font) to sed-research@qmul.ac.uk by midday on Monday 13 November 2023.

Applicants wishing to consider applying for the Early Career Fellowships are encouraged to contact a member of staff in the appropriate area of expertise to act as their mentor at least four weeks in advance of the internal deadline. Applications must fit both the funding scheme and the School’s research profile.

Applicants are also encouraged to highlight the support of Faculty and institution‐level infrastructure, and commitment to interdisciplinary research and exchange notably through the Queen Mary Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IHSS). To aid applicants in preparing a strong application, the School of English and Drama will hold an online training session on Thursday, 26 October 2023, 5-6pm via Zoom. Please register here. 

Because these Fellowships require an institutional contribution to match that made by the Leverhulme Trust, only a small number of exceptional applications will be supported. The School is only able to nominate a limited number of applications for consideration by a University selection panel. Candidates will be notified in December whether they have been selected to submit an application to the Leverhulme Trust.

The expressions of interest must include in a single document:

• a statement confirming eligibility for the scheme - please state in a series of bullet points how you meet the Trust’s eligibility requirements (see https://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/early-career-fellowships);
• a proposed start and end date for the award;
• a 2-page academic CV;
• An outline research proposal including title, non-technical abstract (100 words), statement of past and current research (250 words) and 2 page (A4) project outline. The project outline should include aims, objectives, methodology and outcome (e.g. publication plans). It should make clear the scope and importance of the proposal. The methodology should be clear and explicit, comprehensible to a non-expert.
• A statement on why QMUL would be a good institutional fit, which includes a proposed mentor for your project and how your research activities might contribute to the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences (IHSS) at QMUL. (250 words)
• the name of your QMUL mentor, whose support you should secure in advance of your application.

Your application should demonstrate:

• that you are eligible according to the trust’s criteria
• the excellence of your research track record and professional track record (where relevant);
• your fit to the School of English and Drama and relevant links to the Faculty of the Humanities and Social Sciences

Full scheme details can be found on the Leverhulme Trust Website.

All applications will be considered in an internal selection process and candidates notified by mid/end-December 2023.

Successful applicants will then have approximately two months to finalise their application, due 15 February 2024. They will also be invited to attend an orientation session run by The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences about the final stages of application, 11 January 2024. QMUL will then complete final institutional approvals by 22 February 2024.

If you have any questions about the internal selection process, please contact Professor Andrea Brady, Director of Research at the School English and Drama, a.brady@qmul.ac.uk.

 

British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024/25

The School of English and Drama (SED), Queen Mary University of London, invites expressions of interest from post-doctoral researchers considering making an application for the 2024/2025 British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship competition.

 

About the fellowships

The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship offers outstanding early career researchers the opportunity to strengthen their experience of research and teaching in an academic environment. This scheme aims to help develop the award holder’s curriculum vitae and boost their prospects of obtaining a permanent academic post. The primary emphasis is on the completion of a significant piece of publishable research, and the integration of the award holder into the community of established scholars within their field.

 

Eligibility requirements

• Applicants must be supported by the UK host institution in which they wish to hold the Fellowship.
• Applicants must be within three years of their successful viva voce examination. For this round of competition, applicants are expected to have completed their viva voce between 1 April 2022 and 1 April 2025. Exemption from this criterion may be granted for reasons occurring after the date of the viva voce examination such as: maternity leave, illness, family commitments etc but must be confirmed with the BA prior to application.
• Applicants must be a British citizen or EEA national, or have completed a doctorate at a UK university. Any applicant who does not fall into one of these categories must demonstrate a strong prior association with the UK academic community, for example through a previous period of non-permanent employment (for a minimum of 12 months) at a UK university.
• Not have held a permanent academic post in an institution of higher education at any time in their career.
• Resubmissions of previously unsuccessful applications are not permitted unless by invitation of the British Academy

The eligibility criteria listed above are based on the 2023/24 Guidance. Please check the British Academy’s guidance for 2024/25 for full details once it has been released.

 

How to apply

This scheme is extremely competitive. As a result, QMUL will only support the strongest of applicants. Candidates interested in applying for a fellowship based at SED should submit an Expression of Interest to Silke Boettcher,  s.boettcher@qmul.ac.uk by 15 August 2024 including the following:

• an explanation of the reasons for your choice of the School and Queen Mary as your host institution which should include a proposed mentor (150 words maximum)
• an outline of your proposed programme of research (1,500 words maximum)including consideration of method, sources, and significance
• your planned research outputs, e.g. monograph, journal article(s), book chapter(s), digital resources, events (workshops, conferences), other (please specify) (300 words maximum)
• a list of existing publications (1 page maximum)
• a CV (2 pages maximum)
• a draft sample of writing, either published or accepted for publication (article or book chapter length).

Your application should demonstrate:

• that you are eligible according to the BA’s criteria
• the excellence of your research track record and professional track record (where relevant);
• your fit with the School and relevant links to the Faculty of the Humanities and Social Sciences

The deadline for EOIs is 15 August 2024.  All applications will be considered in an internal selection process and candidates notified shortly after the deadline.

Successful applicants will then have approximately one month to finalise their outline application, due 2 October 2024. They will also be invited to attend an orientation session run by The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences about the final stages of application. This will take place w/c 2^nd September 2024.

 

This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. Through innovative projects, they will deliver shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the award, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme. 

Please find further details on this website. 

Please find here further details to the scheme: 

Future Leaders Fellowships – UKRI