Postdoctoral Fellowships

*The ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship Competition for the 2023-24 academic year is now closed*

The ESRC are aware that strike action may have an impact on applicants being able to obtain all of the supporting documentation required for their full application by the closing date of 23 March 2023. In light of this the closing date of the 23 March 2023 will remain in place for the application form and case for support. But discretion for delays acquiring the supporting documentation due to the strikes may be shown. Please contact the institution you are applying to as soon as possible if you expect any delays.

The Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership invites applications for up to six, one-year Postdoctoral Fellowships to commence on 1 October 2023. The fellows will be based at one of our partner institutions: Brunel University London, The Open University or the University of Oxford. 

Fellowships are aimed at those in the immediately postdoctoral stage of their career, to provide the opportunity to consolidate their PhD through developing publications, their networks, and their research and professional skills. Proposals are welcome from single or multi-disciplinary backgrounds but the fellowship activities must be aligned to one of the Grand Union DTP’s 23 thematic pathways and based at least 50% within the social sciences.

Grants will cover salary costs, and candidates can apply for up to £10,000 to support mentoring costs and additional research activity (eg. travel conference attendance, training, and fieldwork). As a general guide, mentor costs will be around £4,000 and candidates can apply for around £6,000 for additional activity. 

Fellows must be based in a Department or academic unit that is a host for the relevant pathway (these are listed on the individual pathway pages).

Eligibility

The call will be open to applicants who have undertaken their PhD at a research organisation that is part of an ESRC-funded DTP. At the application submission deadline (23 March 2023), the applicant must either have been awarded a PhD or have submitted their thesis and passed their viva voce with minor corrections, with the expectation that the PhD will be awarded by the fellowship start date (expected to be 01 October 2023).

Grants are restricted to those with no more than 12 months of active postdoctoral experience, between passing their viva and the application deadline of 23 March 2023.

Application Process 

Full details on the scheme are available below in the ESRC Call Specification and FAQ Documents.

Candidates should identify the DTP pathway to which they would be aligned and consult the relevant department/academic unit about potential applications to ensure compliance with any internal deadlines.

Fellows are required to have a mentor who is a senior colleague based at the University and in pathway where the Fellowship is held. The mentor, wherever possible, should not be the PhD supervisor. If you need help identifying a suitable mentor, please contact the relevant Pathway Lead. 

An application form and required documents must be submitted as a single pdf via the relevant department/academic unit by 16.00 on 23 March 2023 to granduniondtp@socsci.ox.ac.uk. The DTP will not accept applications submitted directly by candidates. 

In order to support ESRC equality and diversity monitoring, applicants are also asked to optionally complete and return an Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form separately to the main application. Information received will be anonymised, will not form part of any selection process and will not be disclosed to the selection panel or department/academic unit.

The Grand Union DTP will peer review the proposals and make funding decisions on behalf of the ESRC by end of June 2023.

ESRC Call Specification     ESRC FAQs   

Application Forms

Application Form     Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form

Enquiries

General queries about the scheme and/or departmental/unit contacts at either Brunel University London, The Open University or the University of Oxford can be directed to the following: