ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship Competition
We are currently making preparations to launch our 2022/23 Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme Competition. Please check back in November 2022 for more information.
You can also sign up for our Weekly Digest or follow us on Twitter to be kept up to date with all of our competition launches and dates.
The 2021/22 competition has now closed
Due to industrial action during 2022, the competition timeline has been revised accordingly, affecting some of the dates we update applicants on the outcome of their applications.
We are currently awaiting ESRC guidance on the availability of Postdoctoral Fellowships for 2024/2025.
Please see below for information on the 2023/2024 competition for reference.
The Scottish Graduate School of Social Science 2023/24 ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship Competition has now closed.
Details of the competition process remain below for reference.
ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowships must be held at an institution that is part of a DTP eligible to participate in this initiative and aligned to an eligible Unit of Assessment (UoA). All Fellows are required to have a mentor who is part of the institution where the Fellowship is held. The mentor should have experience and a strong interest in the applicant’s field of research but should not normally be the applicant’s PhD supervisor. We anticipate that many applicants will identify potential mentors independently, or with advice from previous supervisors/academic contacts. However, should candidates need assistance in identifying a suitable mentor, they should get in touch with your relevant HEI Champion or alternatively contact SGSSS directly.
Applicants to Scottish institutions should note that the SGSSS-DTP has a two-stage application process (see below for full details). Only applicants successful at Stage 1 will be invited to submit a full application at Stage 2:
- Stage 1 Application Deadline was 12pm (noon), 18 March 2024
- Stage 2 Application Deadline is 4pm, 16 May 2024
Eligibility
This opportunity is open to applicants who have completed their PhD at a UK Research Organisation and the Fellowship must be hosted at one of the 14 institutions that form the SGSSS-DTP and aligned to an eligible Unit of Assessment (UoA).
Applicants are not required to have previously held an ESRC-funded studentship in order to be eligible to apply.
To be eligible applicants must:
- Have been awarded a PhD or have passed their viva voce with minor amendments completed by 16 May 2024 and have been awarded their PhD by the fellowship start date of 01 October 2024
- Have no more than 12 months active postdoctoral experience since passing their viva voce (allowing for career breaks) by 16 May 2024
- Permanent members of staff in an academic position with a research component are not eligible for this scheme. If a candidate has previously been employed on a part-time basis, that employment can be calculated pro-rata
This call welcomes proposals from those returning to research following a career break, however applicants are required to meet the eligibility criterion of having no more than 12 months of active postdoctoral experience.
Please see the ESRC PDF Call Specification and ESRC PDF FAQs for further information on eligibility
ESRC Fellowship Q&A Session
SGSSS Associate Director, Dr Rachel Shanks will be hosting a Q&A session on 7 March 2024 from 3-4pm to answer any questions you may have around applying for an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2024. If you would like to join this event, please register here.
- The deadline for Stage 2 applications is 4pm on 16 May 2024.
Competition Guidance 2023/24
Please note, postdoctoral fellowships are bound by the same conditions as ESRC standard grants.
Only nominated applicants should submit a Stage 2 Application.
- Only nominated applicants should submit a Stage 2 Application
Stage 1 applications have now closed. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their Stage 1 application on Monday 21 February 2022.
Application Process
Contact your Mentor
Candidate: Before submitting your Stage 1 application, you must first seek out a Mentor at the institution you are applying to. If you do not have a Mentor in mind, see here for a list of HEI Champions who should be able to point you in the right direction.
Mentor: Please check the eligibility of the Candidate and support them to produce their Stage 1 application. As part of this application we ask Mentors to provide a Mentor Statement of Support for the Candidate to upload alongside their Stage 1 application. This should be a more generalised version of the Mentor Statement required for Stage 2 applications (if a candidate is shortlisted) and should not exceed 500 words (see the ESRC PDF Call Specification for more details). Please note, a Mentor CV is only required at Stage 2.
Stage 1 Application (Expression of Interest)
- Download the Stage 1 Application form
- Complete this form with support from your Mentor(s)
- Register with SGSSS Apply
- Submit your Stage 1 Application via SGSSS Apply by 12pm (noon) on 18 March 2024
- Include your Mentor Statement of Support, written by your Mentor
Stage 2 Application (see ESRC Call Specification)
*Stage 1 has now closed and the competition is no longer accepting new applications.
All Stage 2 applicants are required to contact their Mentor(s) as soon as possible for support in preparing their submission. For additional support please contact your relevant HEI Champion or SGSSS.
- Download the Stage 2 Application form
- Complete this form with support from your Mentor(s)
- Submit your Stage 2 application to SGSSS via SGSSS Apply by 4pm on 16 May 2024
- Include the following attachments (as detailed within the ESRC Call Specification):
- Stage 2 Application Form
- Case for Support (maximum six sides of A4)
- Justification of Resources (maximum two sides of A4)
- CV (maximum two sides of A4)
- Head of Department Statement (maximum one side of A4)
- Mentor Statement and Summary CV (maximum two sides of A4)
- Referee Statement (maximum two sides of A4)
- Workplan (maximum two sides of A4)
- Data management plan – mandatory where new datasets (of any size) will be generated as part of the fellowship (maximum three sides of A4)
- List of Publications, if applicable (containing the bibliography for references cited in the proposal)
Final Candidate Selection
SGSSS will review all applications in a further two-stage review process (Peer Review Stage and Final Selection Review Stage). Candidates will be notified of their application status after the Peer Review Stage (on or around 7 June 2024) and after the Final Selection Review Stage (on or around 01 July 2024). Feedback will be provided for all Stage 2 applicants.
Awards
Institutions will appoint Postdoctoral Fellows, working together with SGSSS to ensure that an induction, as well as continued mentoring and support is provided.
