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Scottish Graduate School of Social Science

Sgoil Cheumnaichean Saidheans Sòisealta na h-Alba
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  • About us
    • Governance
    • Challenge-Led Pathways
    • Case studies
    • Our Year in Review
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    • Contact us
    • Work with us
    • Complaints
  • Current Students
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      • Summer School
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    • Research Impact Competition
    • Student Handbook
    • Meet Our Students
    • Meet Our Fellows
    • Expenses Policy
  • Prospective Students and Fellows
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      • Overview
      • Supervisor-led Studentship Opportunities
      • Student-led Open Competition 2024/25
      • Eligibility
    • Fellowships
  • Supervisors
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    • Skills Development Scotland Collaborative Competition 2024/25
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Scottish Graduate School of Social Science

Sgoil Cheumnaichean Saidheans Sòisealta na h-Alba
  • About us
    • Governance
    • Challenge-Led Pathways
    • Case studies
    • Our Year in Review
    • Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
    • Contact us
    • Work with us
    • Complaints
  • Current Students
    • Events
    • Training
      • Summer School
      • Spring into Methods
    • Training Funds
      • ESRC Training Funds
      • Training Event Funds
      • Challenge Pathways Cohort Fund
    • Internships
    • Mentoring
    • Research Impact Competition
    • Student Handbook
    • Meet Our Students
    • Meet Our Fellows
    • Expenses Policy
  • Prospective Students and Fellows
    • Studentships
      • Overview
      • Supervisor-led Studentship Opportunities
      • Student-led Open Competition 2024/25
      • Eligibility
    • Fellowships
  • Supervisors
    • Supervisor Eligibility
    • Steers Competition 2024/25
    • Open Collaborative Competition 2024/25
    • Skills Development Scotland Collaborative Competition 2024/25
    • Spring into Methods
    • Supervisors’ Resource Library
  • Our Partners
    • Internships
    • Collaborative Studentships
    • Training
    • The RSE Mentoring Scheme
    • Our work with Industry
    • SGSSS Alumni Community

ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship Competition

The 2024/25 competition is closed for applications.

Shortlisted applicants will be notified if they are moving to stage 2 by or before 17 February 2025.

Applicants are advised to review our timeline below for next steps.

The Scottish Graduate School of Social Science 2024/25 ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship Competition is 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 administratively 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. The mentor does not need to have the same UoA alignment, but the application needs to be able to justify why it is an appropriate mentorship arrangement. Some HEIs may choose to impose additional local conditions for their nominations regarding the alignment of the mentor.

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 is 4pm, 13 January 2025 (CLOSED)
  • Stage 2 Application Deadline is 4pm, 25 March 2025

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 25 March 2025 and have been awarded their PhD by the fellowship start date of 01 October 2025
  • Have no more than 12 months active postdoctoral experience since passing their viva voce (allowing for career breaks) by 25 March 2025
  • 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

  • The deadline for Stage 2 applications is 4pm on 25 March 2025.

Competition Guidance 2024/25

  • ESRC PDF Call Specification
  • ESRC PDF FAQs
  • PDF Stage 2 Application Form (.docx)
  • PDF Stage 2 Marking Framework
  • PDF Competition Timeline
  • SGSSS PDF Competition Review Process Guidance
  • SGSSS Units of Assessment (UoA)

SGSSS ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship Q&A

Monday 9th Dec 2:00pm – 3:00pm Online Event Location: Details sent when you RSVP

This live session will be hosted by SGSSS Associate Director, Professor Kathy Hamilton, who will be available answer any questions you may have around applying for an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2025.  If you would like to join this event, please provide your details and any questions you may have ahead of the session.

To RSVP, please click here.

  • ESRC PDF Call Specification
  • ESRC PDF FAQs
  • Stage 2 Application Form (.docx)
  • PDF Stage 2 Marking Framework 2023/24
  • PDF Competition Timeline 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

Competition Timeline 2024/25

Tuesday 5 November 2024

Competition launches for applications

Tuesday 5 November 2024
Monday 9 December 2024

Postdoctoral Fellowship Q&A

Monday 9 December 2024
Monday 13 January 2025, 4pm

Deadline for Stage 1 applications via SGSSS Apply - NOW CLOSED

Monday 13 January 2025, 4pm
17 January - 17 February 2025

HEI Review Stage (17 February deadline for institutions to nominate candidates for stage 2)

17 January - 17 February 2025
Monday 17 February 2025

Nominated candidates can submit Stage 2 applications via SGSSS Apply

Stage 2 Applications

Monday 17 February 2025
Tuesday 25 March 2025, 4pm

Deadline for Stage 2 applications via SGSSS Apply

Tuesday 25 March 2025, 4pm
25 March - 5 May 2025

Peer Review Stage (5 May - applicants informed of peer review stage results)

25 March - 5 May 2025
6 May - 9 June 2025

Final Panel Review Stage

6 May - 9 June 2025
Monday 9 June 2025

Candidates notified of final competition results

Monday 9 June 2025
Submit Stage 2 Application
Submit Stage 1 Application

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) - NOW CLOSED
  • 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 4pm on 13 January 2025
  • Include your Mentor Statement of Support, written by your Mentor
Apply Here
Initial Candidate Selection

Institutions will review all Stage 1 applications internally (HEI Review Stage). Candidates will be notified of their application status no later than Monday 17 February 2025. Successful candidates will be invited to submit a Stage 2 application.

Stage 2 Application (see ESRC Call Specification)

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 25 March 2025
  • 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)
Submit Stage 2 Application
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 5 May 2025) and after the Final Selection Review Stage (on or around 9 June 2025). 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.

Application advice from our previous ESRC Postdoctoral Fellows

Reach out to people for help in thoughtful ways that recognise the different support that people in your networks may be able to give according to their commitments and experiences. Lots of things can be helpful, from proof reading to big picture strategy, and everything in between. The research office at your school/college/university is a key resource, build relationships with the knowledgeable and skilled professional services staff that work there.

Picture of Dr Amanda Ptolomey

Dr Amanda Ptolomey

2024/2025

Advice for future applicants: After going through several years of stressful period in your PhD, you deserve to have some time to enjoy life and reap rewards for all the hard work you put into your PhD. For that, this postdoc fellowship would be an ideal opportunity. More importantly, it would provide you with ample resources including material and intellectual support. You will get the opportunity to work with experts in the field while sharing their knowledge and experience. In addition to establishing yourself in your own academic discipline, the fellowship will help you to maximize the societal impact of your doctoral research. Even if you are an international from a lower-and middle-income country background, like me, I can assure you that it is worth giving it a try despite being a highly competitive fellowship scheme.

Picture of Dr Upul Wickramasinghe

Dr Upul Wickramasinghe

2024/2025

The application process takes some time but is worth persevering with as it can help you clarify your goals. Getting all the documents in order requires a bit of teamwork, so most important thing is finding mentors (I have two from different disciplines) who are a good match and who understand what you want to do.

Picture of Dr Liz Cooper

Dr Liz Cooper

2023/2024

Ask friends and colleagues for feedback on your application. I’m immensely grateful to friends for pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of the proposal.

Picture of Dr Imogen Bevan

Dr Imogen Bevan

2023/2024

Probably the most important piece of advice for me would be: download all forms and start drafting your application well in advance (4-6 months). Don’t just drop ideas but start filling the forms in. Preparing an application under time pressure adds a lot of extra stress not just for you but also for your colleagues. At the same time, clarify exactly how your institution will be able to support you and when it would best for them to receive your drafts. Always expect that someone somewhere is going to forget about your email, request, or form that they need to submit or send to you. Never assume that your colleagues will remember about the external deadlines. Despite their best intentions they will inevitably be overwhelmed by other grant applications and other commitments. Be as proactive as possible throughout the process.

Something that I have not done but should have was clarifying my access to the library. I took it for granted that as a Research Fellow I would have full (or at least workable) access to the library. On my first day I experienced a shock when I found out that my employment status didn’t allow me to use any digital resources without which I am not able to do my research. If it is not resolved I will need to access other university’s libraries through my friends’ accounts. Either way: this is unnecessary stress that I wish I had clarified months ago.

Picture of Dr Jowita A. Thor

Dr Jowita A. Thor

2023/2024

In your proposal, focus on the potential impact of your thesis findings at a research, policy and practice level and spell out at each stage how you will be achieving this. Consider how your research stands out, contrasts with and adds to existing knowledge. Again, make this very clear to an audience who are unlikely to be familiar with your area of study. Ask your institution for copies of previously successful ESRC fellowship applications and review these alongside your own. These don’t necessarily need to be close to your area of research but is very helpful to double check your understanding of what is being asked for at each stage. Finally, have one or two others with knowledge of your research area to read through your application, for example, your PhD supervisor and prospective ESRC mentor.

Picture of Dr Robin Dallas-Childs

Dr Robin Dallas-Childs

2022/2023

While navigating post-PhD life can be stressful, try to enjoy the application process itself. Regardless of the outcome, it is a phenomenal exercise to work through how you want to level up the research that you have put a good portion of your life (and likely your heart and soul) into.  It is an incredible privilege to have the support of mentors and peers to assist in the process and a valuable learning experience.

Picture of Dr Janet Perkins

Dr Janet Perkins

2023/2024

Make sure to contact the relevant departments and contacts at your chosen institution that will help you with your application early to give them as much time as possible to complete the documents required.

Picture of Dr Tess Davis

Dr Tess Davis

2023/2024

1. Clearly articulate the societal impact of your proposed research.
2. Secure letters of recommendation from mentors who can speak not just to your academic capabilities, but also to your commitment to the field.
3. Don’t underestimate the value of interdisciplinary skills; today’s problems often require solutions that cross traditional boundaries.

Picture of Dr. Fiona McLeod

Dr. Fiona McLeod

2023/2024

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