The School of Politics and International Relations welcomes independently-funded Post-Doc and research fellows who would like to work with our staff on areas of mutual research interest. For details on our main areas of research see here. Potential applicants for the various fellowship schemes should in the first instance contact the Research Manager with any enquiries.
Various external sources, such as the British Academy or Leverhulme Trust, provide funding for post-doc and other research fellowships. Applicants apply directly to the funder, but will receive support from staff in the School in making the application. Potential applicants should first contact the Research Manager who will provide assistance with the application (on costings, etc…) and also consult other members of academic staff with relevant expertise in the applicant’s research area. In order to make full use of the support offered, applicants should make initial contact with the Research Manager at least six weeks before any funding deadline. As with all funding schemes, applications will need to be passed to the Head of School for approval. It is therefore expected that applicants will submit a finalised application to the School at least two weeks in advance of any advertised funding deadline. With certain funding agencies, we ask for expressions of interest (i.e. partially-completed applications) in advance - details on how to apply via this route are linked to below and posted on jobs.ac.uk and EURAXESS.
Information on current and future funding opportunities are listed below
British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships Now closed. Expected to reopen in September 2023.
The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships are three-year Fellowship awards made to an annual cohort of early career researchers who are within 3 years of completing their PhD. Applicants must be supported by the UK host institution in which they wish to hold the Fellowship. In addition, they must be a UK 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.
Find out more about the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships here.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships Now open. The call will close on 13 September 2023 (EOI due by 9th June 2023).
The Marie Skłodowska Curie Individual Fellowships is a prestigious European funding scheme that supports mobility, career development, and training within and beyond Europe, and offers 2-3 years’ highly competitive salary, a mobility allowance, family allowance and research costs. All expressions of interest must meet the eligibility criteria of the scheme. In particular, applicants must not have resided or carried out the main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the UK for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the deadline for submission of proposals, if wanting to apply for the European Fellowship pathway (MSCA-IF-EF).
ESRC New Investigator Grants No fixed closing date.
The call is open to high-quality candidates from anywhere in the world who have a maximum of four years’ postdoctoral experience and the support of SPIR. Grants ranging from £100,000 to £300,000 full Economic Cost (fEC) can be awarded. You can submit proposals at any time, there are no fixed closing dates, but please keep general timelines outlined above in mind when planning your application.
The London Interdisciplinary Social Science DTP Now open. Closing date in March 2023.
You must contact a mentor in SPIR and the Research Manager prior to application.
Provides support for ESRC-funded postdoctoral fellowships based at partner institutions, one of which is Queen Mary. These fellowships are aimed at those in the immediately postdoctoral stage of their career, i.e., within 12 months of their PhD award. They provide a salary for one year full time/two years part time, as well as support for additional costs.
Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships Expression of interest deadline 21st November 2022.
Offering 50% match-funding for the salary costs of a three-year academic research position, the scheme enables early career researchers to undertake a significant piece of publishable work. Applicants must not have held a full-time permanent academic post in a UK university, and must be within four years of their PhD award.
Applicants should contact the Research Manager for further details.
Newton International Fellowships Currently closed. Expected to open in January 2023, closing date usually in March.
The fellowships enable early career postdoctoral researchers (within 7 years of their PhD award) from all over the world to work at UK research institutions for two years. They provide grants of £30,000 per annum to cover subsistence (tax exempt) and up to £8,000 per annum to cover research expenses, plus a one-off relocation allowance of up to £3,500. Applications are made jointly by the candidate and a UK Co-applicant.