POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS
This competition is now open for applications for an October 2025 start
WHAT IS A POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP?
A Post-Doctoral Fellowship (PDF) is intended to provide an opportunity for early career researchers to consolidate their PhDs through developing publications, their networks, and their research and professional skills.
WHAT IS ON OFFER?
Successful applicants will receive funding for up to one year full-time, or up to two years part-time. In exceptional cases, applicants can apply for a Fellowship for up to 18 months. However, this must be fully justified by the programme of activities being proposed.
PDF awards include paying the Fellow a salary for the duration of their award and, additionally, and provide up to £10,000 to support their work (e.g. funding for attending conferences). The grants also include other costs linked to the award, which are paid to the university concerned to cover things like office space and IT support.
AM I ELIGIBLE FOR A SENSS ESRC-FUNDED PDF?
Please check your eligibility carefully, as this call is only open to those who have:
1) Completed their PhD at a UK university; AND,
2) Been awarded their PhD or have passed their viva voce with either no changes or only minor corrections by the application deadline of 4.00 pm GMT on 25 March 2025; AND,
3) Been awarded their PhD by the Fellowship start date of 1 October 2025; AND,
4) Had no more than 12 months of active post-doctoral experience since passing their viva (allowing for career breaks) by 25 March 2025.
Please note that who have passed their viva voce with major corrections will not be eligible for this year’s competition. Instead, they will be able to apply under the following year’s call once their PhD has been awarded. This is to ensure that all PDFs can commence their Fellowships by the annual start date of 1 October.
Please note that, following ESRC advice, applicants whose viva did not take place in time for them to be eligible for the 2024 competition may apply for an award in this competition. That is, where an applicant has between 12 and 14 months of active post-doctoral experience by this year’s closing date of 25 March 2025, DTPs have some discretion in permitting applications to be submitted.
WHICH UNIVERSITIES CAN I APPLY TO?
The SENSS Doctoral Training Partnership consists of eight universities across the south and east of the UK. Click here to find out which universities are part of SENSS.
WHICH THEMES OR DISCIPLINES CAN I APPLY FOR?
SENSS offers PDFs across all its six inter-disciplinary Themes. Click here for more information about these Themes.
HOW DO I APPLY FOR A PDF?
SENSS has a two-phase application process: phase one consists of an expression of interest phase (outlined below), the deadline for which is 10 January 2025. If applicants are successful in phase one, under phase two they will be invited to put in a full application, the deadline for which is 25 March 2025. After this deadline, the review process will begin. Those who are shortlisted for interview on Friday 16 May 2025 will be advised of this by Friday 9 May 2025. If you are applying for a PDF, please hold 16 May 2025 in your diary as this is the only day on which interviews will be held.
HOW DO I FIND OUT MORE?
The SENSS Director, Professor Fragkiskos Filippaios, is holding two webinars for potential applicants and mentors. These will be held on:
Wednesday 4 December 2024 (11.00am - 12.00pm). Registration link: https://essex-university.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIkcOmqrTgjE9RGFFc35Ae_Mzm5E-9Y1r1s.
Wednesday 18 December 2024 (3.00pm - 4.00pm). Registration link: https://essex-university.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwsc--qrzsvEtNq9uGYv1xkjrC1_oL8mxXg
A recording of one of the webinars will be uploaded to this page for information, should interested applicants be unable to make either of these dates.
PHASE ONE OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS
Step one: read the ESRC’s documents (see below) carefully, and ensure you are eligible for a PDF.
Step two: if you are eligible, start thinking about your topic and programme of work.
Step three: at the same time, identify an academic you think would be best-suited to being your primary mentor, and make contact with them. The ESRC requires Fellows to have a mentor based at the university at which the Fellowship is held, and states that “a secondary mentor is permitted”. Please note that SENSS requires its Fellows to have two mentors during their Fellowship: one must be based at the Fellow’s home university, and one at a different SENSS university. SENSS has taken this position, which is endorsed by the ESRC, because we believe that having a second mentor from a different SENSS university strengthens the Fellow’s research, exposes the Fellow to different institutional practices, and increases the Fellow’s access to professional academic and non-academic networks. Our current and former Fellows’ experience has borne this out. Therefore, applicants must name two mentors if they are invited to submit full applications.
Step four: submit your expression of interest (EoI) to SENSS via HEIapply by 12.00pm noon GMT on Friday 10 January 2025. We require you to submit an EoI by the deadline so that we can gauge demand and, most importantly, support you in your application, including working with you on your costings. The EoI phase of this competition will open on Monday 18 November 2024. Click here for a document which gives an indication of the questions asked in the EoI.
Please note the following:
If you do not submit an EoI by 10 January 2025, you will be automatically excluded from the remainder of the competition.
You may only apply to one SENSS university for a PDF. You may also submit applications to universities which are part of other ESRC-funded DTPs, but you must tell us if you do so.
If you are invited to put in a full application, you will receive a decision on that application by 4 June 2025.
You will be expected to start your PDF on 1 October 2025.
OUTCOME OF THE EXPRESSION OF INTEREST PHASE
After the deadline of 10 January, the university to which you have applied will review your EoI and, if your application is deemed sufficiently strong when viewed against the selection criteria set out by the ESRC, you will be contacted and invited to submit a full application.
ESRC PDF APPLICATION DOCUMENTS
The ESRC Call Specification - this sets out what is included in a PDF award, what the eligibility criteria are, and what is required in the application etc.
The ESRC PDF FAQs - this provides answers to common questions around PDF awards.
The ESRC PDF application form - please note that SENSS will only accept online applications, via its online portal. The SENSS application differs slightly from the ESRC template form in that it asks for some additional information. The ESRC template is only included here to give you an idea of what is required of you should you be invited to submit a full application.
The following SENSS-specific guidance documents will be provided later in the year to support those making a full application, following the deadline for the EoI phase:
Guidance for the Head of Department in writing a supporting statement.
Guidance for the Referee in writing their reference.
Guidance for the Primary Mentor in writing their supporting statement.
An example of an excellent PDF application.