Fellowship Opportunities
Fellowships at the IfA
Fellowships
The IfA encourages applications to post-doctoral research fellowship schemes to be hosted here.
Short-duration early-career fellowships
- Marie Curie Fellowships (currently closed, internal deadline for next call expected ~July 2026)
- 1851 Fellowships (currently closed, internal deadline for next call expected ~Nov 2026)
- Newton International Fellowships for non-UK scientists (internal deadline for expression of interest 09 February 2026, contact the grants team by the internal deadline, funder deadline 11 March 2026)
- Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships for interdisciplinary proposals, (internal deadline for 2026 applicants passed)
- Royal Astronomical Society and Norman Lockyer Fellowships (Currently closed)
Longer senior postdoctoral fellowships and grants, typically for researchers more than ~4 years out of their PhD
- Royal Society University Research Fellowships (currently closed, internal deadline for next call expected ~July 2026 for September 2026 funder deadline)
- STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowships (currently closed, internal deadline for next call expected ~July 2026 for September 2026 funder deadline)
- UKRI Hawking Fellowships (Currently closed)
- UKRI Future Leader Fellowships (internal deadline 05 February 2026 for Round 11 see here, funder deadline 16 June 2026)
- Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships (currently closed, Internal deadline for next call expected ~July 2026 for September 2026 funder deadline)
How to apply
People interested in applying for any fellowship to be hosted at IfA should, in the first instance (and as early as possible) contact a relevant member of academic staff who would be prepared to sponsor any application.
To provide transparency and efficiency in the management of applications, we operate an internal review process for most of the Fellowships listed above. Further details about the application process, and internal submission deadlines, can be found on the School's Fellowships webpage.
Once an application has been approved, the School's grants team will then provide support and advice on internal deadlines. You should contact the grants team at least 14 working days in advance of the formal fellowship deadline. Typically, internal deadlines require submission of an advanced draft for internal review/feedback 10 working days before the deadline. Where the proposal submission needs to go through the central University, the final proposal will typically need to be submitted 5 working days in advance of the deadline.