Fellowship opportunities
Now closed for 2024.
Some early career fellowship schemes that are common in our area of research are listed below, grouped by typical level of experience. Full details of the aims of the fellowship, and eligibility criteria, can be found in the links listed.
You can find a broader list of available fellowships at the University of York Fellowships web page, and we are happy to talk to you about potential options.
Please note that our institutional deadlines will precede the funder deadlines.
Please get in touch if you have any queries.
Fellowships for those finishing their PhD
These fellowships support early career mathematicians in the transition between PhD and a postdoctoral position. The London Mathematical Society offers up to eight Fellowships of between three and six months to mathematicians who have recently or will shortly receive their PhD.
The award will be calculated at £1,200 per month plus a travel allowance. The fellowships may be held at one or more institutions but not normally at the institution where the fellow received their PhD. At the time of closing date applicants must be UK residents.
The annual deadline is in January.
Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships are intended for early career researchers, with a developing research record but who have not yet held a full-time permanent academic post, to undertake a significant piece of publishable work.
Fellowships are tenable for 3 years on a full-time basis.
Annual deadlines are in January/February, but please note that these fellowships require some additional University stages, and so interest would need to be expressed in applying in around October/November.
Find out more about the Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships
This fellowship is for those who finished their PhD within the last three years.
The Fellowship should ideally be held at a different university to that where the PhD was awarded. If staying is justified, this can be explained to the commission as part of the application.
The closing date is 8 January 2024. You must have an academic mentor and contact maths-research@york.ac.uk by the end of November 2023 to advise of an application in development. This is to ensure that your application goes through the University approvals system in time, as the University will be closed between 22 December 2023 and 2 January 2024.
Fellowships for those working towards becoming independent researchers
EPSRC Fellowships support talented and ambitious researchers to deliver research excellence and lead our research base in the evolution of a modern working culture.
Their fellowships provide applicants with the flexibility and freedom to design a package that fits their career ambitions, research needs and personal development requirements. These postdoctoral fellowships are for up to three years in duration.
From May 2023, EPSRC Fellowships will have two rounds/deadlines per year.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships support early career researchers who have received their PhD (or have equivalent experience if based outside of academia) by the time of the deadline.
These fellowships support mobility; to be hosted at the University of York for the two year fellowship, you must not have been resident in the UK for more than 12 months in the three years immediately prior to the call deadline.
The annual deadline is typically in September.
Find out more about the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships
Grants funded by the EC for those who have submitted their thesis within the last 7 years. These can be up to 5 years duration and can fund the principal investigator alongside postdocs and PhD students with all expenses (such as fees) covered. Five year grants award EUR 1.5m.
Information on eligibility and terms
Newton International Fellowships support the development and training of postdoctoral researchers at an early stage of their career from any country outside the UK, by providing an opportunity to work at a UK research institution for two years.
Applicants must: have a PhD or be in the final stage of their PhD provided that it will be completed (including viva) before the start date of the fellowship; have no more than seven years active full-time postdoctoral experience at the time of application; be working outside the UK and should not hold UK citizenship at the time of application; typically have not lived, worked or undertaken research in the UK in the 12 months prior to the deadline.
The annual deadline is typically in March.
The Faculty for the Future program awards fellowships to women from developing and emerging economies to pursue PhD or Postdoctoral research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields at leading universities worldwide.
The annual deadline is typically in November.
Find out more about the Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future Fellowships
Fellowships for independent researchers
EPSRC fellowships support talented and ambitious researchers to deliver research excellence and lead our research base in the evolution of a modern working culture.
Their fellowships provide applicants with the flexibility and freedom to design a package that fits their career ambitions, research needs and personal development requirements. You can apply for up to five years of funding.
From May 2023, EPSRC Fellowships will have two rounds/deadlines per year.
Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships offer a recognised first step into an independent research career for outstanding postdoctoral scientists who require a flexible working pattern due to personal circumstances, such as caring responsibilities or health issues.
These fellowships are highly flexible. Part-time working, sabbaticals and secondments can be accommodated as well as the provision for maternity, paternity, shared parental leave, adoptive or extended sick leave.
The annual deadline is typically in November.
University Research Fellowships were launched in 1983 to support the most promising early career postdoctoral scientists to build independent research careers and give them the freedom to pursue innovative and often transformative scientific research.
Applicants have the opportunity to submit a research proposal for an eight-year fellowship. The scheme is open to applicants of all nationalities who are at an early career stage (with between three and eight years of actual research experience since their PhD). This scheme is not for researchers who hold a permanent position in a University or not for profit research organisation, or hold or previously have held an equivalent fellowship within the UK.
The annual deadline is typically in early September.
Find out more about the Royal Society University Research Fellowships
The Career Development Fellowship (CDF) is a four-year, postdoctoral research fellowship that aims to support the retention in STEM of researchers from underrepresented backgrounds. The pilot scheme is now closed but the scheme may be available again later in 2024.
Fellowships for re-entry into research
These fellowships offer researchers the opportunity to return to a research career after a break of two or more years for a family, health or caring reason.
By combining a personsalised retraining programme with a challenging research project, Daphne Jackson Trust Fellowships provide a vital opportunity for those looking to return to a research career. Fellowships are flexible and part-time, usually completed over two years at 0.5 FTE. They consist of a challenging research project and at least 100 hours of retraining per year.