Dr Zoe Baker
Department of Education, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow
What is the subject of your research?
My research is based in the Sociology of Education and focuses on the transitions out of higher education and into employment/further study amongst care-experienced graduates. It pays close attention to the structural enablements and constraints that those with a background of care encounter when transitioning into graduate life.
What made you decide to apply for this fellowship?
I was rejected from three fellowships before finally being awarded two at once in 2021 (both the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship, and Leverhulme).
While working my first research post after completing my PhD in 2017, I had a very vague idea for a potential fellowship project in the area of care-experience and graduate transitions (which was a different area to my doctoral research). I had applied for a one-year ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at this time and was rejected.
After moving on to my second post (a lecturing post), I joined a project to undertake research into care-experienced students’ experiences of Higher Education in the UK. This gave me the opportunity to delve deeper into this area of interest, and the findings from the project helped me to develop my fellowship proposal.
Around this time (2019), I applied to an institution specific fellowship and was rejected. I then applied to Leverhulme (2020), and was rejected again. Finally, after completing this research project and publishing the findings, I was accepted the following year by both Leverhulme and the British Academy.
What was the application process like?
As I had applied for three fellowships prior to the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship, I felt as though I was well practised in writing fellowship applications by this point. As a result, it felt quite straight-forward!
When casting my mind back to my first couple of applications though, I remember being quite surprised by all of the additional ‘bit and pieces’ that were requested as part of the application. It is very easy to become so intensely focused on writing a strong research proposal that the additional information you are required to submit can catch some people a little off-guard.
For example, both the British Academy and Leverhulme requested a written overview of my research experience, details of teaching experience, a justification for my choice of institution and department, and for my choice of mentor among other things. It was therefore important to dedicate enough time to these to ensure that the standard matched that of my research proposal.
What have you most enjoyed about your Fellowship?
I have really enjoyed being able to research an area that I am so passionate about on a full-time basis. As I completed my PhD in 2017 and started my fellowship in 2021, quite a few years had passed since I last had the opportunity to dedicate so much time to my research (and I had missed it!).
What advice would you give to someone considering applying for a fellowship?
Take some time to understand what the full application requires: It is easy to become so focused on the research proposal that we forget the time and energy required to complete the rest of the application. Never underestimate just how many additional pieces of information are requested as part of the application, and be sure to budget enough time to complete these to a high standard. Taking some time to read through the application guidance document provided by the funder before starting is very helpful in preventing any last minute surprises or panic!
Familiarise yourself with the eligibility criteria: Upon completing my PhD, I incorrectly assumed that early career fellowships were only for those who had very recently completed their PhD. Immediately post-PhD, my focus and time (like many new PhD graduates) was taken up by locating and working fixed-term research and lecturing contracts. The only funding I attempted to apply for in my first year following PhD completion was an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship which was unsuccessful. I also had a career break due to long-term illness. After my Leverhulme rejection in 2020, I assumed that I might be outside the timeframe to apply the following year. Yet, after researching this, I realised I was still eligible for one more attempt.
Many schemes also make allowances if you have had a career break due to maternity/paternity leave, illness etc. As mentioned above, I had a career break in the middle of my various posts due to illness. I was outside of the eligibility period for the British Academy, but an allowance was made due to time lost to illness following the completion of my PhD. Hence, it is useful to read all of the eligibility information very carefully.
Accept help, advice and critical feedback: It is so useful to allow as many trusted critical friends as possible to read and provide feedback on your proposal and wider application. As I had completed a project following my PhD in a similar area to my proposed research, I received a lot of incredibly valuable feedback from a colleague from that project who had published widely in the area. I then received further advice and guidance from my proposed (and now actual) mentor at York, and other academics in the department who kindly agreed to take the time to read and provide comments on my research proposal.
Be prepared to try and try again: Try not to be disheartened by rejection; fellowship schemes are incredibly competitive, and many amazing projects are rejected due to the high volume of outstanding applications they receive. It absolutely does not mean that your proposed project was weak.