The scheme offers recently completed doctoral students a 24-month Postdoctoral Researcher position with tailored support. It is open to outstanding early career researchers from all around the world, including those already at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ.
Fellows will be based at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ (in the Midlands or London) and will undertake work derived from their own research questions and ideas, which will be the foundation for externally-funded Fellowship applications to be made during the course of the VCIRF.
Candidates should be within three years of the date of their PhD award and must have had their PhD (or equivalent doctoral qualification) awarded by the application closing date (2 December 2024).
The University is dedicated to supporting an equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment – to Create Better Futures, Together. The diverse backgrounds, characteristics and opinions within our community are a great strength and key to our pursuit of delivering educational excellence, enterprise, research and professional services. We welcome applications from people from diverse backgrounds and minoritised groups as they are currently under-represented within our community.
There are 10 positions available, across our nine Schools. In light of the ongoing unrest and wars around the globe, we will prioritise one VCIRF for an academic at immediate risk from war or conflict.
The application window will run from 4 November – 2 December 2024. See further information and details on how to apply.
Professor Dan Parsons, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) said: “We are delighted to launch the recruitment campaign for our sixth cohort of Vice-Chancellor Independent Research Fellowships. We are strategically committed to supporting Early Career Researchers at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ and this inclusive scheme offers a comprehensive career development package for ambitious researchers who have recently completed a PhD.”
Previous Doctoral Prize Fellow, Ana Suzina said: “The Fellowship was a great opportunity for three main reasons. First, as a programme meant to recruit excellent early career researchers it helped me to believe in my potential. The second reason is that it offered me time and support for elaborating a larger research proposal that I submitted to The Leverhulme Trust; the guidance from the Research Office, together with close mentoring from colleagues, contributed to my proposal being successful. The third reason is the human quality of the programme. I was part of the cohort during the Covid-19 pandemic and we were treated with kindness and respect throughout the process. In this sense, the scheme highlighted that quality research can and should also include respectful relationships. I’m very thankful for my Fellowship experience.”
A briefing about the VCIRF scheme and current recruitment round will be hosted online on the 14 November, 12.30pm-1.15pm. Sign up for the online briefing.