Postdoctoral Fellowships
The School of Physics and Astronomy welcomes applications from candidates interested in applying for personal fellowships at the University of Edinburgh.
Fellowship opportunities
Applications for fellowship opportunities are welcome. Please contact ahead of the internal deadline relevant members of academic staff (or the director-of-research [at] ph.ed.ac.uk (Director of Research)) and the grants [at] ph.ed.ac.uk (grants team) directly to discuss prospective applications. The School of Physics and Astronomy is committed to advancing equality and diversity, welcoming applications from everyone irrespective of gender, ethnic group or nationality. We particularly encourage applications from female and/or BAME candidates.
Fellowships requiring the submission of an expressions of interest (EoI) by a specific internal deadline should include the name of the fellowship and of an academic member of staff that is supporting the application. EoIs should be submitted to the grants [at] ph.ed.ac.uk (grants teams) directly.
Further information on various Fellowship
The Norman Lockyer Fellowship
| Deadline |
Internal 15.10.2025; funder 15.11.2025 |
| Eligibility | PhD after 1 October three years before the start of the fellowship |
| Award value |
See scheme notes |
| Award duration | 3 Years |
| Nationality | Any (Tier 1 visa required) |
| Further information | Royal Astronomical Society ; to apply: grants [at] ph.ed.ac.uk (subject: Norman%20Lockyer%20Fellowship%20EoI) (email) grants team by internal deadline |
Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowships
| Deadline |
Closed |
| Eligibility | 10-20 years post PhD |
| Award value |
Maximum of £8M See scheme notes |
| Award duration | 10 Years |
| Nationality | Any (Tier 1 visa required) |
| Further information | Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowships; info on how to apply |
STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowships
| Deadline |
Closed |
| Eligibility | PhD required |
| Award value |
See guidance |
| Award duration | 5 Years |
| Nationality | Any (Tier 1 visa required) |
| Further information | STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowships; info on how to apply can be found here |
Royal Society University Research Fellowships
| Deadline |
Closed |
| Eligibility | 3-8 years post PhD |
| Award value |
See scheme notes |
| Award duration | 8 Years |
| Nationality | Any (Tier 1 visa required) |
| Further information | Royal Society University Research Fellowships, info on how to apply can be found here |
Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship
| Deadline | Closed |
| Eligibility | need for flexible support, PhD required, up to six years postdoctoral experience |
| Award value | See link below: salary, research expenses, contribution to PhD student |
| Award duration | 8 years |
| Nationality | Any nationality |
| Further information | Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship, info on how to apply can be found here |
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship
| Deadline | Closed |
| Eligibility | must be moving from a different country |
| Award value | See online |
| Award duration | 1-2 years |
| Nationality | Any nationality |
| Further information | Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship |
Elizabeth Gardner Fellowship
| Deadline |
closed |
| Eligibility | PhD required |
| Award value | See link below |
| Award duration | 4 Years |
| Nationality | Any (Tier 1 visa required) |
| Further information | Elizabeth Gardner Fellowship |
UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships
| Deadline |
closed |
| Eligibility | See rules |
| Award value | no maximum award value |
| Award duration | 4-7 Years |
| Nationality | Any (Tier 1 visa required) |
| Further information | UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships; application details |
RAS Fellowships
| Deadline | closed |
| Eligibility | PhD required, up to 3 years postdoctoral experience |
| Award value | See guidance |
| Award duration | 3 years |
| Nationality | Any (Tier 1 visa required) |
| Further information | RAS Fellowships |
1851 Research Fellowships
| Deadline | closed |
| Eligibility | PhD required, up to 3 years postdoctoral experience |
| Award value | See guidance |
| Award duration | 3 years |
| Nationality | Any (Tier 1 visa required) |
| Further information | 1851 Research Fellowships |
EPSRC Fellowships
| Deadline |
closed |
| Eligibility | PhD required |
| Award value |
See guidance |
| Award duration | See guidance |
| Nationality | Any (Tier 1 visa required) |
| Further information | EPSRC Open Fellowships, EPSRC Open Plus Fellowship, EPSRC Postdoctoral Fellowship |
Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowships
| Deadline |
closed |
| Eligibility | 10-20 years post PhD |
| Award value |
Maximum of £8M See scheme notes |
| Award duration | 10 Years |
| Nationality | Any (Tier 1 visa required) |
| Further information | Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowships; how to apply |
Daphne Jackson Fellowship
| Deadline |
currently closed |
| Eligibility | See rules |
| Award value | 0.5 FTE |
| Award duration | 3 Years |
| Nationality | Any (Tier 1 visa required) |
| Further information | Daphne Jackson Fellowships |
1851 Royal Commission Research Fellowships
| Deadline |
currently closed |
| Eligibility | No more than 3 years of PDRA experience; See rules |
| Award value | Full FTE + Expense allowance |
| Award duration | 3 Years |
| Nationality | Any (Tier 1 visa required) |
| Further information | 1851 Royal Commission Fellowship; how to apply |
Royal Society Career Development Fellowship
| Deadline |
currently closed |
| Eligibility | PhD at time funding starts; less than 24 months post-doctoral experience; applicants from underrepresented backgrounds |
| Award value | up to £ 690,000 |
| Award duration | 4 Years |
| Nationality | Any (Tier 1 visa required) |
| Further information | Career Development Fellowship, how to apply |
UKRI Stephen Hawking Fellowship
| Deadline | Currently closed |
| Eligibility | PhD, 4 years research experience |
| Award value | No limit |
| Award duration | 3 years |
| Nationality | Any nationality |
| Further information | Stephen Hawking Fellowship |
Newton International Fellowships
| Deadline | Currently closed |
| Eligibility | PhD required, up to 7 years postdoctoral experience |
| Award value | See guidance |
| Award duration | 3 years |
| Nationality |
should not hold UK citizenship at the time of application |
| Further information | Newton International Fellowship |
University of Edinburgh Innovation Fellow
| Deadline |
Closed |
| Eligibility | See rules |
| Award value | 1 FTE |
| Award duration | 3 Years |
| Nationality | Any (Tier 1 visa required) |
| Further information | Apply here |
Contact details
Application submission email address: fellowships-panel [at] ph.ed.ac.uk.
Contact for further information: director-of-research [at] ph.ed.ac.uk