We are looking for candidates whose research fits with the Ear Institute’s goal of being a leading international centre for research and teaching related to understanding hearing and transforming hearing health. 

We are a collaborative, multi-disciplinary institute with circa 75 staff working across basic and clinical sciences including genetics, cell and molecular biology, auditory neuroscience, cognitive and computational neuroscience, audiological sciences and ENT medicine. The UCL Ear Institute together with its partner, the Royal National Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital (RN ENT), also hosts a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) Theme in 'Hearing Health'.

The EI offers a collaborative environment within the Faculty of Brain Sciences and is embedded within UCL’s neuroscience community. The Institute hosts state of the art facilities for cell and molecular biology, microscopy, neurophysiology and behaviour and researchers have access to UCL’s state of the art facilities (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/science-technology-platforms/). A RAND analysis of highly-cited publications ranked UCL No.1 in England for both ‘Deafness and Hearing’ and for ‘Audiology and Speech & Language Pathology’. The EI delivers world-class teaching; training the next generation of auditory scientists is a priority at the UCL Ear Institute. The Institute hosts three-and four-year PhD programmes in a wide range of basic and clinical disciplines. It also offers a range of Master's-level programmes in audiology, otolaryngology and audiovestibular research, as well as short courses for students and health-care professionals. Staff members additionally contribute to neuroscience programs across UCL. An undergraduate BSc in Audiology was launched in 2022/23.

We are looking to sponsor early career researchers (ECRs) for external fellowships that will enable them to establish an independent research group. Such fellowships include: Wellcome Trust Career Development Award, MRC Career Development Award, CRUK Career Development Fellowship, ERC Starting Grant, Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship, EPSRC Open Fellowship, UKRI Future Leader Fellowships and similar awards.  

Following application, shortlisted candidates will be invited to give a research seminar and meet with faculty members, students and current fellows. They will be expected to demonstrate how their research complements EI’s research strategy and could contribute to collaborative programmes of work in the Institute. Interviews may be face-to-face or via an online platform. After this process, we will sponsor candidates who are a good fit for the EI and who will have competitive fellowship applications. Our commitment starts with academic and administrative support at the application and interview stages for these fellowships. For successful fellows, we will provide support to ensure they can successfully establish their research group, gain opportunities to develop teaching skills and play a full role in the running of the Institute. Fellows will also benefit from career development and mentoring programmes, opportunities to attract PhD students through PhD programs and additional funding support beyond the end of the fellowship. We expect fellows to develop into strong candidates for permanent positions within the department, or elsewhere.

Eligibility 

Candidates should confirm their eligibility for specific fellowships schemes and will be required to provide evidence of eligibility to work in the UK before commencing any fellowship offered. We strongly encourage applications from women, disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as part of our ongoing commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. Candidates must also be able to demonstrate that they have a proven post doctoral track record and readiness to build their own lab. 

Further information and applying 

Note that we run two selection rounds per year, and participation in this process is an obligatory step for obtaining the support of the Institute to submit a fellowship application.

The Ear Institute is currently closed for applications for external fellowships. Subsequent rounds will take place later in 2025, please keep an eye on this page for further details and information.

For more information or informal enquiries please email ear.admin@ucl.ac.uk 

To apply, please provide the information below and email to ear.admin@ucl.ac.uk:

1. A cover letter:

  • Including a description of your background and explaining why the Ear Institute is a good fit for your research.
  • Identifying a potential sponsor at the EI – the sponsor will have a good understanding of your research and will be responsible for supporting you through the application process. To do this you may wish to contact potential sponsors before applying.
  • A list of fellowship schemes that you would like support for, with application deadline dates - please note that this call will only support applications with deadlines no sooner then February 2025.
  1. A CV: Demonstrating a successful record of post doctural ressearch and readiness to develop your own lab. 
  2. A research vision:
  • This should be no longer then 2 pages 
  • A description of the plan of work that you would undertake during a fellowship and potentially beyond 
  • A summary of the resources required for your planned activity including, space, finance, and any other requirements - this should be separate from your research vision and include information and costings on resources that UCL would provide and those to be sourced externally. 

Calls for External Fellowships at the Ear Institute 

Calls for applying for a External Fellowship at the Ear Institute are now closed.

Please keep an eye on this page for future calls. 

 Research Units

Our research at the UCL Ear Institute is organised into three research units:

Members of the Ear Institute Fellowship Committee:

Please see below the details of the members of the Ear Institute Fellowship Committee:

Keeping in touch about future Fellowship calls

If you would like to be contacted with information about future Fellowship calls please email ear.admin@ucl.ac.uk