Deadline for applications: 29 August 2016

Full information, application guidelines, and FAQs are available at: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/slms/research/excellence-fellowship/.

Sponsors: Every applicant will need to secure an academic sponsor from within SLMS for their application, so you may soon receive sponsorship requests from prospective candidates. Below is some key information about this.

What is a sponsor: A sponsor is required to assure the Excellence Fellowship selection panel that the candidate, if appointed, will be given the necessary research space, support and supervision to enable them to establish their own independent research programme. Sponsors must provide a letter of support as part of the candidate’s Excellence Fellowship application, undertaking to provide these requirements. The letter must be co-signed by the relevant Department Head and Divisional/Institution Director.

Who can be a sponsor: A sponsor can be any academic member of staff who is in a position to provide the assurances specified above. A sponsor may be a Group Leader, a Head of Research Department or a Division / Institute Director. Arrangements for sponsorship vary within different SLMS Divisions and Institutes and you are encouraged to contact your Head of Research Department or Division/Institute if you are unsure of the local arrangements.

Calibre of applicants: Candidates are expected to be of the highest calibre with an excellent research track record relative to their career stage. The aim of the Excellence Fellowships programme is to enable fellows to establish an independent career, so candidates should not have already achieved this. Fellows are expected to be able to submit competitive applications for major fellowship schemes during the tenure of the Excellence Fellowship. Details of the current cohorts are available here: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/slms/research/excellence-fellowship/cohorts/.

Positions available: Three fellowships are available that can be taken up in any discipline across the School of Life and Medical Sciences, including clinical, applied and population health sciences.

Programme selection panel: This is chaired by the SLMS Research Board Chair (Prof Alan Thompson) and comprises the SLMS Vice Deans (Research) and an external expert.

Queries: SLMS staff can contact Melanie Bradnam (m.bradnam@ucl.ac.uk)  x40937. Candidates should send queries to ucl-fellowships@ucl.ac.uk.