Externally Funded Fellowships

Information on applying for externally funded fellowships with the support of the UCL Department of Mathematics.

We welcome applications for fellowships sponsored by research councils and other funding bodies to be supported by the Department of Mathematics of UCL.

We encourage applications from women and minority ethnic candidates, as they are currently under-represented at UCL at this level.

If you are interested in applying, please feel free to contact a member of staff working in your subject area for discussions.  If your application is successful, this member of staff will be your mentor for the duration of your fellowship. 

If you wish to apply for a fellowship, please send an e-mail to Professor Alex Sobolev at fellowship_7 AT math.ucl.ac.uk. Your e-mail must contain the following documents as PDF file attachments:

  • CV (max 2 pages, plus 1 page containing names and e-mail addresses of three referees)
  • publication list (max 2 pages)
  • past research and research proposal (max 2 pages)
  • please indicate the fellowship scheme for which you would like to be supported

These documents will be considered by the panel and you will be notified about whether the department agrees to support your fellowship application to the relevant funding body.  This includes support in writing your full grant application, an internal evaluation of the grant proposal with feedback and checking various council specific requirements.

Important

  1. Please check your eligibility to apply with the relevant funding body.
  2. The Departmental deadline for receipt of full applications for fellowships with a closing date is 6 weeks before that closing date, however applicants should factor in an additional 2-3 months for the preparation of their application.
  3. For the UKRI FLF applications (see below) there are several stages of selection process at the Departmental and College level approximately five months before the UKRI deadline. To enter this process you will need to secure the departmental support first (see above), so your initial contact with a staff member in the Department will need to happen at least five months in advance of the deadline.

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Daphne Jackson Fellowship

Daphne Jackson Fellowships offer STEM professionals the opportunity to return to a research career after a break of two or more years for a family, health or caring reason. It is the opportunity to balance a personalised retraining programme with a challenging research project, held in a supportive UK university or research establishment.

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EPSRC Fellowships

EPSRC has temporarily suspended its fellowship funding, see further details at EPSRC fellowships – UKRI

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EPSRC Postdoctoral Pathway Fellowships

The EPSRC Postdoctoral Pathway Fellowships scheme supports fellowships of two years' duration for exceptional researchers who have recently finished an EPSRC-funded PhD. UCL has approximately 5 awards to make every year. Calls for applications are held every 6 months with closing dates in December/January and June/July. Students from other institutions who meet the eligibility criteria may also apply to join UCL under this scheme.

The 2025/26 round 2 is now open:
UCL EPSRC Postdoctoral Pathway Fellowships | UCL EPSRC Doctoral Training - UCL – University College London

The closing date: 15 January 2026

The internal selection deadline: 8 December 2025

If you intend to apply, please email a draft of your proposal which should include your CV, to fellowship_7 AT math.ucl.ac.uk. In your email indicate the name of the person who will be helping you with the application, i.e. your mentor.  If you are selected, you will have plenty of time to hone your proposal and complete it before the official closing date of 15 January 2026.

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LMS Grace Chisholm Young Fellowships

The London Mathematical Society offers two fellowships each year to mathematicians who need support when their mathematical career is interrupted by family responsibilities, relocation of partner, or other similar circumstance.

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National Fellowships in Fluid Dynamics (NFFDy)

A key objective of this scheme is to connect the NFFDy fellows with the UK fluids community as they write their proposals so that the fellows will be supported by the community and will align their research to areas of significant long term interest to the UK. Other objectives are to provide fellows with resources, mentoring and training to help them pursue their research vision: to encourage the fellows to advocate more broadly for fluid dynamics, and to horizon scan for new research ideas.

This fellowship is a personal award for future leaders with current expertise in engineering, physical, environmental or biological sciences, with an emphasis on fluid dynamics or data science.

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NERC Fellowships
The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Fellowship scheme provides opportunities for outstanding environmental scientists to devote their time to:

* research
* develop their research careers
* produce work of international importance

NERC Council has decided to streamline the provision of responsive mode Fellowships into a single scheme - the NERC Independent Research Fellowships (IRFs) - that will replace the previous schemes (Postdoctoral Fellowships and Advanced Fellowships).

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Royal Society
The Royal Society has various fellowship schemes, including the highly prestigious five year University Research Fellowships and the two year Newton International Fellowships, amongst others.

- Royal Society University Research Fellowships
- Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships
- Newton International Fellowships

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The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851

The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 offers major awards to scientists and engineers for research, development and design. Its aims are to support education for the benefit of productive industry. 

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Stephen Hawking Postdoctoral Fellowship

This EPSRC and STFC funded fellowship focuses on a range of disciplines in the area of theoretical physics with the aim of reflecting Stephen Hawking’s work in bringing science into popular culture. For details please see https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/stephen-hawking-postdoctoral-fellowship/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

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UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellowship (UKRI FLF)

This cross-UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) scheme will support early career researchers and innovators with outstanding potential in universities, UK registered businesses, and other research and user environments including research councils' institutes and laboratories. These fellowships are designed for those whose research doesn't fit into the other schemes, and which has good potential impact beyond mathematics.

 The objectives of the scheme are:

  • to develop, retain, attract and sustain research and innovation talent in the UK
  • to foster new research and innovation career paths including those at the academic/business and interdisciplinary boundaries, and facilitate movement of people between sectors
  • to provide sustained funding and resources for the best early career researchers and innovators
  • to provide long-term, flexible funding to tackle difficult and novel challenges, and support adventurous, ambitious programmes.

The selection process for this fellowship is conducted at the College level. 

Round 11 is officially open. Please submit your Expression of Interest(EOI) by 14 January 2026. For details please see https://www.ucl.ac.uk/research-innovation-services/planning-insight-and-improvement/internally-managed-calls

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