Fellowship Timetable and Guidelines 2023/24

Timetable for fellowship candidates in 2023/24

Interested candidates should contact either the Head of Department or the Head of the Research Group where your interest lies, no later than the 'Internal Deadline to Register Interest' date as specified per call in the table below.

• Head of Department - Prof Raman Prinja (physast.hod@ucl.ac.uk)
• Head of Astrophysics Group (ASTRO): Prof Giovanna Tinetti  (g.tinetti@ucl.ac.uk)
• Head of Atomic, Molecular. Optical and Positron Physics (AMOPP) : Prof Stephen Hogan (s.hogan@ucl.ac.uk)
• Head of BioPhysics Group (BioP) : Prof Alexandra Olaya-Castro (a.olaya@ucl.ac.uk) 
• Head of Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (CMMP): Prof Jochen Blumberger (j.blumberger@ucl.ac.uk)
• Head of High Energy Physics (HEP): Prof David Waters (d.waters@ucl.ac.uk)

If the request to be hosted is accepted, the candidate then needs to send a completed Fellowship Costing Form to PhysAst.Grants@ucl.ac.uk at least 4 weeks before the funder deadline. 

Notes 

• Internal Deadline to Register Interest: Interested candidates should contact either the Head of Department or Head of Research Group by this date
• Costing Form Deadline: If your request to be hosted is approved, this is the date that your completed Fellowship Costing Form should be sent to PhysAst.Grants@ucl.ac.uk.   (please ensure both the Costing and Risk Assessment tabs are completed). 
• Worktribe completed: Your budget should be complete and submitted for approval by this date
• Final application ready: This is the date your application should be ready to submit, if it requires institutional approval. Royal Society and STFC/EPSRC fellowships have an additional step of institutional approval after the candidate submits their final application. These applications must be ready to be submitted at least 3 working days prior to the actual funder deadline, to allow the final checks and approval of the application form to take place (however you should not press submit until we inform you that your costing has been approved).
• Funder Deadline: This is the final deadline set by the funder.

Detailed Instructions per call

Royal Society University Research Fellowship

1. Interested applicants must contact the HoD or relevant Head of Group by 5pm on Friday 7 July 2023.
2. If the request to be hosted in the department is approved, the applicant should email the completed Fellowship Costing Form to PhysAst.Grants@ucl.ac.uk for the Worktribe costing to be created (adhering to the Internal Deadline of 10 August 2023). An initial costing will be sent to the applicant to review.
3. The applicant must give access to PhysAst.Grants@ucl.ac.uk in the Research Support role on Flexi-Grant (not individual staff members). This allows the Grants Team to update the finance section.  
4. The two letters of support are required : HoD + nominated referee (satisfying various conditions). They can be invited through Flexi-Grant

• The HoD should be invited using the email address physast.hod@ucl.ac.uk. The HoD letter will be uploaded in time for the UCL Flexi-Grant submission deadline of 4 September 2023, assuming that the above timetable has been followed, and your application has approval from the Head of Group.
• It is the responsibility of the lead applicant to arrange their nominated referee letter -  the referee can be invited via Flexi-Grant, and should upload their letter before 4 September 2023 to ensure that UCL's deadlines are met.
• The Flexi-Grant application cannot be submitted until all referee and support letter have been uploaded.

5. The Worktribe costing will be submitted for departmental approval once the costs are finalised - this should be at least 10 working days before the deadline, so by 21 August 2023. We will need a draft copy of your Flexi-Grant application, with the costing details completed. The Flexi-Grant application should not be submitted at this stage.
6. Once the Worktribe costing has been approved by the department, and by Research Services, the Grants Team will notify the applicant that they can submit their applicaton on Flex-Grant.  Please do not press submit until the Grants Team confims the costing is fully approved. The application should be finalised and ready to submit at least 3 working days before the deadline, so by 4 September 2023. 
7. The application then goes to the UCL Approver Pool (UCL Research Services). The applicant must be available at this stage to answer any queries that may arise regarding their application, as Research Services will return the application to the applicant for editing if there are any anomalies.
8. Once all queries are resolved, the application will then be forwarded to the funder.

Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship

2023 Call Link: https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/calls/msca-postdocto...

1. Interested applicants must contact the HoD or relevant Head of Group by 5pm on Friday 7 July 2023.
2. If the request to be hosted in the department is approved, the applicant should email the completed Fellowship Costing Form to PhysAst.Grants@ucl.ac.uk for the Worktribe costing to be created (adhering to the Internal Deadline of 16 August 2023). These fellowships have a fixed budget, but we still need to create a Worktribe as normal for these applications.An initial costing will be sent to the applicant to review.
3. The applicant should create their application on the EC Funders and Tenders portal via the Call webpage. UCL's PIC is 999975620. Giles Machell (g.machell@ucl.ac.uk) should be added as a Coordinator Contact.
4. The Worktribe costing will be submitted for departmental approval once the costs are finalised - tthis should be at least 10 working days before the deadline, so by 25 August 2023. We will need a draft copy of your Part B at this stage. The application should not be submitted yet.
5. Once the Worktribe costing has been approved by the department, and by Research Services (ERIO), the Grants Team will notify the applicant.  The applicant can then submit their application to the funder - please inform PhysAst.Grants@ucl.ac.uk when the applicaton has been submitted, and send us a copy of the final submitted application (Part A and B).

STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowship

Please note, there will be significant changes to the application process and the opportunity guidance for UKRI fellowship applicants from 2023, due to implementation of The Funding Service for application submissions (Je-S will no longer be used).  Applicants should read the guidance in the opportunity before submitting their application through The Funding Service, to ensure they are providing the appropriate information against the criteria for the scheme in the correct part of the application. We will update the details below once we know more about what exactly is required.

1. Interested applicants must contact the HoD or relevant Head of Group by 5pm on Friday 7 July 2023.
2. If the request to be hosted in the department is approved, the applicant should email the completed Fellowship Costing Form to PhysAst.Grants@ucl.ac.uk for the Worktribe costing to be created (adhering to the Internal Deadline of 10 August 2023). An initial costing will be sent to the applicant to review
3. The Worktribe costing will be submitted for departmental approval once the costs are finalised - this should be at least 10 working days before the deadline, so by 4 September 2023. The Grants Team will send you the completed Budget Template, which you should attach with your application.  We will need a draft copy of your application to review. The application should not be submitted at this stage.
4. Once the Worktribe costing has been approved by the department, and by Research Services, the Grants Team will notify the applicant.  The applicant can then submit their application  - the application should be complete and ready to submit at least 3 working days before the deadline, so by 18 September 2023. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure all required letters of support are attached in the format required.
5. The application then goes to the UCL Approver Pool (UCL Research Services). The applicant must be available at this stage to answer any queries that may arise regarding their application, as Research Services will return the application to the applicant if there are any anomalies. Once all queries are resolved, the application will then be forwarded to the funder.

EPSRC Postdoctoral / Open / Open Plus Fellowship

Please note, there will be significant changes to the application process and the opportunity guidance for UKRI fellowship applicants from 2023, due to implementation of The Funding Service for application submissions (Je-S will no longer be used).  Applicants should read the guidance in the opportunity before submitting their application through The Funding Service, to ensure they are providing the appropriate information against the criteria for the scheme in the correct part of the application. We will update the details below once we know more about what exactly is required.

1. Interested applicants must contact the HoD or relevant Head of Group by 5pm on Friday 7 July 2023.
2. If the request to be hosted in the department is approved, the applicant should email the completed Fellowship Costing Form to PhysAst.Grants@ucl.ac.uk for the Worktribe costing to be created (adhering to the Internal Deadline of 24 August 2023). An initial costing will be sent to the applicant to review.
3. The Worktribe costing will be submitted for departmental approval once the costs are finalised - this should be at least 10 working days before the deadline, so by 11 September 2023. The Grants Team will send you the completed Budget Template, which you should attach with your application.  We will need a draft copy of your application to review. The application should not be submitted at this stage.
4. Once the Worktribe costing has been approved by the department, and by Research Services, the Grants Team will notify the applicant.  The applicant can then submit their application  - the application should be complete and ready to submit at least 3 working days before the deadline, so by 25 September 2023. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure all required letters of support are attached in the format required.
5. The application then goes to the UCL Approver Pool (UCL Research Services). The applicant must be available at this stage to answer any queries that may arise regarding their application, as Research Services will return the application to the applicant if there are any anomalies. Once all queries are resolved, the application will then be forwarded to the funder.

Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship

1. Interested applicants must contact the HoD or relevant Head of Group by 5pm on Friday 7 July 2023.
2. If the request to be hosted in the department is approved, the applicant should email the completed Fellowship Costing Form to PhysAst.Grants@ucl.ac.uk for the Worktribe costing to be created (adhering to the Internal Deadline of 10 August 2023). An initial costing will be sent to the applicant to review.
3. The applicant must give access to PhysAst.Grants@ucl.ac.uk in the Research Support role on Flexi-Grant (not individual staff members). This allows the Grants Team to update the finance section.  
4. The two letters of support are required : HoD + nominated referee (satisfying various conditions). They can be invited through Flexi-Grant

• The HoD should be invited using the email address physast.hod@ucl.ac.uk. The HoD letter will be uploaded in time for the UCL Flexi-Grant submission deadline of 4 September 2023, assuming that the above timetable has been followed, and your application has approval from the Head of Group.
• It is the responsibility of the lead applicant to arrange their nominated referee letter -  the referee can be invited via Flexi-Grant, and should upload their letter before 4 September 2023 to ensure that UCL's deadlines are met.
• The Flexi-Grant application cannot be submitted until all referee and support letter have been uploaded.

5. The Worktribe costing will be submitted for departmental approval once the costs are finalised - this should be at least 10 working days before the deadline, so by 21 August 2023. We will need a draft copy of your Flexi-Grant application, with the costing details completed. The Flexi-Grant application should not be submitted at this stage.
6. Once the Worktribe costing has been approved by the department, and by Research Services, the Grants Team will notify the applicant that they can submit their applicaton on Flex-Grant.  Please do not press submit until the Grants Team confims the costing is fully approved. The application should be finalised and ready to submit at least 3 working days before the deadline, so by 4 September 2023. 
7. The application then goes to the UCL Approver Pool (UCL Research Services). The applicant must be available at this stage to answer any queries that may arise regarding their application, as Research Services will return the application to the applicant for editing if there are any anomalies.
8. Once all queries are resolved, the application will then be forwarded to the funder.

RCE 1851 Research Fellowship

1. Interested applicants must contact the HoD or relevant Head of Group by 5pm on Friday 8 December 2023.
2. If the request to be hosted is approved, the applicant should email the completed Fellowship Costing Form to PhysAst.Grants@ucl.ac.uk for the Worktribe costing to be created (adhering to the Internal Deadline of TBC December 2023). An initial costing will be sent to the applicant to review.
3. The Worktribe costing will be submitted for departmental approval once the costs are finalised - we will aim to submit the  costing for approval no later than TBC January 2024. We will need a draft copy of your application at this stage. 
4. Applications are made through Flexi-Grant, and three letters of support are required : HoD + 2 nominated referees (satisfying various conditions). They can be invited through Flexi-Grant

• The HoD should be invited using the email address physast.hod@ucl.ac.uk. The HoD letter will be uploaded by TBC January 2024, assuming that the above timetable has been followed, and your application has approval from the Head of Group.
• It is the responsibility of the applicant to arrange their nominated referee letters-  the referees can be invited via Flexi-Grant, and should upload their letter before the funder submission deadline.
• The Flexi-Grant application cannot be submitted to the funder until all HoD and referee letters have been uploaded.

5. Once the Worktribe costing has been approved by the department, and by Research Services, the Grants Team will notify the applicant.
6. The applicant should then submit their application to the funder ahead of the final deadline (TBC January 2024 at 12 noon). Please can a final copy of the submitted application be sent to PhysAst.Grants@ucl.ac.uk, as we are required to keep these on file.

Royal Astronomical Society Research / Norman Lockyer Fellowship

There will be no open call from RAS in 2023. We expect the next call to open in summer 2024.

1. Interested applicants must contact the HoD or relevant Head of Group by July 2024 (Date TBC).
2. If the request to be hosted is approved, the applicant should email the completed Fellowship Costing Form to PhysAst.Grants@ucl.ac.uk for the Worktribe costing to be created (adhering to the Internal Deadline (Date TBC). An initial costing will be sent to the applicant to review.
3. The Worktribe costing will be submitted for departmental approval once the costs are finalised - we will aim to submit the  costing for approval no later than (Date TBC). We will need a draft copy of your application at this stage. 
4. Once the Worktribe costing has been approved by the department, and by Research Services, the Grants Team will notify the applicant. The Grants Team will then send the applicant the required Declaration Form, which the applicant needs to attach with their application.
5. The applicant should then submit their application to the funder ahead of the final deadline (Date TBC). Please can a final copy of the submitted application be sent to PhysAst.Grants@ucl.ac.uk, as we are required to keep these on file.

Royal Society Newton Fellowship

1. Interested applicants must contact the HoD or relevant Head of Group by January 2024 (Date TBC).
2. If the request to be hosted in the department is approved, the applicant should email the completed Fellowship Costing Form to PhysAst.Grants@ucl.ac.uk for the Worktribe costing to be created (adhering to the Internal Deadline (Date TBC)). An initial costing will be sent to the applicant to review.
3. The applicant must give access to PhysAst.Grants@ucl.ac.uk in the Research Support role on Flexi-Grant (not individual staff members). This allows the Grants Team to update the finance section.  
4. The two letters of support are required : HoD + nominated referee (satisfying various conditions). They can be invited through Flexi-Grant

• The HoD should be invited using the email address physast.hod@ucl.ac.uk. The HoD letter will be uploaded in time for the UCL Flexi-Grant submission deadline (Date TBC), assuming that the above timetable has been followed, and your application has approval from the Head of Group.
• It is the responsibility of the lead applicant to arrange their nominated referee letter -  the referee can be invited via Flexi-Grant, and should upload their letter before (Date TBC) to ensure that UCL's deadlines are met.
• The Flexi-Grant application cannot be submitted until all referee and support letter have been uploaded.

5. The Worktribe costing will be submitted for departmental approval once the costs are finalised - this should be at least 10 working days before the deadline, (Date TBC). We will need a draft copy of your Flexi-Grant application, with the costing details completed. The Flexi-Grant application should not be submitted at this stage.
6. Once the Worktribe costing has been approved by the department, and by Research Services, the Grants Team will notify the applicant that they can submit their applicaton on Flex-Grant.  Please do not press submit until the Grants Team confims the costing is fully approved. The application should be finalised and ready to submit at least 3 working days before the deadline (Date TBC). 
7. The application then goes to the UCL Approver Pool (UCL Research Services). The applicant must be available at this stage to answer any queries that may arise regarding their application, as Research Services will return the application to the applicant for editing if there are any anomalies.
8. Once all queries are resolved, the application will then be forwarded to the funder.