UCL Excellence Fellowships

UCL's Excellence Fellowship Programme seeks to recruit the highest calibre early career researchers, supporting them to establish their independent career and become the research leaders of the future

Photo of UCL Excellence Fellow Professor Jennifer Bizley

The 2021 call for the UCL Excellence Fellowship Programme is now closed.

UCL Excellence Fellows are outstanding researchers, with exceptional research track records for their career stage. The UCL Excellence Fellowships provide a means for fellows to develop an innovative research programme and establish their independent research career at UCL. Excellence Fellows can be from clinical and non-clinical background.

Fellows are provided with a competitive salary and research expenses for three years. During the tenure of the award, fellows are supported to obtain a competitive external fellowship or major personal award that will allow them to establish their independent research career.

UCL Excellence Fellowship Programme 2021

The support for this round of fellowships comes from UCL's Eugenics Restitution fund. UCL scientists in the early 20th century were involved in formulating the principles of eugenics and encouraging their adoption. Policies enacted in the name of eugenics around the world targeted specific groups of people, including those of lower economic status, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.

UCL wholly rejects these views and as a step towards redressing these injustices, and as recommended by UCL’s recent eugenics inquiries, we aim to appoint two Excellence Fellows to address the current underrepresentation of groups targeted by eugenics. The appointments are aimed at creating greater diversity of people, thinking and perspectives in genetics, and the broader life and medical sciences, ensuring that targeted groups are fully engaged in the construction of the future of the research landscape in these disciplines.

The fellowships will support applicants who have experienced hardship or been disadvantaged in the pursuit of their education and early research career. We therefore particularly welcome applications from the BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) community and those with disabilities.

Overview

Career stage: Transition to establishing independence
Type of research: Non-clinical and clinical. For the 2021 round the focus of the research must be within the remit of the Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment
Duration: 3 years (can be held on a part-time basis)
Call open to: Internal (UCL) and external (non-UCL) applicants

Candidates are expected to have:

Have an exceptional track record in their research field, with a growing reputation for the quality of their research
Not yet have established an independent career or led a research group
Have their own original and ambitious research vision
Provide details of how their appointment will stimulate positive action to address underrepresentation of groups targeted by eugenics within UCL.

Fellows are expected to:

Carry out innovative and visionary research
Within the first two years, apply for external funding (i.e fellowship or major personal award) to enable them to establish an independent research career (e.g. Wellcome Early-Career Award, MRC Career Development Award).

What is offered

Salary for up to three years + up to £50K for research expenses. Posts will be offered at UCL Grade 8, depending on experience. Clinical applicants will be appointed at the equivalent STR or JDPS payscales. Please note that consultant salaries will not be covered by this programme and clinicians will be expected to complete the fellowship prior to taking up a consultant level post.

How to apply

The fellowship is open to UCL and non-UCL applicants and applications should be made through the UCL recruitment system. For further information on the application process, please see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for applicants and How to apply pages. Applications received via email will not be accepted.