The Department of Political Science/School of Public Policy at UCL is now welcoming applications for the 2021/2022 Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships scheme. The Fellowships aim to provide career development opportunities for those who are at a relatively early stage of their academic careers, but who have a proven record of research. The expectation is that Fellows should undertake a significant piece of publishable work during their tenure, and that the Fellowships should lead to a more permanent academic position.

Breaking from previous years, the Trust will contribute 100% of each Fellow’s total salary costs in year one, up to a maximum of £50,000, and will then contribute 50% of the Fellow’s total salary costs, up to a maximum of £25,000, in years two and three with the balance to be paid by UCL. Annual research expenses of up to £6,000 will also be paid through this scheme. Fellowships are expected to last for three years on a full-time basis and should commence between 1 September 2021 and 1 May 2022.

For more details on the call, please see the above link to the Leverhulme’s website. Main eligibility points to keep in mind:

  • Applicants must not yet have held a full-time permanent academic post in a UK university or comparable UK institution
  • All candidates must hold a doctorate or have equivalent research experience by the time they take up the Fellowship. Those who are or have been registered for a doctorate may apply only if they have submitted their doctoral thesis for viva voce examination by 25 February 2021.
  • Applications are invited from those who submitted their doctoral thesis for viva voce examination no more than four years prior to the application closing date. Hence those who formally submitted their doctoral thesis before 25 February 2017 are not eligible, unless they have since had a career break
  • Applicants must either hold a degree from a UK higher education institution at the time of taking up the Fellowship or at the time of the application deadline must hold an academic position in the UK (e.g. fixed-term lectureship, fellowship, not permanent, see first point) which commenced no less than 4 months prior to the closing date. Hence, those who do not hold a UK degree and whose UK academic position commenced after October 2020 are not eligible.

Candidates will be required to complete the online Leverhulme application form for this call, which means creating a profile via the Leverhulme website:  https://grants.leverhulme.ac.uk/Login.aspx. Please note that applications not on the Leverhulme online application form will be deemed ineligible. Budget details and/or referee and mentor statements are not required at this stage. Candidates should take care when filling the online application form and not ‘submit’ it in the Leverhulme system.

Please note that the online application system unfortunately is not yet open, therefore in the meantime candidates can use the application template in word format. They will then have to copy and paste into the online application form, once it is available.

The departmental deadline falls on by 5pm, on 22nd October 2020. Please check this link for the full selection procedure and instructions.