Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships

Each year the Leverhulme Trust holds a competition to award Early Career Fellowships to researchers within 4 years of PhD examination, to enable them to undertake a significant piece of publishable work. Fellowships are tenable for 3 years on a full-time basis, with Leverhulme contributing 50% of each Fellow’s total salary up to a maximum of £28,000 per annum, with the host institution expected to support the remaining 50% of the salary. Leverhulme also contribute an additional £6,000 per annum of research expenses if requested.

For 2025 Leverhulme will be awarding approximately 145 fellowships. Previous success rates for the scheme are usually within the 6% to 8% range, which has been maintained through Leverhulme investing further funds into this scheme.

Eligibility

Applicants must not yet have held a full-time permanent academic post in a UK university or comparable UK institution, nor may Fellows hold such a post concurrently with the Early Career Fellowship. The Trust will consider applications from candidates whose permanent post does not include any research. Applicants who have existing funding in place for a duration equivalent to or greater than the duration of the Early Career Fellowship should not apply.

Applicants must hold a doctorate 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 4pm on the closing date of 20 February 2025. Applicants must be within 4 years of their PhD examination– hence those who formally submitted their doctoral thesis for viva voce examination before 20 February 2021 are not eligible unless they have since had a career break (maternity leave, family commitments, illness, or other exceptional circumstances).

For full eligibility details please refer to Leverhulme Trust’s website. Applicants should make sure they are eligible to apply to this scheme prior to an application being made to the School.

Submitting an Application

The University holds an internal selection process for the Leverhulme competition.   

Please email the following documents to Kim McCartney (kim.mccartney@newcastle.ac.uk) by 5pm on Tuesday 26th November 2024.

1. A summary of the research project (2 sides of A4 maximum). Please include details of your methodology, timetable, and proposed output(s). The summary should take note of the following guidance: 'The objective is for Fellows to undertake a significant piece of publishable research during the tenure of the award, and the project put forward should therefore not be a reworking or mere extension of the candidate’s doctoral research project.' The project should also be able to demonstrate strong fit in terms of our School’s research profile and you should identify an appropriate mentor with whom you’ve spoken in advance.
2.  A CV, including publications, of no more than 2 sides of A4

Applicants will be notified of the outcome in the week commencing Monday 9^th December 2024.

Please direct any queries to Kim McCartney (kim.mccartney@newcastle.ac.uk)