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Midlands Graduate School ESRC DTP

ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowships

Information

The Midlands Graduate School is pleased to invite applications for next round of ESRC-funded Postdoctoral Fellowships, to be based at any of our partner institutions: Aston University, the University of Birmingham, De Montfort University, the University of Leicester, Loughborough University, the University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University and the University of Warwick. This call is for fellowships beginning on 1 October 2025.

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Eligibility

These fellowships are aimed at those in the immediately postdoctoral stage of their career, to provide the opportunity to consolidate their PhD through developing publications, their networks, and their research and professional skills.

This opportunity is open to applicants who:

  • Have completed or are expected to complete their PhD at a UK research organisation. (Please note that you do not have to have completed a PhD funded by ESRC or a DTP.)
  • Have either been awarded a PhD by the submission deadline (25 March 2025) or have passed their viva voce with minor amendments by the application deadline of 25 March 2025 and have been awarded their PhD by the fellowship start date of 1 October 2025.
  • Have no more than 12 months active postdoctoral experience since passing their viva voce (allowing for career breaks) by 25 March 2025.

Applicants who have passed their viva voce with major corrections will be able to apply to the following year’s call when their PhD has been awarded. This is to ensure that all fellows are able to commence by the annual start date of 1 October. Following major corrections, if the revised thesis had been submitted and the corrections approved by the 25 March 2025 deadline, the applicant would be eligible. The applicant will be required to provide proof that the corrections have been approved.

Permanent members of staff in an academic position with a research component are not eligible for this scheme. If a candidate has previously been employed on a part-time basis, that employment can be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Please read the call specification and FAQ documents fully before applying.

Proposals are welcome from single or inter-disciplinary backgrounds but the fellowship activities must be aligned to one of the Midlands Graduate School DTP's 17 accredited pathways.

How to Apply

Key Documents:
Step One: Identify an MGS institution, pathway, and mentor

Institution: All MGS institutions can host a postdoctoral fellow, provided they offer the relevant pathway.

Pathway: Fellowships must be aligned to accredited pathways. You can find a list of our pathways here. Also note that your application will need support from the relevant Head of School or Department.

(Note: not all institutions offer all pathways - please see our Pathway Grid)

Mentor: All applications must include a named mentor, who is also aligned to the chosen pathway. Further information about this aspect of your application can be found on page 4 of the call specification, and pages 7-8 of the FAQ document. If you need help in identifying a mentor you can contact the relevant institutional pathway lead for further advice.

Step Two: Costing

Applications will need to be costed. There is support available in the ESRC call documentation to help you with this (see key documents above), and the institution to which you are applying will also offer support. Get in touch via the relevant enquiry contacts below.

Step Three: Submission and Deadlines

Applicants are required to complete the ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowships Application Form and submit this along with all required attachments to by the application deadline 16:00 on 25 March 2025.

Please refer to the call specification for more details on what is required within each of these attachments.

Please note that there are further earlier internal deadlines depending on the institution to which you are applying which are detailed below:

Equality & Diversity Data Form

The ESRC are seeking demographic statistics for the overall postdoctoral fellowship applicant pool for the purpose of equal opportunities monitoring. In order to comply with our ESRC reporting requirements if you are applying for an ESRC postdoctoral fellowship with the Midlands Graduate School, you must also complete our ‘Equality & Diversity Data FormLink opens in a new window’, and include your Submission ID number on your final application. You will receive your Submission ID by email upon completion of the form.

Notes:
  • Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
  • All final decisions on applications will be communicated to applicants by the end of June 2025.
  • Fellowships will commence on 1 October 2025.
  • Please ensure that the department to which you are applying is accredited by the ESRC to host MGS Postdoctoral Fellows.
  • Please ensure that your proposed fellowship falls within the ESRC's scientific remit. ESRC have released a joint statement with AHRC which may be useful to you. If you have any doubts about the remit of your proposed project, contact the relevant pathway lead for advice.
  • If you are also applying for an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship through another DTP please make us aware of this when you submit your application to us and let us know to which other DTP you are applying.
  • Applicants may apply to only one institution in the MGS DTP.

Enquiries

General enquiries should be directed to the relevant institution within the DTP to where you are applying to hold the Fellowship.

Postdoctoral Fellowships
Key Documents