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Jobs & Fellowships

Job opportunities at Warwick:

Research Fellow in planet formation and protoplanetary discs (108098-1023)

The University of Warwick seeks to appoint a Research Fellow within the group of Dr Farzana Meru on the topic of protoplanetary discs. The appointment will be for 27 months and is funded by The Royal Society. Applications for a part-time position and those from underrepresented minorities are particularly encouraged and welcome.

The successful candidate will work with Dr Farzana Meru on a topic that is complementary to Dr Meru’s research interests: self-gravitating discs, protoplanetary disc evolution, dust growth, planet formation, planet-disc interactions, and connections with observed protoplanetary discs. The post is primarily expected to involve numerical simulations, but where relevant, an observational connection will certainly be encouraged. The candidate is expected to develop their own research ideas and will be encouraged to contribute to Dr Meru’s wider research focus on planet formation and evolution.

Dr Meru’s group is based in the University of Warwick’s Astronomy & Astrophysics group. It is a leading UK institution for exoplanet and disc research, with 81 researchers in total including 16 faculty members working on exoplanets and discs. The group was recently donated £3.5m for PhD studentships and postdoctoral fellowships, attracting high quality international researchers and students. The exoplanet research is extremely active and the vibrant discs research group spans the fields of protoplanetary discs, debris discs, white dwarf discs and black hole discs.

The continuing professional development of her group is of great importance to Dr Meru, including developing students and researchers in ways that give them a step up in their careers. The candidate will have opportunities to develop their CV e.g. through supervising PhD and undergraduate research projects, and taking on other responsibilities that will enhance their development in positive ways for their future goals.

The candidate will have an expertise in one or more of the following areas: protoplanetary discs, planet formation, dust growth, accretion disc physics, planet-disc interactions and numerical simulations. Areas outside these are encouraged if they complement the group’s research. Applicants should demonstrate a proven research track record, be an enthusiastic communicator capable of working effectively both independently and as part of a research team, and will have excellent interpersonal skills. The candidate will possess excellent planning and time management skills to ensure their research objectives are achieved effectively. The candidate will also have a commitment to and/or lived experience of addressing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion issues in the workplace.

If you have not yet been awarded your PhD but are near submission or have recently submitted your PhD, any offers of employment will be made as Research Assistant on level 5 of the University grade structure. Upon successful award of your PhD and evidence of this fact, you will be promoted to Research Fellow on the first point of level 6 of the University grade structure.

Candidates should submit a formal application along with all of the following: (i) an up-to-date CV complete with publication list and metrics (max 2 pages plus publications list), (ii) a concise (max 2 pages) statement describing past research accomplishments, and relevant scientific and technical experience, (iii) an ANONYMOUS statement of future research plans along with how they link to the advertised post (max 2 pages), (iv) a statement about Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (max 1 page). A cover letter is not needed.

For the purposes of equity, the panel will firstly assess the future research statement blindly and on the merit of scientific ideas. For an introduction to anonymous proposal writing, see the NRCC and NASA guidelines. Please also provide details of three referees (letters will only be requested if needed). All applications will be given equal consideration.

Please direct all informal inquiries about the role and the group’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion culture to Dr Farzana Meru (f.meru@warwick.ac.uk)

Deadline: 19th November 2023
Interview Date: expected in December

Click here to apply

Externally funded fellowships and early career grant opportunities:

We welcome applications for any of the below opportunities, please discuss your plans with a member of astronomy staff by the deadlines given below. Please note that the deadline for getting in touch with us (and submitting the material outlined for each fellowship below) are usually well before the submission deadline to the funder (which are also listed, TBD means the exact date is not yet known) as we have some administrative tasks that need completing before submission.

  • STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowship
    5-year fellowship to enable early career researchers with clear leadership potential to establish a strong, independent research programme. Contact deadline: August 2023 (TBD), please provide a CV, a 2-3 page draft proposal and at least one and preferably two letters of reference. Submission deadline: 21 September 2023.
  • Royal Society University Research Fellowship
    5-year fellowship for those between 3 and 8 years of obtaining their PhD. Contact deadline: August 2023 (TBD), please provide a CV, a 2-3 page draft proposal and at least one and preferably two letters of reference. Submission deadline: September 2023 (TBD).
  • Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Research Fellowship Programme
    12-36 months fellowship for those in possession of a doctoral degree or have at least four years of full-time equivalent research experience. Contact deadline: August 2023 (TBD), please provide a CV, a 2-3 page draft proposal. Please note that this scheme focuses heavily on career development, hence the scientific part of the proposal is only one of several aspects that will be evaluated, hence an early discussion with a member of staff is encouraged. Submission deadline: 13 September 2023.
  • ERC Starting Grant
    5-year fellowship for early career scientists (2-7 years of research experience since completion of PhD) who have a proven scientific track record to enable them to work independently. Contact deadline: September 2023 (TBD), please provide a CV and a 5-page draft proposal. Please note that this proposal requires the submission of two separate documents, and is overall rather work-intensive, hence an early discussion with a member of staff is encouraged. Submission deadline: October 2023 (TBD).
  • Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship
    5-year fellowship for those with no more than six years of actual research experience since their PhD (not including career breaks), and who have a current need for flexible support, such as parental/caring responsibilities, e.g. raising children or looking after ageing or seriously ill family members; or clinically diagnosed health issues. Contact deadline: September 2023 (TBD). Submission deadline: November 2023 (TBD).
  • UK Research & Innovation Future Leaders Fellowship
    Up to seven years of funding available on a 4+3 model, with a review in year four. The fellowship aims to enable researchers to transition to or establish their research/innovation independence. This scheme operates a two-stage process. Contact deadline: passed. Submission deadline: 4 July 2023
  • Royal Astronomical Society Research and Norman Lockyer Fellowships
    Three year postdoctoral fellowship for early career scientists with less than five years of completing their PhD. Contact deadline: TBD, please provide a CV, a 2-3 page draft proposal. Submission deadline: 2024
  • Daphne Jackson Fellowship
    Fellowship for those having taken a career break of at least two years’ duration, taken for family, health or caring reasons. Fellowships are flexible and part-time, usually completed over two years at 0.5 FTE (apply at any time)
  • 1851 Fellowship
    3 year fellowship for those with less than 3 years postdoctoral research experience. Contact deadline: December 2023 (TBD). Submission deadline: January 2024 (TBD).
  • Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship
    3 year early career fellowship offering 50% match-funding for those with a proven record of research. Contact deadline: January 2023 (TBD). Submission deadline: February 2024 (TBD).
  • Newton International Fellowship
    2 year early career fellowship for international applicants. Contact deadline: TBD. Submission deadline: March 2024 (TBD).
  • Hawking Fellowship
    4 year fellowships that aim to support excellent researchers who will make significant contributions to the field of theoretical physics and continue to spark public interest in the field. Contact deadline: July 2023. Submission deadline: September 28 2023.

  • L'Oreal For Women in Science Fellowship
    12 month fellowship with a value of £15,000

Past opportunities

Click here for past opportunities