Fellowship opportunities

To provide transparency and efficiency in the management of early career Fellowship applications, and to provide support to internal and external applicants, the School operates an internal review process through its Fellowship Development Panel (FDP).  

Our FDP meets twice per academic year to review the Outline Applications and provide support to candidates. The FDP is made up of the School’s Director of Research, Deputy Director of Research, Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) Champion and Heads of the seven Research Institutes. 

The FDP process aims to help early career applicants target the right Fellowship scheme at the optimal stage in their research career. 

A lead time of four to six months is generally recommended for candidates to develop a strong full proposal. Please consider applying when you feel your proposal is already prepared at least in outline.

The School of Engineering is committed to advancing equality and diversity, welcoming applications from everyone irrespective of gender, ethnic group or nationality. We particularly encourage applications from female and/or Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates.

Key dates for Fellowship applications

• Wednesday 26th March 2025 – deadline for submission of Outline Applications.
• Wednesday 23rd April 2025 – School Fellowships Development Panel meet to review submissions.

• Wednesday 10th September 2025 – deadline for submission of Outline Applications.
• Wednesday 8th October 2025 – School Fellowships Development Panel meet to review submissions.

• Wednesday 25th March 2026 - deadline for submission of Outline Applications.
• Wednesday 22nd April 2026 – School Fellowships Development Panel meet to review submissions (revision week)

• Wednesday 9th  September 2026 – deadline for submission of Outline Applications.
• Wednesday 7th October 2026 - School Fellowships Development Panel meet to review submissions

The School of Engineering welcomes candidates for the following fellowship opportunities*:

• RAEng Research Fellowships*
• Royal Society University Research Fellowships
• Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship
• Royal Commission 1851 Fellowships
• NERC Fellowships

*Applications for other fellowships are welcome. Please contact relevant members of academic staff or DoR.Eng@ed.ac.uk to discuss prospective applications, and refer to fellowship webpages for up to date information. Please note that applications for UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships and RAEng Research Fellowships are subject to demand management at the University level (see below).

All applications should be made via the online form, with accompanying Outline Application comprising a narrative CV, full publication list and Case for Support (2 pages maximum, with advice given on what this should contain). Please email DoR.Eng@ed.ac.uk for details of how to access the online form and the format required for the Outline Application.

Please note that in order to submit an Outline Application for consideration by the FDP you will need to have approached and have agreement for support from a School of Engineering academic member of staff to act as your Academic Adviser (AA). All our academic staff are members of a Research Institute. Your AA will advise you on general aspects of Fellowship development, and help you to develop your proposal. Your AA will help you to process feedback from the FDP and support you with review of the full proposal if this is supported by the FDP.

The Institute for Academic Development’s Fellowship guide includes further information and guidance for applicants.

RA Eng Research Fellowships 

There is a limit on the number of applications The University of Edinburgh can submit for this scheme. The internal selection process will be managed through the Spring 2025 Fellowship Development Panel. If you wish to be considered for this scheme you must submit an Outline Application by the deadline of Wednesday 26th March 2025. 

UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships round 10

An institutional limit on applications has been imposed by the funder, so an internal selection process has been run and we are no longer accepting expressions of interest.