Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships 2024

The Faculty of Arts is carrying out an internal selection process for this scheme in order to identify a maximum of five candidates to be supported with their application.

Applications should align with Faculty priorities. Our Faculty Research Centres encapsulate these well, so we advise you to look at the Faculty Research Centre webpages and consult with your mentor about specific priorities.

For full information about the scheme, please refer to the funder guidance. 

Aim of the award 

Early Career 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. Applications will be considered in all subject areas with the exception of research that is of direct relevance to clinicians, medical professionals and/or the pharmaceutical industry. It is anticipated that approximately 145 Fellowships will be available across the UK. Fellowships can be held at universities or at other institutions of higher education in the UK.

Level of grant and tenure 

Fellowships are normally tenable for three years on a full-time basis, but requests to hold the award part-time over a proportionately longer period will be considered if this is appropriate for the nature of the research proposed and the career development of the individual. Fellowships will commence between 1 September 2024 and 1 May 2025.

These fellowships provide three years of full-time salary and £6,000 p/a research expenses (up to £18,000) over three years.

Eligibility requirements 

Applications are invited from those with a doctorate who had their doctoral viva not more than four years from the application closing date. For applicants to the 2024 round, this means that you must have submitted your doctoral thesis for viva voce examination after 22 February 2020 unless you have had a career break. In addition, anyone who formally submitted their doctoral thesis for viva voce examination between 22 February 2019 and 22 February 2020, whose work has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic are also eligible to apply. They must explain their case in their application.

• Candidates who hold a full-time permanent academic position are not eligible to apply. 
• Candidates who have been, or are currently a Principal Investigator on a three-year post-doctoral research project, or have held or currently hold a comparable three-year post-doctoral position to pursue their own research are not eligible to apply. 
• All candidates must hold a doctorate or have equivalent research experience by the time they take up the Fellowship. 
• Applications are invited from those with a doctorate who had their doctoral viva not more than four years from the application closing date.
• A candidate may submit only one application per year. Previously unsuccessful applicants may reapply. Candidates may not apply for both an Early Career Fellowship and a Study Abroad Studentship in the same year.

All applicants should read the full eligibility notes and visit the Leverhulme website. 

Applying for this scheme through University of Bristol

1. Potential applicants identify a potential mentor and make contact with them.
2. Potential candidates, with help from their mentor, write a draft outline application using the internal Leverhulme outline form (contact rd-fellowships@bristol.ac.uk for a blank copy). The mentor should submit the completed form, together with a two-page combined CV/publication list by email to the appropriate School Research Director(see below) by 10am, Monday 13 November 2023 for all Schools. PLEASE NOTE: applications should align with Faculty priorities; our Faculty Research Centres encapsulate these well, so we advise you to look at the Faculty Research Centre webpages and consult with your mentor about specific priorities.
3. School Research Director/Schools will review drafts with potential mentors, to assess applicants' intellectual fit within the Department.
4. Schools select suitable candidates, rank them and forward applications to the Dean and Faculty Research Directors (FRDs) for the final selection of candidates by 5 pm, Thursday 23 November 2023.
   
5. The Faculty will support five candidates for submission to Leverhulme. The Dean and FRDs will advise SRDs of their final selection, and SRDs will notify candidates by 7 December 2023. 
6. DREI will host a training session for selected applicants on 13 December 2023, as such, please keep this blocked out in your diary.
7. DREI Research development will provide additional support and copies of successful bids to the final five selected candidates only.
8. 1 January 2024: Leverhulme call opens.
9. Funder deadline is 22 February 2024, 4 pm. NOTE: applicants will be required to submit the application internally one week before the deadline.

School Research Directors (SRDs)

School of Arts SRD: Pauline Fairclough, sart-srd@bristol.ac.uk

School of Humanities SRD: Kate Skinner, hums-srd@bristol.ac.uk

School of Modern Languages SRD: Martin Hurcombe, sml-srd@bristol.ac.uk