Postdoctoral opportunities in the School of Psychological Science
The School of Psychological Science is home to a large and vibrant cohort of post-doctoral staff, and we are always keen to hear from other individuals who would like to join us. Post-doctoral positions on grants held by our academic staff are advertised on the University’s vacancies page whenever available.
In addition, we particularly welcome enquiries about the various UK and European postdoctoral funding schemes that we are able to support. Details of these are as follows. Please note that the any eligibility constraints in terms of time post-PhD are typically adjustable to account for career breaks and exceptional circumstances. Similarly, fellowships can typically be taken up on both part-time and full-time bases.
BBSRC New Investigator Grants
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For early career researchers at the ‘lecturer level’.
- Provides a grant of up to £2m (at full economic cost) for up to five years.
- Has to be within the BBSRC’s remit of supporting biological science, but some areas of physiological and neuropsychological areas of psychology fall within this.
British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships
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Apply within three years of getting your PhD.
- Provides a three-year full-time fellowship award.
EPSRC Open Fellowships
- Applicants require a PhD or four years’ experience.
- Provides a five-year full-time fellowship award.
- Has to be within the EPSRC’s remit of supporting physical science, but some areas of applied psychology and vision science fall within this.
ESRC New Investigator Grants
- For early career researchers at the start of their careers.
- Provides a grant of between £100k to £300k (at full economic cost) and up to up to 60 months duration.
- Has to be within the ESRC’s remit of supporting social science, but many areas of psychology fall within this.
European Research Council Starter Grants
- Apply between two and seven years of getting your PhD.
- Substantial grant for the most exceptional researchers: €1.5 million over 5 years, rising to €2.5 million in special cases.
- Applicant must demonstrate the ground-breaking nature, ambition, and feasibility of their research proposal.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) Individual Fellowship
- For international applicants coming to the UK.
- Applicants must have less than eight years (equivalent) of post-doctoral experience.
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Provides a two-year full-time fellowship award.
Newton International Fellowships (Royal Society) Scheme
- For international applicants coming to the UK.
- Applicants must have less than seven years (equivalent) of post-doctoral experience.
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Provides a three-year full-time fellowship award.
Royal Society University Research Fellowships
- Covers all areas of the life and physical sciences, including neuroscience and experimental psychology. Applicants are expected to be strong candidates for a permanent post at the end of their fellowships.
- Applicants should not hold a permanent academic position and must have between 3 to 8 years of research experience since obtaining their PhD
- Up to 8 years funding at 80% of full economic cost.
Wellcome Early-Career Awards
- Apply within three years of getting your PhD.
- Providesup tofive-years of a full-time fellowship award, or longer part-time.
- Has to be within the Wellcome Trust’s remit of improving human life, health and wellbeing.
To enquire about the possibility of applying for any of these schemes, please contact any member of our academic staff with relevant interests that overlap with your own, or contact our School Research Director (C.Jarrold@bristol.ac.uk) who would be delighted to talk through these opportunities with you. As noted above, we are particularly keen to ensure that applicants who have taken career breaks are not disadvantaged by this.
The School of Psychological Science values and seeks to support our postdoctoral staff. Postdoctoral staff are typically employed on open-ended rather than short-term contracts, and we always look to build career progression and development opportunities into any appointment. Postdoctoral staff are invited to School ‘staff’ meetings and have dedicated reps who sit on the School’s Research Committee and our Equality Diversity and Inclusivity Committee. In addition, the University of Bristol has dedicated support structures and training opportunities available for postdoctoral staff, and is a signatory of the UK’s Researcher Development Concordat.