Joint Application Scheme for Early Career Research Fellowships
Ten Fellowships are offered by the colleges. Candidates are warned that competition is likely to be intense; last year over 1,000 applications were received.
Candidates are advised that they are responsible for checking their eligibility to take up the post under UK immigration rules.
The administration of the Scheme is conducted by the Fellowship Administrator at Churchill College. Please note that the office will be closed from 18th December 2023 to 2nd January 2024.
Fellowships at Churchill College
Website:www.chu.cam.ac.uk
Number:
One stipendiary Rubinoff Fellowship in Art as a Source of Knowledge, with a focus on the visual arts. It is expected that the research fellow shall base themself within the departments of either History or History of Art at the University of Cambridge. The Fellowship is generously funded by the Jeffrey Robinson Foundation.
One stipendiary Goldsmiths’ Fellowship in Materials Science and Metallurgy. This Fellowship was generously endowed from the Goldsmiths’ Fellowship Fund in 1960.
One stipendiary Fellowship in the Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences in any of the following subjects: Ancient Philosophy; Divinity/Theology; Economics; Law (including Legal Philosophy and Criminology); Business and Management; Philosophy (including Philosophy of Science); Political Theory and Political Philosophy; Politics and International Relations; Psychology (Social Science); Sociology.
Entitlements:
Stipendiary Research Fellows will receive a stipend at point 31 on the university scale of stipends, which is £27,181 per annum as of 1st Oct 2023, if post submission of PhD. Before submission of PhD the stipend will be set at Point 27 of the University scale, which is £24,533 p.a. The stipend is pensionable.
Single stipendiary Fellows will be entitled to a small Fellows' set free of rent but subject to the standard service charge. Fellows with partners choosing to live in a Sheppard Flat or Wolfson Flat (subject to availability) on the College site will be given a 50% reduction in rent.
There is no living out allowance.
If a Junior Research Fellow is living out of College, research space will be provided in College, subject to availability.
All Junior Research Fellows in Churchill College are members of the Senior Combination Room, giving them access to social and sports facilities. Research Fellows have generous dining entitlements and there are active academic and social programmes in which they are invited to participate.
Successful applicants who do not have the right to work in the UK will need to obtain an appropriate visa to enable them to work in the UK in order take up a Fellowship.
Fellowships at Clare College
Website:www.clare.cam.ac.uk
Number:
Two stipendiary Fellowships in the sciences.
Entitlements:
Stipends are payable on the University's salary scale, starting at spine point 39 (currently £33,966). The stipend will increase by one spine point each year. The stipend is pensionable. An office will be provided in College, subject to availability.
Research Fellows are members of the Governing Body and are expected to participate in the governance and social life of the College. They may undertake undergraduate teaching during term. Research Fellows will carry out full-time research for 37.5 hours a week.
The College offers additional benefits including ten free meals per week, the reimbursement of some research expenses and membership of the University Superannuation Scheme. The fellowship is tenable for three years. The stipend of Research Fellows who are in receipt of financial support from other sources will be by arrangement. They will not be permitted to undertake other paid work or to hold other offices and awards, except by permission of the College Council.
Successful applicants who do not have the right to work in the UK will need to obtain an appropriate visa to enable them to work in the UK in order take up a Fellowship.
Fellowships at Fitzwilliam College
Website:www.fitz.cam.ac.uk
Number:
One stipendiary Early Career Research Fellowship in Business & Management, Economics, Theology and Land Economy.
One stipendiary Cambridge Philosophical Society Henslow Fellowship in STEM subjects.
Each Fellowship will normally be tenable for three years from 1 October 2024.
Entitlements:
The 2023-24 pensionable rates are: pre-PhD £22,681-£25,138, post PhD £24,248 – £26,444. These rates will be reviewed annually from 2024 in line with stipends generally within the College. A stipendiary Fellow already holding an award from another organisation, such as a Research Council or similar body, will be paid a stipend from the date such an award expires. Rent-free single accommodation will be offered in College (a taxable benefit), with a charge to cover services. An allowance, which is currently £3,807, is paid to any Research Fellow not resident in College, and study facilities are made available. The College operates a housing loan scheme, which is designed to assist Fellows with the purchase of a residential property in the Cambridge area.
Research Fellows are entitled to all meals (either lunch or dinner) at College expense whenever the kitchens are open. Up to three of these meals each week may be assigned to guests; and further meals (for the Fellow and guests) are available at the Fellow’s expense.
An annual allowance of £1,000 is provided for use for academic purposes including the purchase of books, and computing equipment or attendance at conferences. Unused allowances may be carried forward for two years. Additional grants may sometimes be made to assist with certain approved research expenses which are not covered by departmental, faculty or other sources.
Further information is available at www.fitz.cam.ac.uk/about-us/vacancies.
Fellowships at Robinson College
Website:www.robinson.cam.ac.uk
Number:
One stipendiary Early Career Research Fellowship in Computer Science, Engineering and Natural Sciences. The Fellowship is generously funded by the Cambridge Philosophical Society.
Entitlements:
The stipend of a Research Fellow is at point 31 on the academic single spine (£27,181) with a 10 per cent reduction for an appointee who has yet to complete a PhD. The post is pensionable within USS.
The following information about the benefits and responsibilities of Research Fellowships at Robinson College may be helpful for you.
Research Fellows are entitled to heavily subsidised accommodation in the College, subject to availability. All meals taken by Fellows and Research Fellows are free of charge. Grants of up to £700 are available annually for academic expenses, and there is financial assistance for running small conferences/symposia in the College up to a maximum of £3000 per annum. There is also an allowance of up to £350 towards the purchase of a computer. There is also an entertainment allowance of £126 per annum.All Fellows, including Research Fellows, are voting members of the College's Governing Body.All are expected to attend meetings of the Governing Body. The Research Fellow would have the full rights of Fellowship within the College. He or she might also be invited to become a member of other College committees, in due course, and would be expected to participate in the life of this academic community, for instance, mentoring graduate students, or participating in research seminars for our graduate students. The Research Fellow would be expected to pursue full-time research, but he or she would be welcome to undertake supervisions (small-group teaching) for the College, up to a maximum of 4 hours per week. Supervisions would attract separate payment at the agreed intercollegiate hourly rate.
Fellowships at Trinity Hall
Website:www.trinhall.cam.ac.uk
Number:
One stipendiary* Fellowship in the following Arts subjects: Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic; Architecture; Classical Literature and Linguistics; English; Linguistics; Modern and Medieval Languages (MML); Music.
One stipendiary* Fellowship in the following Science subjects: Astrophysics; Biological Sciences; Chemical Engineering; Chemistry; Computer Science; Engineering; Experimental Psychology; Geography, Geology and Geophysics; Materials Science; Mathematics; Medical and Veterinary Sciences; Physics.
* If a candidate is awarded external funding, the Fellowship may still be offered on a non-stipendiary basis.
Entitlements:
The pensionable stipend of post-PhD Research Fellows in their first year is currently £27,181, (pre-PhD £24,248), if resident in College. The stipend may be subject to reduction, or the Fellowship may become fully non-stipendiary, if financial support is received from another source. An additional allowance of £4,000 per annum is paid to any Research Fellow not resident in College. Stipends are reviewed annually and are normally increased in line with increases in Cambridge University academic salaries generally, although the College is not tied to University scales for Research Fellows. College accommodation is rent free for the duration of the Research Fellowship. There is a further entitlement of seven free meals per week whenever food is provided. Unfortunately no accommodation is available for Research Fellows with children.
PROCEDURE
The following procedure is followed by the Colleges in processing applications:
- Application form and statement of research are reviewed by all Colleges along with references, and a proportion is selected for detailed assessment.
- Candidates who pass the first stage are invited to submit written material, (typically an extract from a doctoral thesis and an academic publication), for assessment.
- Written material is sent to two independent academic experts for detailed assessment. Reports are shared between Colleges.
- Colleges rank candidates on the basis of assessors' reports. [Fitzwilliam College, Robinson College and Trinity Hall will call some of the top-ranking candidates for interview in early March 2024. Churchill College and Clare College do not interview candidates.]
- Final decisions are made, and successful candidates are notified by end March 2024.
