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Macquarie University Lighthouse Fellowships (MQLF)

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Find out information about the aims, funding, key dates, resources and contacts for the Macquarie University Lighthouse Fellowships (MQLF).

Aim

The purpose of the Macquarie University Lighthouse Fellowships (MQLF) Scheme is to support researchers within three years of the award of their PhD who have an outstanding track record (relative to opportunity) and/or who show evidence of excellent research potential.

The Scheme provides seed funding for early career researchers, allowing them to increase their competitiveness for securing research funding from non-University sources. In addition, the Scheme aims to accelerate and increase the pipeline of research expertise within Macquarie University Strategic Research Initiatives, existing and emerging.

Funding

Up to ten full-time MQLFs commencing in 2027 will be awarded on a competitive basis, and will be tenurable for three to four years. The salary range for the Fellowship will be awarded to commence at step 6 of Level A of the Academic Salary Scale, plus annual leave loading and 17% employer superannuation. These salary levels will be adjusted in line with movements in the Academic Salary Scale. Salaries commencing above an A6 cannot be supported by the Fellowship, however supplementation by the host Department may be negotiated.

Applicants may request up to $50,000 over the length of the project for research costs associated with the proposed project (up to a maximum of $20,000 in any one year).

All Macquarie University assessment panels are governed by the policies and procedures of Macquarie University, including the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy. A commitment is made to ensure gender equity of our internal awards.

Eligibility

  • Applicants are eligible only if their PhD has been conferred on or after 1 March 2023; or their thesis was submitted on or before 31 December 2025. The Fellowship cannot commence until the PhD has been conferred, which must be by 30 June 2027.
  • Applicants with a PhD conferred prior to 1 March 2023 may be eligible to apply, if they can substantiate an allowable period of career interruption that would be commensurate with conferral of their PhD on or after 1 March 2023. Circumstances establishing early career status could include career interruptions due to non-research employment, debilitating illness, childbirth, international relocation, disaster management, unemployment, misadventure or carer responsibilities. Each period of career interruption must be significant, extending for a period of 30 calendar days or more, and not overlapping. Shortlisted applicants will be required to provide evidence of their career interruption (see career disruption calculator under resources below).
  • Fellows must be in full-time attendance at Macquarie University for the entire term of the Fellowship, except for approved field work and travel.
  • Applicants must nominate a Primary Sponsor from within the Host Department/School at Macquarie University. Applicants may also nominate a Co-Sponsor, who can be from a different Department/School or Faculty at Macquarie University. It is the applicant’s responsibility to identify and secure the support of an appropriate Fellowship Sponsor. A Sponsor may sponsor only one Fellowship per round of the MQLF Scheme. This limit applies to both Primary Sponsors and Co-Sponsors (i.e., it is not possible to be a Primary Sponsor for one Fellow, and a Co-Sponsor for another). An application without a Sponsor will be deemed ineligible.
  • Applicants who were/are PhD candidates at Macquarie University, or who have had full-time, part-time, or casual employment at Macquarie University since the beginning of 2023 must make a case their application for why it is appropriate for them to continue or recommence their research career at Macquarie University.
  • An applicant can submit a maximum of one application in this MQLF round.
  • Applicants who have already been awarded an externally funded research fellowship of more than 12 months in length are not eligible to apply.
  • Applicants may be subject to review under the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011 (Cth). This Act restricts Australian organisations (including Macquarie University) from interacting with people or organisations associated with countries on the sanctions list.
  • Applicants for any Macquarie University internal grant scheme must not have any overdue reports for internal grants on which they are a current or past lead investigator.
  • Applicants must follow the application process detailed in the Funding Guidelines.

How does MQLF differ to previous Macquarie University Research Fellowship (MQRF) rounds?

  • This is the second round of the new MQLF scheme.
  • The MQLF scheme has replaced the Macquarie University Research Fellowship (MQRF) scheme. Below is a description of how MQLF differs from MQRF.
  • The new MQLF scheme has been designed to align with Macquarie University’s strategic investment in areas of research strength. A stated objective of the scheme is to accelerate and increase the pipeline of research expertise within Macquarie University Strategic Research initiatives, existing and emerging.
  • Applicants and Sponsors must be firmly aligned with the research environment and ambitions of at least one of the Macquarie University Strategic Research Initiatives, which includes the BioInnovation Initiative, Macquarie University Research Centres and Faculty Research Centres (see the Funding Guidelines for more information).
  • Applicants must work closely with their Sponsor to clearly describe alignment between the proposed project and Macquarie University Strategic Research Initiatives.

Macquarie application process

  • Applications will only be accepted on the MQLF Application Template Forms via Workday which will be made available when the scheme opens on Monday 2 February 2026. See the Resources section below for more information.
  • Applicants must submit the MQLF Forms and all required attachments by Monday 16 March 2026, 11:59pm (AEDT).
  • Incomplete applications will be deemed ineligible and not reviewed by the panel.
  • Extensions of submission date or changes to the application following the scheme closing date will not be accepted.
  • Hard copy applications will not be accepted.
  • Emailed applications will not be accepted.
  • By submitting the application and associated attachments you confirm you have read and agreed to the policy terms set out in Section 10 of the Funding Guidelines in relation to:
    • MQ Privacy Policy
    • MQ Human Ethics, Animal Ethics and Biosafety Committees
    • MQ Academic Integrity
    • MQ Intellectual Property
    • MQ Generative Artificial Intelligence in Research Guidance Note
  • Applications not complying with the above and the Funding Guidelines, or without all required documentation attached (as specified in the form and the Funding Guidelines) will be ruled ineligible and not be reviewed by the panel.

Macquarie assessment process

  • Applications, including all requested forms, must be submitted electronically in Workday. Applications that fail to satisfy this requirement will be deemed ineligible.
  • Applications will be screened for eligibility and compliance. Complying applications from eligible applicants will be assessed in a multi-stage process:
    • Stage One Assessment, by a panel of Faculty-based discipline experts who recommend applications for the second round of assessment;
    • Stage Two Assessment, if shortlisted for consideration by the Faculty-based panel (stage one), applications will be assessed by either a STEMM- or HASS-based central panel who will shortlist applicants for interview.
    • Stage Three Assessment, twenty applicants will be invited to interview, at which point applicants will be asked to submit references and other supporting materials (if applicable). As part of the interview process, interviewees will be required to give a 5-8-minute presentation to the interview panel (slide templates will be provided) as well as undertake a broader interview with research leaders and discipline experts.
    • Of the twenty applicants who undertake an interview, ten applicants will be offered a MQLF and will commence the Fellowship at Macquarie University between 1 January 2027 and 30 June 2027.

Key dates

  • Release of Funding Guidelines: Tuesday 2 December 2025
  • Opening Date: Monday 2 February 2026
  • Closing Date: Monday 16 March 2026, 11.59pm (AEDT)
  • Outcomes Expected: July/August 2026
  • Commencement of successful 2027 MQLF applicants: Between 1 January and 30 June 2027

Resources

Funding guidelines

Application forms

Workday job advertisements

Apply to the Faculty job advertisement that corresponds to the Faculty where your sponsor is employed.

The application consists of the following three documents:

  • Completed 2027 MQLF Application Form and Project Description (combined as a single PDF)
  • Completed 2027 MQLF CV and Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence Form
  • Evidence of PhD conferral (if awarded) or thesis submission date.

Applications, including all requested forms, must be submitted electronically in the Macquarie University HR portal, Workday, into the ‘Resume and Cover letter’ section. Note that there is no additional resume or cover letter required; only the three documents listed above should be uploaded. Applications not submitted through Workday or missing any of the three above documents will be deemed ineligible.

Toolkit

Webinars

Webinars for Applicants

Applicants are recommended to attend one of the below four webinars. Each webinar will be the same content, but there is ample time for questions.

We understand applicants are in different time zones and have flexible working arrangements so we have scheduled the webinars across varying times and days. If applicants are unable to attend a webinar the slides and a recording of one webinar will be available on this webpage, noting the recording does not include the questions asked and answered in the live webinar.

All applicants must also read the Funding Guidelines and Toolkit documents.

Webinar 1
Date: Wednesday 4 February 2026
Time: 11am – 12pm
Speaker: Dr Ross Hill (Research Services)
Location: Zoom, register

Webinar 2
Date: Tuesday 10 February 2026
Time: 8am – 9am
Speaker: Dr Ross Hill (Research Services)
Location: Zoom, register

Webinar 3
Date: Thursday 19 February 2026
Time: 4pm – 5pm
Speaker: Dr Ross Hill (Research Services)
Location: Zoom, register

Webinar 4
Date: Monday 9 March 2026
Time: 10am – 11am
Speaker: Dr Ross Hill (Research Services)
Location: Zoom, register

Information webinar slides
Information webinar recording

Webinar for Sponsors

An information session was run for potential Sponsors on Tuesday 27 January 2026. If you are a potential Sponsor and would like to access the slides or recording, please request these by emailing MQLF@mq.edu.au.

Call website
Institution
Date de candidature
Durée
3-4 years
Discipline
Humanités
Sciences sociales
Autres