Fellowship opportunities
The Physics department supports several fellowship schemes every year, and a list with detailed timelines is given below.
To ensure submission of high-quality proposals, the department runs an internal selection process for all major fellowship applications. Successful candidates would be offered a permanent post at the end of the Fellowship, subject to criteria being met, for schemes like ERF, URF and FLF.
At University of Liverpool, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in our physics workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled people, LGBTQI+ people, and women.
We advise to get in touch as soon as possible (as early as 3 months in advance) with Head of Department, Head of Research & Impact and Heads of each research area sending an email to Fellowship_Physics@liverpool.ac.uk to express interest and discuss fit to the Department Research strategy. We also recommend to secure, prior application, the sponsorship of a local academic faculty member in the department, who will help to provide a strategic justification for supporting your fellowship within the context of the department’s research strategy. Once internally selected, a team of academic experts will be available to work with applicants over extended periods to develop high-quality proposals. This process is particularly relevant for schemes who apply a quota on number of applications for each Department.
STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowships Opening of scheme for 2026
The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) offers approximately 10 Fellowships each year to early-career researchers in astrophysics, particle physics, nuclear physics and accelerator physics. A quota system applies for each university and so the department runs an annual internal selection process for this scheme.
It is therefore essential that you contact the team in charge of Fellowships (Fellowship_Physics@liverpool.ac.uk, inclusive of HoD, HoR and all cluster leaders) OR to the STFC-contact (Prof. Monica D’Onofrio, onofrio@liverpool.ac.uk), as well as a member of academic staff with a research area similar to your interests as soon as possible for further information and guidance.
| 8th June 2026 | Intention to Submit Deadline. Please send us your name, the title of your project and the main areas of research involved. |
| 22nd June 2026 | Expression of Interest Deadline - The department sets an internal sifting process; following the schedule suggested by STFC, applicants are asked to submit the ERF Expression of Interest to Fellowship_Physics@liverpool.ac.uk. Additional documentation required is a complete 2-page CV. and publication list. External applicants should have (and cc in) their local sponsor if they have one (note: head of research clusters are part of the mailing list above). |
| Mid-July 2026 | Decision Taken - final decision is taken by the Research panel and communicated to applicants. The successful candidates will iterate with their local sponsor and experts in research and impact in the department to further develop their scientific case and a high-quality proposal. We will also offer advice on all costs that will need to be included, and on the support that can be provided by the Department. Support from Faculty team will also be organised if possible. |
| 30th September 2026 |
Applications are submitted by the deadline. |
The Royal Society - University Research Fellowships Opening of scheme for 2026
This scheme is for outstanding scientists in the UK at an early stage of their career who have the potential to become leaders in their field.
The deadline is on the 9th of September 2026.
Applicants must not hold a permanent academic position, nor have previously held an independent research fellowship and must have between 3 and 8 year’s experience since your PhD at the close of the round.
The scheme is open to applicants of all nationalities. Funding is available for up to 8 years and includes the applicant's salary and funding towards research expenses as outlined in the funder guidance website.
Please read them carefully. Applications are submitted through the Royal Society's application portal - Flexigrant.
While there is no quota associated to this scheme, the department runs an annual internal selection process to ensure that applications are of high-quality and fit well within our departmental strategy. Intention to Submit and Expressions of Interest + other documents as in STFC ERF guidance should be sent to Fellowship_Physics@liverpool.ac.uk (inclusive of HoD, Head of Research, Head of Clusters) with the following timeline:
| 8th June 2026 | Intention to Submit Deadline. Please send us your name, the title of your project and the main areas of research involved. |
| 22th June 2026 |
Expression of Interest Deadline - The department sets an internal sifting process; following the schedule suggested by STFC, applicants are asked to submit the ERF Expression of Interest to Fellowship_Physics@liverpool.ac.uk. Additional documentation required is a complete 2-page CV. and publication list. External applicants should have (and cc in) their local sponsor if they have one (note: head of research clusters are part of the mailing list above). Note the EoI form is the same as for ERF for convenience. |
| Mid-July 2026 | Decision Taken - final decision is taken by the Research panel and communicated to applicants. The successful candidates will iterate with their local sponsor and experts in research and impact in the department to further develop their scientific case and a high-quality proposal. We will also offer advice on all costs that will need to be included, and on the support that can be provided by the Department. Support from Faculty team will also be organised if possible. |
| 9th September 2026 |
Applications are submitted by the deadline. |
Note: The UoL offers a voluntary peer review and mock interview at Institutional level. That process is not a replacement for departmental approval (mandatory) but could complement the review process for further support in the final preparation stages. If interested, please let us know asap and we can help liaising with the Peer Review Team.
EPSRC Fellowships NOW CLOSED
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council now offers two categories of Fellowship – a postdoctoral Fellowship in a limited range of scientific areas and an “Open Fellowship” applicable across the whole portfolio of physical, engineering and energy sciences.
Interested applicants should consult the EPSRC fellowships pages for more information on expected career stage for each fellowship type and further details of when applications should be made. Applications are made through Je-S. You cannot resubmit the same project proposal should your application be unsuccessful.
Postdoctoral Fellowships
EPSRC selects which scientific areas they will fund postdoctoral fellowships in at different times so you should refer to EPSRC's list of priority areas to check whether applications are currently being accepted for your scientific area. As of January 2023 applications are currently being accepted in 'energy', 'mathematical sciences' and 'synthetic biology'. Funding is available for up to 3 years, which includes your salary, travel and subsistence and research expenses including consumables, but only equipment costing under £10k.
Open Fellowships
Funding is available for up to 5 years, which includes your salary, salary support for PDRAs, travel and subsistence, and research expenses including equipment as per EPSRCs funding rules. Open Fellowships now provide opportunities not only for traditional research Fellowships, but also enable applicants to focus on innovation, instrumentation/technique development or software engineering or to include non-technical elements to create positive change in the research community should they wish. Note that EPSRC say Open Fellowships are suitable for those who “have already been in receipt of significant funding, or have been leading in an area of technical development” and hence are most likely to have several years of postdoctoral experience.
Deadlines and timelines (2024)
There is no formal submission deadline for EPSRC Fellowships.
Please send an email to Fellowship_Physics@liverpool.ac.uk if you are willing to apply with us so that we can help in the preparation of applications.
For all Fellowships you will require a letter of support from the Head of Department which will be written in collaboration with the leader of the appropriate research area. Any equipment required will need departmental support (including funding) so please make the facilitation team aware at an early stage in the application process if you are hoping to include a request for equipment in your application.
H2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships
MCSA Individual Fellowships are for two years only and usually involve joining an established research group in the Department. An academic member of the Department will be needed as a host, so please contact the person whose group you wish to join. The next deadline is in September and your CV will be required at an early stage in order to gain approval to proceed with the application.
European Research Council Grants
ERC Starting Grants are open to researchers of any nationality with 2-7 years of experience since completion of PhD, a scientific track record showing great promise and an excellent research proposal. Consolidator Grants targeted more experienced researchers, whilst Advanced Grants are available for international research leaders who have demonstrated their potential for ground-breaking research. There are calls for all three schemes each year. If you think that our Department would be ideal to host your ERC application, please contact the mailing list Fellowship_Physics@liverpool.ac.uk or a member of academic staff in the relevant research area at an early stage to establish the required support.