Fellowship opportunities

The University is managing applications for MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships through a two-stage process. 

In Stage 1 potential applicants are invited to submit an expression of interest by 17 February 2025. An internal selection process will determine which proposals will progress to full application (Stage 2), and where required, will identify a suitable supervisor for potential applicants.

Applicants selected to progress to Stage 2 will be offered support with proposal development from both their nominated supervisor and Manchester Met’s Research Development Team. 

The deadline for preparation of full proposals will be 28 July 2025. Following successful peer review, proposals will be submitted to the European Commission by the call deadline (expected 10 September 2025 - TBC).

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships support the mobility of postdoctoral researchers through two routes: European Postdoctoral Fellowships and Global Postdoctoral Fellowships. 

European Postdoctoral Fellowships (1-2 years duration) 

Open to eligible researchers of any nationality moving within Europe or coming to Europe from another part of the world. Fellowships are hosted in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country (including UK).

Global Postdoctoral Fellowships (2-3 years duration)

Open to eligible nationals or long-term residents of EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries (including UK). The fellowships include an outgoing (Global) phase in a country which is neither an EU Member State nor a Horizon Europe Associated Country. This is followed by a mandatory 12 month return phase in an EU Member State or Associated Country.

You can find more information about the scheme on the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions webpage.

The scheme has eligibility criteria relating to experience of the fellow and residency as follows:

Experience

At the call deadline, fellows must have a maximum of 8 years full-time equivalent experience in research, measured from the date that the researcher was in possession of a doctoral degree(defined as a successfully defended doctoral thesis, even if the doctoral degree has yet to be awarded).

Residency

For European Postdoctoral Fellowshipshosted by Manchester Metropolitan University, individuals must not have spent more than 12 months in the 36 months before the call deadline living, working, or studying in the UK.

For Global Postdoctoral Fellowships, fellows should not have spent more than 12 months in the 36 months before the call deadline living, working, or studying in the country where they will undertake their outgoing phase.

The scheme offers a highly competitive salary package and research and training expenses. For European Fellowships and the incoming phase of Global Fellowships applicants will receive a salary package based on the following:

Please note these are gross allowances and will be subject to employer deductions and the amount received will vary depending on personal circumstances.

For the outgoing phase of Global Fellowships, the Living allowance element will be adjusted for cost of living for the host country and may be lower than the figure above. 

You will also receive support for research, training, and networking activities of €1,000 per month.

The scheme is based on a pattern of joint support whereby the Leverhulme Trust will contribute part of the total salary cost and Manchester Met must provide the rest as match funding.

There is therefore a limit on the number of proposals that can be supported and a requirement for internal selection via Expressions of Interest supported by prospective host departments.

Applicants should contact the relevant Departmental Research contact below for discussion on potential to host and for support with completion of the EOI. 

Departments are asked to submit the EOI form for their chosen nominations to [email protected] by 15 November 2024.

EOIs will then be reviewed by an internal selection panel week commencing 25 November and up to four applications selected to progress to submission to the Leverhulme Trust

Expression of Interest form- Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship 2025
Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship 2025 EOI Guidance

For early career researchers, with a research record but who have not yet held a full-time permanent academic post, to undertake a significant piece of publishable work.

Fellowships can be held at UK universities with research degree awarding powers.  The Fellowships are intended to assist those at a relatively early stage of their academic careers, and it is hoped that the appointment would lead to a more permanent position for the individual, either within the same or another university.

The awards are tenable for 36 months and must commence between 1 September 2025 and 1 May 2026.

It is vital that applicants understand the goals and remit of the Leverhulme Trust and the research they do not fund

• All candidates must hold a doctorate by the time they take up the Fellowship. 
• Those who are or have been registered for a doctorate at any time may apply only if they have submitted their doctoral thesis for viva voce examination by 4pm on the closing date  20 February 2025.
• Candidates must not be registered for degrees, professional or vocational qualifications at the time of commencing the Fellowship.
• Candidates must have submitted their doctoral thesis for viva voce examination not more than four years prior to the application closing date. Hence those who formally submitted their doctoral thesis for viva voce examination before 20 February 2021 are not eligible unless they have had a career break. Those wishing to make a case for a career break should present the case for interruption by a period of maternity leave, family commitments, illness, or other exceptional circumstances. Please note that time spent working outside academia does not qualify as a career break.
• Applicants must either hold a degree (any degree) from a UK higher education institution at the time of taking up the Fellowship or at the time of the application deadline must hold an academic position in the UK (e.g. fixed-term lectureship, fellowship) which commenced no less than 4 months prior to the closing date. Hence, those who do not hold a UK degree and whose UK academic position commenced after October 2024 are not eligible. The Trust will consider candidates without a UK degree whose UK academic post commenced after October 2024 if they have been in continuous UK academic employment for more than 4 months prior to the deadline. The intention is to support the career development of those building an academic career within the UK.
• Candidates who have held or currently hold postdoctoral positions to pursue their own independent research totalling three or more years are not eligible to apply.
• The Trust believes that the development of an academic career is best served by gaining experience at different institutions. Applicants who have not already moved institutions in the course of their academic career (i.e. between their undergraduate university and proposed host university) should nominate a new host university, or otherwise demonstrate clear evidence of the academic and/or personal reasons for remaining at the same university, such as access to highly specialist equipment or a highly specialised research team.

Salary costs for three years plus up to £6,000 per year for research expenses.

Manchester Met expects Fellowships to commence at Grade 8, spine 32 salary spine point (currently £39,347).

Faculty of Arts and Humanities

Department of Art and Performance- Professor Michael Pinchbeck: [email protected]

Research is an integral part of the School of Art. In the most recent REF, art and design research at Manchester Metropolitan University was ranked 2nd in the UK for overall research power. Alongside world-class practitioners our School boasts a number of world-leading and internationally renowned researchers who will act as mentors for a wide range of projects.

The Art Research Group (ARG) consists of artists, curators and writers active in developing new forms of research within the expanded field of contemporary visual art. In addition to producing world-leading individual artworks, exhibitions, writing and books, the group’s key focus is on developing collaborative projects that create dynamic new configurations of knowledge located within the subjects identified by its four clusters: Art and Archive Futures; Fine Art and Curating; Memory and Matter; Visual Culture.

The Performance Research Group (PRG) consists of internationally recognised theatre-makers, performers, directors, dramaturgs, choreographers, curators and scholars with longstanding relationships with the theatre and performance industry. It nourishes world-leading, industry-focused and interdisciplinary research in the field of performance. We develop practices and build dynamic structures that bring performance artists, researchers, and the creative sector into productive dialogue with one other, in Manchester and globally. Our key focus areas include scoring performance and performance curation, performances of memory and commemoration, Third Theatre and Laboratory Theatre practices, the overlaps between performance and religion.

Department of Design- Paul Micklethwaite: [email protected]

Department of English- Dale Townshend: [email protected]

The Department is now ranked 8th of 92 English Language and Literature subject groups in the UK for Research Power, and equal 25th for Quality, with Cambridge and St Andrews. The Department is home to established and sector-leading research groups in Poetry, Gothic Studies, Games Studies and Place Writing. Manchester Met is a founding partner in the organisation which coordinates Manchester’s UNESCO City of Literature’s network and projects and in 2021 we opened the UK’s fourth public Poetry Library.

Department of History, Politics and Philosophy- Chris Millington: [email protected]

History, Politics and Philosophy at Manchester Metropolitan University boasts a number of world-leading and internationally renowned researchers who will act as mentors for a wide range of projects across global and regional History, including pre-historic Britain, classical and late Antiquity, ancient North Africa and South-East Asia, the medieval world, nineteenth-century America, nineteenth century China, post-war Germany, and modern Britain. We are organised around thematic research clusters and our expertise ranges across History, Classics, Archaeology, and Heritage. We welcome projects that align with the expertise of any of our key thematic research clusters:

• Materiality, Archaeology and Antiquity
• Histories and Cultures of Conflict
• Minority Histories: Race, Gender, Sexuality and Identity

The department also welcome projects which would resonate with the activities of the Manchester Centre for Public History and Heritage,  Manchester Classical Association, Cultures of Disability group, and the Manchester Centre for Youth Studies.

Philosophy at Manchester Met draws on a rich and varied tradition of philosophical theory across Anglo-American and the continental European traditions. Specialising in European philosophy and its history, the philosophy department  has internationally recognised scholars on figures such as Plato, Leibniz, Spinoza, Nietzsche, Bergson, Heidegger, Simone Weil, Maurice Blanchot, Jean Francois Lyotard, among others. Philosophy is also home to several philosophical societies, including the British Society for Phenomenology, the UK Simone Weil Research Network, and the Process Ecologies Network. The department welcome projects that touch upon any of the above areas, and projects more broadly interested in European Philosophy.

Politics at Manchester Met is focused broadly on political transformation and digital politics through the Politics Research Group and the Digital Society Research Group. The Politics research group specialises in Co-creative and co-productive community research methods at local, national and international levels;  critical theories of race, class, and gender and their application to contemporary crises; high level political conflict including international negotiation, civil society, and social movements. The Digital Society Research Group focuses on the impact of digital technologies on politics, society and culture and includes expertise on platform economy and governance; cybersecurity; social media politics; digital militarism; digital technologies and environmental sustainability; and the role of AI in political life and citizen practices. We have a PhD programme in Digital Politics, and ran an annual postgraduate Digital Politics summer school.

Department of Languages, Information and Communications- Khawla Badwan: [email protected]

Department of Sociology- Haridhan Goswami: [email protected]

Manchester Fashion Institute- Patsy Perry: [email protected]

Manchester School of Architecture- Dana Arnold: [email protected]

School of Digital Arts- Kirsty Fairclough: [email protected]

Faculty of Business and Law

Finance and Economics- Basil Al-Najjar: [email protected]

Marketing, International Business and Tourism- Mihalis Kavaratzis: [email protected]

Strategy, Enterprise and Sustainability- Russ Glennon: [email protected]

People and Performance- Sally Jones: [email protected]

Operations, Technology, Events and Hospitality Management- David Bamford:  [email protected]

The department are particularly interested to host a Leverhulme Fellowship in the ‘Operations and Digital Transformation’ research platform to specifically build capacity and future opportunity in operations and supply chain, project management, digital business innovation and extended reality and metaverse.

Manchester Law School- Beverley Clough:  [email protected]

The department are particularly interested in the following research areas: equalities and human Rights, legal geographies, place and sustainability, sports law and corporate and professional regulation.

Faculty of Health and Education

Department of Health Professions- Francis Fatoye: [email protected]

Department of Psychology- Marc Jones: [email protected]

Department of Social Care and Social Work- Chris Hatton: [email protected]

School of Nursing and Public Health- Michelle McManus: [email protected]

School of Education- Karen Pashby: [email protected]

The School contributes highly impactful work related to education and community across levels and ages and in formal, nonformal, and informal settings. Our areas of expertise include early childhood education, critical policy studies in education, global education, equity and justice in education, mathematics education, pedagogical innovation, post developmental childhood studies, and community-based learning. With a top 10 power ranking amongst Education (UoA23) submissions to REF 2021, 100% of research impact was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent. Across our areas of expertise, a key foundation to our research is developing praxis across levels and sites of education. We welcome research that contributes to developing and understanding the relationship between theory and practice in education.

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Department of Computing and Maths- Moi Hoon Yap: [email protected]

The department welcomes potential applicants wanting to advance their research in artificial intelligence, computer vision, natural language processing and large language models, neuromorphic computing, cyber security, digital twins, serious games and gamification, computational modelling, robotic, block chain and internet of things and all related research areas in computer science. We are part of the Turing University Network that in addition to active research in data science and AI, we take on ambitious projects that address global challenges.

Department of Engineering- Peter Kelly: [email protected]

The department’s approach to advanced materials and manufacturing integrates the PrintCity additive manufacturing centre, the Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre, and the Surface Engineering research group. We focus strongly on advanced manufacturing and sustainable materials development, including surface engineering, metamaterials, and materials for ‘green’ energy. We combine technical expertise in advanced materials and materials development with digital engineering (digitalisation, modelling, and digital twins) to offer viable, scalable, and sustainable production routes. The fellowship project can cover aspects of the advanced materials and sustainable materials value chain, including enterprise solutions, VR/AR, and Machine Learning.

Department of Life Sciences- Chris Murgatroyd: [email protected]

The department welcomes applications from across biological and biomedical sciences in Leverhulme remit, and projects that align with research strategy areas around neurological disorders of the peripheral and central nervous systems, multimorbidity and chronic long-term conditions, musculoskeletal health and active ageing, and infection and microbiology.

Department of Natural Sciences- Paul Hooper: [email protected]

The department are particularly keen to engage with potential applicants across biology, chemistry, environmental science and geography wanting to pursue research. Our research spans species biology and conservation, habitat restoration and nature-based solutions, earth system processes, pollution assessment and control, aviation and environment, sustainable energy solutions, electrochemical innovation for sustainability, and space, place and society.

We will manage applications for this round through a two-stage internal process. Expressions of Interest are now invited from potential applicants for stage 1 – to be returned by 16 February 2024.  An internal selection process will determine which proposals will progress to a full application (stage 2).

The deadline for the full proposals selected is 30 April 2024. Support with proposal development will be offered to successful applicants progressing to stage 2. Peer reviews and a panel meeting will decide which full proposals will be submitted externally to UKRI on the deadline of 18 June 2024. 

Manchester Metropolitan University is committed to supporting the rights, responsibilities, dignity, health and wellbeing of staff and students through our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. We promote applications from all sections of the community, irrespective of background, belief, or identity, recognising the benefits that a diverse organisation can bring.

The UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellowships (FLF) scheme will support early career researchers and innovators with outstanding potential. The support of the institution will be a critical component of all Fellowships which will enable the Fellow to transition to or establish their research/innovation independence in any area supported by UKRI. Fellows can be from outside the host institution and can come from beyond the UK.

The objectives of the scheme are to:

• Develop, retain, attract, and sustain research and innovation talent in the UK.
• Foster new research and innovation career paths including those at the academic/business and interdisciplinary boundaries, and facilitate movement of people between disciplines, organisations, and sectors.
• Provide sustained funding and resources for the best early career researchers and innovators.
• Provide long-term, flexible funding to tackle difficult and novel challenges, and support adventurous, ambitious programmes.

The full scheme details can be found on the UKRI website. The guidance states that the scheme supports early career researchers (ECRs) with outstanding potential. UKRI does not define what is meant by an ECR, but does include a section on eligibility as an individual that describes the suitability of an ECR for this scheme.

This scheme aims to support excellent and high potential future research and innovation leaders. Applicants must demonstrate within their application how the UKRI FLF award will support and enable their long-term career goals and clearly demonstrate that their skills and experience at the time of application match those expected.

• Applicants are expected to hold a doctorate by the start date of the Fellowship or to be able to demonstrate equivalent research experience and/or training. These Fellowships are for early career academics and innovators who are transitioning to establishing independence. Senior academics and innovators are not permitted to apply. There are no eligibility rules based on years since PhD or whether the applicant currently holds a permanent/open-ended academic position or job role. Applicants should use the person specification to assess and justify their suitability for the scheme with reference to the objectives of the programme.
   
• Applicants must have significant support from their hosting organisation(s). Host organisations are also encouraged to use the scheme to bring outstanding individuals to the UK from abroad.
   
• Applications are welcome from those returning to research or innovation from a career break or following time in other roles; there are no time limits in respect of time spent outside a research or innovation environment.
   
• Fellowships may be held on a part-time basis in order to combine research/innovation with personal responsibilities. Applicants can propose to hold a Fellowship on a part-time basis for four years or can choose to request a part-time Fellowship over a longer time-period which would have equated to four years full-time as they wish; job shares are also possible.
   
• It is expected that Fellows’ full working time will be committed to these Fellowships or activities related to the Fellowship from the start of the award. Those with substantial ongoing research commitments because of participation in other grants must relinquish these in order to hold a UKRI FLF award.

The scheme offers long-term and flexible funding, with seven years of support available on a 4+3 model, with a review in year 4. The support case should make clear the long-term aims of the programme, and why they matter – while providing more specific plans and costings for the first four years. Successful applicants will have the intellectual and financial freedom to develop and change direction over this period.

The deadline for the full proposals selected is 2 May 2024. Support with proposal development will be offered to successful applicants progressing to full application stages. Peer reviews and a panel meeting will decide which full proposals will be submitted externally to BBSRC on the deadline of 2 May 2024.

The application will be made through the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service.

Manchester Metropolitan University is committed to supporting the rights, responsibilities, dignity, health and wellbeing of staff and students through our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. We promote applications from all sections of the community, irrespective of background, belief, or identity, recognising the benefits that a diverse organisation can bring.

The 2024 BBSRC Fellowships scheme, offers an exciting opportunity for early career researchers. The scheme aims to support independent research within a host laboratory and foster leadership skills. Applicants on an upward trajectory to pursuing working independently and developing research leadership are encouraged to apply.

You should be able to demonstrate appropriate and relevant research or innovation experience. This could be through:

• completion of a PhD or other higher qualification
• relevant employment within a research or innovation environment

You do not need to hold, or be studying for, a PhD in order to apply.

You must also be able to evidence reasonable scientific and technical skills and competencies, in line with the ambitions of the Discovery Fellowships scheme.

If you are currently studying for a PhD, you are only eligible if you are expecting to have passed your PhD viva before 30 November 2024.

There is no limit on the number of years postdoctoral or work experience.

Holders of postdoctoral training fellowships such as the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions can apply. Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin fellows and Daphne Jackson Trust fellows who meet all eligibility requirements may also apply.

Applicants that have been included on applications as a researcher co-lead are eligible to apply, provided they still meet all eligibility criteria.

You may only submit one application for a BBSRC Fellowship scheme each year.

You should not apply if you hold, or have ever held:

• a position at lecturer level (or the equivalent in an institution other than a university)
• an equivalent competitive fellowship that allows you to establish an independent research group, and therefore independent researcher status

In addition, you should not have been offered such an appointment before taking up a BBSRC Fellowship. This applies to both fixed-term and permanent positions, and includes positions held at overseas institutions.

The total fund available for this scheme is £9,000,000.

The duration of this award is three years and must start by 1 July 2025.

There is no limit on the value of the grant. BBSRC will fund 80% of the full economic cost (FEC). They aim to award approximately fifteen grants with the funds available.

Although there is no upper FEC limit for this award, you are encouraged to justify how the resources requested are reasonable in the context of the proposed research. Please note what they will and will not fund below.

Funding can be used to support:

• personal salary
• travel and subsistence
• training activities
• research consumables
• technician support
• visa costs if required

Funding cannot be used to support:

• researchers or research staff
• purchasing of equipment (for example personal computers, laptops, other computing equipment cameras, or hiring of equipment)

Only one application is allowed from each University. Therefore, we will be running a demand management process for this scheme to select the applicant for Manchester Met. Please see below the key dates for this process. Researchers interested in developing a proposal should contact their Faculty Departmental Research Lead.

Expression of Interest (EOI) Deadline

Applicants must submit an EOI form (using the template above) to the Manchester Metropolitan University Research Development Team at [email protected] by Monday 26 August 2024.

Internal Assessment Panel

Applications will be assessed by an internal panel the week commencing 9 September 2024.

Applicants Notified of Outcome

Applicants will be notified the day following the internal assessment panel.

The selected applicant will work with the Research Development Team on their full proposal.     

DCEPT External Submission

The application from the successful applicant will be submitted to the funder on 1 November 2024.

Invited to Interview Panel

Applicants whose applications pass the eligibility and quality threshold will be invited for an interview with the selection panel in early January 2025.

The Sir Robert Boyd Fellowship is awarded, approximately once every three years, to an excellent early career researcher working in biomedicine/health research in the North West of England. DCEPT have a special (but not exclusive) interest in the health and illness of older people. By the terms of the Trust endowment, DCEPT cannot fund research exclusively focused on children.

The primary aim of the Fellowship is to support a postdoctoral researcher in the transition to becoming an independent scientist. Its secondary aim, notwithstanding the requirement for excellence, is to enable the progression of early career researchers from black, Asian or other minority ethnic backgrounds who are generally under-represented in biomedicine/health research.

Following the success of a first fellowship award in 2021/2022, DCEPT are now inviting applications for a new award in 2024/25.

• The Fellowship is open to researchers who are working, or who propose to work, in their first postdoctoral position at a University in the North West of England.
• Only one application is allowed from each University and it is expected that each participating institution will run their own internal competition to select the applicant. As part of the application process, the University will be required to provide a summary of this internal competition and how their applicant was selected. Applications will be from the researcher, sponsored by the host University.
• Fellowships will provide funding for up to £330,000 over three years and this may cover any justified cost required to perform the proposed research. This could include salary support for the proposed fellow, funding for a technician, research assistant or PhD student to work with the fellow, research consumable costs, and more.
• Ideally, but not necessarily, the fellow will be working in an area of research need relevant to older people that is relatively underfunded. For example, cancer and cardiovascular research would have a lower priority for the Trust.
• Awards will be made based on three main criteria:
  • the potential of the applicant to be a first-class independent scientist as judged on the basis of their prior academic achievements. For example, publications and awards bearing in mind the early career stage of the applicant.
  • the track record of the host research group/laboratory in conducting excellent research and in nurturing early career researchers, and the training programme that will be provided for the applicant and any additional research staff.
  • the excellence of the proposed research project and its potential to make a measurable impact in the proposed field of work.

Fellowships will provide funding for up to £330,000 over three years and may include the costs covered in the eligibility criteria outlined above.

The person specification and application process is outlined on the Fellowships recruitment website.

The website outlines the available appointments for each of the areas of research specialism.

The application window will be available for 8 weeks and will close on 29 May 2024.

Interviews will be held on-site in Manchester (where practical) in the week  commencing 17 and 24 June 2024.

We aim to make offers to successful candidates in the week commencing 3 July 2024.

Third Century Fellowship Scheme is offering a maximum of 15 fellowships across the Faculties of Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Education and Science and Engineering.

By joining our Fellowship Scheme, you’ll play a leading part in our global research offering and join our community, working collaboratively across multidisciplinary and diverse teams with state-of-the-art facilities and supportive work environment.

You will benefit from a three-year development programme including:

• exceptional research environment and facilities to support your ambitions/research
• competitive salary, excellent pension and holiday entitlement, enhanced family leave and more
• access to a three-year development programme, which will be underpinned by the Leadership Lens on the Vitae Researcher Development Framework, a well-established sector-wide tool for the career and professional development of research leaders. This will include mentorship throughout the programme and access to coaching sessions
• diverse teams, colleagues and staff networks

During the term of the fellowship, you will be publishing internationally excellent and world-leading outputs and will be pursuing external funding opportunities to realise your future research ambitions. You will also have the opportunity, when relevant, to prepare and deliver short teaching courses.

The Scheme begins with an initial appointment to a fixed-term Research Fellow post with the strong expectation to transition to permanent Senior Lecturer or as a Reader, after three years, dependant on your performance and potential as assessed through the scheme.

Applicants will be assessed competitively across the four faculties that are welcoming applications.

You can view the eligibility criteria for each appointment on the Fellowships recruitment webpages.

To be confirmed.

The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship offers outstanding early career researchers the opportunity to strengthen their experience of research and teaching in an academic environment. This scheme aims to help develop the award holder’s curriculum vitae and boost their prospects of obtaining a permanent academic post. The primary emphasis is on the completion of a significant piece of publishable research, and the integration of the award holder into the community of established scholars within their field.

To be confirmed.

To be confirmed.