Joint Application Scheme for Early Career Research Fellowships

Further Particulars

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 13th December 2024 to 6th January 2025.


Fellowships at Churchill College

Number:

One non-stipendiary Tizard Fellowship in Maths or Physics. Applicants are expected to hold a personal fellowship or equivalent in the University or one of its associated research institutes, open to those who are employed within Cambridge University or its associated institutions for the duration of their tenure. The Fellowship is generously funded by the Tizard Fund, which was created in memory of a former Senior Tutor of the College.

One stipendiary Fellowship in History.
Entitlements:

Stipendiary Early Career Research Fellows will receive a stipend at point 31 on the university scale of stipends, if post submission of PhD. Before submission of PhD the stipend will be set at Point 27 of the University scale. As of 1 October 2023 Point 31 of the University scale is £27,381 and Point 27 is £24,533 p.a. A pay award for the year 2024/25 is pending and a further award for the year 2025/26 is also anticipated. The stipend is pensionable.

Single Fellows (stipendiary and non-stipendiary) 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 (subject to availability) on the College site will be given a 50% reduction in rent.

There is no living out allowance.

If an Early Career Research Fellow is living out of College, research space will be provided in College, subject to availability.

All Early Career 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 to take up a Fellowship https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration.

Fellowships at Clare College

Number:
Two stipendiary Fellowships in the Arts and Humanities, considering applicants in the following areas: Literature and Languages; Cultural Studies; Film Studies; Linguistics; Philosophy; Theology; Music; Architecture.
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

Number:

Two stipendiary Early Career Research Fellowships in History, Geography (Arts side), Architecture, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMES) and Social Anthropology.

Each Fellowship will normally be tenable for three years from 1 October 2025.
Entitlements:

The 2024-25 pensionable rates are: pre-PhD £23,881-26,338, post PhD £25,448-27,644. These rates will be reviewed annually from 2025 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 £3,903, 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.

Fellowships at Murray Edwards College

Number:

One stipendiary Research Fellowship in Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, supported by the Isaac Newton Trust. The current pensionable stipend in the first year is £23,159, increasing to £26,349 in the third year; this is eligible for the College’s cost of living increase.

One stipendiary Research Fellowship in Natural Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science and Clinical Sciences (the Henslow Fellowship), supported by the Cambridge Philosophical Society. The current pensionable stipend is Point 45 of the University Salary Scale (currently £40,521 per annum) this is eligible for the College’s cost of living increase.
Entitlements:

Stipendiary Research Fellows will be offered single accommodation in College, for which a service charge is payable.

All Research Fellows are members of the Governing Body and enjoy Dining Rights and a research grant. It is College policy to provide all Fellows with PCs as necessary for College teaching and administrative roles.

Fellowships at Trinity Hall

Number:

One stipendiary* Fellowship in the following Arts subjects: Ancient Philosophy; Divinity/Theology; Economics; Law (including Legal Philosophy & Criminology); Business and Management; Philosophy (including Philosophy of Science); Political Theory & Political Philosophy; Politics & International Relations; Psychology (Social Science); Sociology.

One stipendiary* Fellowship in the following Science subjects: Biological Sciences; Chemical Engineering; Chemistry; Experimental Psychology; Medical and Veterinary Sciences.

* 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 (cost of living award pending). 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:
  1. Application form and statement of research are reviewed by all Colleges along with references, and a proportion is selected for detailed assessment.
  2. 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.
  3. Written material is sent to two independent academic experts for detailed assessment. Reports are shared between Colleges.
  4. Colleges rank candidates on the basis of assessors' reports. [Fitzwilliam College, Murray Edwards College and Trinity Hall will call some of the top-ranking candidates for interview in early March 2025. Churchill College and Clare College do not interview candidates.]
  5. Final decisions are made, and successful candidates are notified by end March 2025.