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The Commonwealth Academic Fellowships will support early-mid career academics from low- and middle-income Commonwealth countries to spend 3 months at a Imperial, undertaking research and academic work in their field.
Fellowships will take place between February and May 2027.
Applications are now open and will close on Tuesday 25th August at 16.00 BST.
The Fellowship covers travel costs and a living stipend.
Eligibility for Fellows includes:
- Commonwealth citizenship and permanent residence in an eligible LMIC Commonwealth country
- PhD holder and early-mid career academic (we expect applicants to be no more than ~10 years post PhD)
- Academic/researcher employment at a university in an eligible country
- Have not held a Commonwealth Academic Fellowship in the previous five years
- Eligible LMIC countries:
Bangladesh, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Dominica, Eswatini, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia
Applications are made directly to the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission (CSC), and final selection recommendations will be made to CSC by an Imperial panel. As the Fellows will be hosted in an academic department at Imperial, candidates must identify an Imperial group/department willing to host them before finalising the application, for the application to be considered by Imperial.
What hosting involves:
- Agreeing in principle, at this stage, to host a Fellow in your department/research group if their application is successful. For shortlisted candidates, a brief statement of support will be required to share with the Imperial panel.
For questions relating to the opportunity, please contact Francesca Skillicorn (f.skillicorn@imperial.ac.uk)
Guidance
In the application form, applicants are expected to demonstrate:
Qualifications & Experience
- List all university qualifications (undergrad & postgrad)
- Up to 10 publications/prizes (if applicable)
- Employment history with relevance to proposed placement at Imperial (100 words per role)
- Statement on how prior experience relates to the Fellowship (300 words)
- 2 references addressing capacity to benefit and future development impact (one must be current employer)
Development Impact Statement
- Relevance (200 words) – Link to development theme 'Science and Tech for Development'
- Application of skills (100 words) – How skills will be used post-Fellowship
- Expected change (250 words) – Outcomes, timeframe, and beneficiaries
- Measuring impact (100 words) – How impact will be assessed
Objectives
- Award objectives and how the Fellowship will meet them
- 2-year objectives and how they'll be met
- Long-term objectives and how they'll be met
Personal Statements
- Personal background & motivation to drive impact, including barriers overcome (500 words)
- Voluntary activities and leadership experience (500 words)
Applications are made directly to the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission (CSC), and final selection recommendations will be made to CSC by an Imperial panel. As the Fellows will be hosted in an academic department at Imperial, candidates must identify an Imperial group/department willing to host them before finalising the application, for the application to be considered by Imperial and include this in their application.
Eligible Fellows:
- Commonwealth citizenship and permanent residence in an eligible LMIC Commonwealth country
- PhD holder and early-mid career academic (we expect applicants to be no more than ~10 years post PhD
- Academic/researcher employment at a university in an eligible country
- Have not held a Commonwealth Academic Fellowship in the previous five years
- Eligible LMIC countries:
Bangladesh, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Dominica, Eswatini, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia
Further information can be found under 'Fellow Eligibility' in the CSC application portal.
We expect most applicants to be current collaborators with Imperial academics. However, individuals looking for new collaborators and connections are welcome to apply.
We will not consider applications that do not include information about the department/group at Imperial who will host them. We will also not consider applications and CVs sent directly to Imperial email addresses. All applications must be made via the CSC portal.
For queries, please contact Francesca Skillicorn, f.skillicorn@imperial.ac.uk