Early Career Research Fellowships

In writing an application or considering the Department of Materials at Imperial College London as the host institution, you should ensure your research activity compliments the Department’s research portfolio.

After this, the main steps to take are:

• Making early contact
• Finding a sponsor to discuss sponsorship and feasibility
• Checking what the internal application processes are
• Submitting an application

To apply for a fellowship hosted in Imperial Materials, you will need an academic staff member to act as your internal sponsor. Sponsors support the development of applications, help shape proposals, and support your integration into the Department. They also, for most schemes, are committing to host your research within their lab space.

Some applicants may already have an academic at Imperial in mind and can approach them directly. It is normal to have exploratory conversations with more than one potential sponsor.

We encourage prospective applicants to contact potential sponsors early to discuss:

• Research alignment and feasibility
• Infrastructure or resource requirements
• How a proposal might be refined or strengthened
• Fit within the Department and relevant research themes

Contacting a potential sponsor and early discussions do not commit either party to an application. Sponsor availability varies, and not all staff can sponsor applications for every scheme or deadline.

Schemes often have limits of the number of candidates a sponsor can support, so we recommend starting these discussions as soon as possible!

All fellowship schemes will follow different internal processes.

• Some fellowship applications must first go through an internal process called the Departmental Assessment Process (DAP).
• Other schemes require internal selection processes, where applications are either submitted directly to Imperial or to departments first.

These internal steps are used to manage funder limits on applications, plan and coordinate submissions, and ensure proposed applications can be supported by the Department. They allow us to assess the suitability of your application regarding the Department's ability to support the fellowship you wish to apply to and to ensure that it fits our research strategy. 

Please note that application deadlines are often much sooner than funder deadlines, especially where internal application caps apply. Please see individual calls for further information.

More information on the DAP can be found here.

Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Research Fellowship

Status: Open
DAP Deadline: 29^th November 2026

The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 awards Research Fellowships to support early career scientists and engineers of exceptional promise. These fellowships are open to candidates in any branch of the physical or biological sciences, mathematics, applied science, or engineering.

Key Facts:

• Duration: 3 years
• Eligibility: hold a PhD or be completing one in year of application and normally with no more than 2.5 years postdoctoral experience by 31 January in the year of applying, normally move to a different institution from both their PhD institution and their current host institution.

We are currently welcoming candidates to submit a DAP and accompanying sponsor form. Applicants should be notified of the outcome of their submission in early December 2026. 

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships

Status: Closed
Next DAP Deadline: mid August 2027 (expected)

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie European Postdoctoral Fellowships are prestigious, EU-funded awards supporting talented researchers in developing independent careers through advanced training and international mobility. Fellowships last 12 to 24 months and are open to researchers of any nationality, provided they meet the mobility rule. Please note that we are not hosting Global Postdoctoral Fellowships.

We require all applicants to submit a DAP for approval before submission with accompanying sponsor form.

Imperial guidance

Key Facts:

• Duration: 12–24 months
• Eligibility: Doctoral degree + no more than 8 years’ full-time research experience; must not have resided or worked in the UK for more than 12 of the 36 months before the call deadline
• Resubmission restrictions: From 2026, applicants whose proposal scored below 80% in the previous call are not eligible to apply.

Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowships

Status: Closed
Next Departmental deadline: April 2027 (expected)

The RAEng Research Fellowships support outstanding early-career researchers to establish independent academic careers in engineering and applied sciences. The scheme provides long-term support to enable ambitious research programmes, international reputation-building, and meaningful impact. Fellows benefit from mentoring, professional development, networking, and opportunities to strengthen global connections, while becoming ambassadors for engineering and STEM disciplines.

Due to university-wide limits on the number of submissions, Imperial operates a competitive internal selection process for this scheme. Nominations are first shortlisted by the Department then submitted to the Imperial selection process. 

Note the scheme has moved to a two-stage application model. The first stage will require submission of an RAEng Expression of Interest (if selected by Imperial).

Key Facts:

• Duration: 5 years
• Eligibility: PhD awarded (or unconditionally approved)  ≤ 4 years before 25 June 2026. For this round only (2026/27) a margin of up to six months more than the four-year limit is acceptable.
• Department Support: Up to 2 nominations to the Imperial selection process (1 of which must be from an under-represented group)

Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship

Status: Closed

Next DAP deadline: mid September 2027 (expected)

The Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship supports early-career scientists who require flexible working arrangements due to personal circumstances such as parental or caring responsibilities or health conditions. The fellowship provides funding to help establish an independent research career and is open to researchers across the Royal Society’s scientific remit.

Applicants are expected to submit a DAP and accompanying sponsor form.

Key Facts:

• Duration: Up to 8 years
• Eligibility: Early-career researchers with up to six years of research experience post-PhD (excluding career breaks) and have or will have by the start of the fellowship a need for flexible support due to personal circumstance

Royal Society University Research Fellowship

Status: Closed
Next DAP deadline: mid-June 2027 (expected)

The Royal Society University Research Fellowship supports outstanding early-career researchers in the natural sciences who have the potential to become leaders in their field. The scheme offers up to 8 years of funding, enabling awardees to build an independent research career in a UK institution.

Key Facts:

• Duration: Up to 8 years
• Eligibility: Early-career researchers with three to eight years of research experience (excluding career breaks).

We require all applicants to submit a DAP for approval before submission with accompanying sponsor form.

While no formal restrictions apply, given the commitment levels from the Department, not all proposals submitted via DAP will be supported for a full application.

Chosen applicants will be invited to submit a full application to the scheme.

Schmidt AI in Science Fellowships

Status: Closed

Next application deadline:  Expected August/September 2027

Please Note: Materials does accept applicants to this scheme, but does not request internal selection prior the Imperial deadline.

Candidates with confirmed sponsors may submit applications direct via Talentlink. The Department receives applications and will shortlist and interview candidates.

Imperial Research Fellowships

Status: Closed
Next application deadline: Two-Stage approval

1. Department application for approval (dates TBD)
2. Submission to Imperial: July 2027 (expected)

The IRF is a prestigious four-year fellowship supporting outstanding early-career researchers in establishing independent careers at Imperial with up to £30,000 for research/travel (up to £45,000 in justified cases).

Key Facts:

• Duration: 4 years
• Start Date: Between 1 August and 1 December the year after application
• Eligibility: Up to 5 years’ postdoctoral experience, calculated from the date of PhD award to the proposed fellowship start date, excluding career breaks

After initial department review, chosen applicants will be invited to make a full submission ahead of the Imperial deadline. 

Sponsors (and co-sponsors) are limited to supporting a single fellowship application in each competition and may sponsor (or co-sponsor) only one IRF at any one time so candidates are encouraged to speak to prospective sponsors as soon as possible.

The Newton International Fellowship

Status: Closed
Next DAP Deadline: early February 2027 (expected)

The Newton International Fellowship 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. The fellowships enable researchers to access expertise, gain new perspectives and build long-lasting collaborative relationships.

Key Facts:

• Duration: 2 years
• Eligibility: Applicants must have been awarded their PhD or successfully defended their doctoral thesis by the closing date for applications; have no more than five years of active full-time postdoctoral experience (excluding career breaks but including teaching and industry research), be based outside the UK, and not hold UK citizenship.
• Each UK academic Sponsor can only support one application in any round.

UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship

Status: Closed
Next Imperial Nomination deadline: To be confirmed

The UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships scheme provides long-term, flexible support for talented early-career researchers and innovators from all disciplines and sectors to develop as influential research or innovation leaders. Fellowships support ambitious programmes, multidisciplinary questions, and new or emerging areas of research and innovation.

Imperial operates a competitive university-level managed selection process for this scheme. Information about Round 12, including the internal deadline, application requirements, selection process and institutional quota, will be published on the Imperial Future Leaders Fellowships page when confirmed.

Key Facts:

• Duration: Up to 7 years (initial 4 years with possible extension)
• Eligibility: Early-career researchers and innovators from any discipline or sector