One element of our strategy is to identify and support outstanding Early Career Researchers to progress applications for fellowships, which enable them to build strong programmes of independent research in ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ. We have an excellent track record of converting fellowships into permanent academic positions and we can provide those candidates who are selected with guidance and mentoring in developing their research career.
Our selection process for early career fellowships aims to identify candidates with excellent track records and whose research plans complement and strengthen existing research activity in the School, which is structured in the following research sections:
•ÌýÌý ÌýDigital and Data-Driven MethodsÌý
•ÌýÌý ÌýEnergy and Electrochemistry
•ÌýÌý ÌýOrganic and Biological Chemistry
•ÌýÌý ÌýSpectroscopy, Spectrometry, and Structure
•ÌýÌý ÌýSustainability and Materials
If you are interested in applying for a Fellowship to be hosted within our School, please email the following documents toÌýDHoRchem@soton.ac.uk:Ìý
For applyingÌýfor the next round ofÌý,Ìý, andÌý, you should send the above documentation by 12 June 2026. ForÌýother fellowship schemes, you should send the above documentation at least 3 months before the closing date of the fellowship call.Ìý
Candidates whose proposal is considered ‘competitive’, and whose research aligns well with the School’s research themes, will receive a strong letter of support from the Head of School and commitment of resources to ensure that the applicant can rapidly establish independent research activity in ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ. We will also provide guidance and mentoring at the application and interview stages.
Competitive fellowship schemes specifically targeted at Early Career Researchers are available through various funding bodies, charities and institutions. These schemes provide the opportunity to build an independent research career and successful applicants are expected to be strong candidates for future academic posts within the university.
Application procedures and eligibility criteria for competitive long-term fellowship schemes:
The following shorter term fellowship schemes are also available:
And the following schemes, with remit in specific research areas, are also available:
Experiences of our current and recentÌýResearch Fellows
"My University Research Fellowship has enabled me to start my independent research career and establish a nucleic acids research group. It provides the freedom and resources to explore and test new classes of nucleic acids in ways that wouldn’t be possible in a shorter timeframe."
"My Anniversary Fellowship and Pancreatic Cancer Career Foundation Fellowships offered me the chance to develop my own research ideas and establish my independence. The protected time these fellowships offered and support from the school allowed me to build my research group and create a network of interdisciplinary collaborators within UoS and beyond. These steps were essential for securing the permanent lectureship that I now hold, which I have started with a strong research foundation thanks to my time as a Fellow."
"I received an EPSRC Early Career Research Fellowship to develop an idea to make magnetic resonance much more sensitive. This fellowship - secured with excellent support from the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ - really was the starting point of my journey as an independent academic. Within two more years, this journey led to funding for a Helmholtz Young Investigator Group and an ERC Synergy grant so it has certainly been worthwhile."
"The Dorothy Hodgkin award is a forward thinking fellowship that has allowed me to further my academic career whilst working part-time, which has been invaluable whilst bringing up my two children. This fellowship provides considerable research freedom that has enabled me to establish collaborations, opening up new opportunities for my future independent research. I have benefitted greatly from mentoring from my senior colleagues, and the I know that I have managed to maintain the right balance between work and family life due to the flexibility of an academic career."Ìý
"My EPSRC early-career fellowship has been life-changing for me. It provided me time and resources to test some novel ideas in a highly competitive field, the development of next generation of batteries. I am very proud of the achievements that I and my team have accomplished, and I am truly delighted to receive recognition from some of the scientist that I most deeply admire."
"EPSRC Fellowship was the most productive time of my scientific career so far. The freedom to focus on the research work and the long-term security of a five-year grant are a rare opportunity. The Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Department at ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ has also matched the grant with two PhD studentships and some equipment funds. Result – over 30 papers published in those five years and a huge boost to my profile in the Magnetic Resonance community."
"I was fortunate enough to be awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship. The freedom and stability this fellowship gives you at the start of your career is incredible. It allowed me to build a research programme looking at some of the more weird and wonderful aspects of interlocked molecules and stereochemistry. The results of my fellowship led more or less directly to an ERC Consolidator Grant, which allowed me to expand my research programme considerably, open up some really exciting new areas and build new collaborations."
"My Royal Society URF provided the long-term stability required to carry out an ambitious programme of research that enabled me to take my early stage work on large-scale quantum chemistry calculations and advance it to a unique novel software package for simulations of complex materials, biomolecules and nanostructures, with a large numbers of atoms, that were intractable by previous quantum approaches. The methods I developed gave insights into chemical interactions and processes of such complex systems, with potential applications in drug design and catalysis. Also the URF allowed me to build up my own research group, apply for my own research grants, and become independent as a researcher, providing the springboard for my first academic position in ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ as a Lecturer."
"My Royal Society University Research Fellowship provided me with the opportunity to start with my own independent career, explore new research directions and provided me a path towards a successful research career and a permanent post within the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ. The Royal Society offers excellent courses for a wide range of skills, moreover research fellows benefit from a reduced teaching load, giving more time for personal development."
"My Royal Society University Research Fellowship allowed me the time and space to try out some challenging new research ideas and gradually build up my teaching and other activities before moving into a full academic role."