Research Fellowships
Overview
Giving early career scientists or engineers of exceptional promise the opportunity to conduct research of their own instigation.
Open to candidates intending to conduct research in any of the physical or biological sciences, in mathematics, in applied science, or in any branch of engineering*. The ultimate objective is to contribute to the knowledge base required for a healthy and innovative national culture. Around eight awards are made each year.
*Engineers proposing research which addresses the primary infrastructure needs of modern society should apply for a Brunel Fellowship.
Applications for 2027 are open
Fellowships are held from 1 October in the year of award for a period of typically 3 years, and offers cannot be deferred to a later year.
The Commission receives around 300-500 applications per year for 9 awards. The success rate is around 2-3%.
2026 Fellows
Previous Research Fellows-
Dr Christopher Woodgate
Designing sustainable permanent magnet materials using machine-learned interatomic potentials
University of Cambridge
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Dr Gabriela Carvalho Silva
Towards a New Generation of Stellar Age Calibrators
University of Warwick
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Dr Duncan O’Brien
Ecological time lags and their importance for causal inference
University of Sheffield
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Dr James Rawson
Could our ancestors hear dinosaurs? Modelling hearing across mammalian origins
King’s College London
-
Dr Ally Peccia
Novel isotope approach reveals climatic forcing of large volcanic eruptions
University of St Andrews
-
Dr Jessica Pritchard
Rubisco regulation during the transition to CAM photosynthesis
Lancaster University
-
Dr Yonadav Barry Ginat
Our Resonant Galactic Centre
University of Oxford
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Dr Yuyang Huang
Navigating Complex Optimization Landscapes: Control, Particle Systems, and Low-Dimensional Structure
University of Oxford