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 2026 open in October

Do you have 3 years or less post-doctoral research experience and want to conduct innovative research of your own instigation?

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.

Please note that the Ramsay Memorial Fellowships have been absorbed into the 1851 Research Fellowships. The best chemist selected to hold an 1851 Research Fellowship will also be known as the Ramsay Memorial Fellow. There is no separate application form and our standard eligibility criteria applies.

  • Dr Mohamed Elzeadani

    Enhancing Connection Ductility for the Safe Design of Timber Structures

  • Dr Aisha Bismillah (Ramsay Memorial Fellow)

    Switchable Supramolecular Hosts Capable of Bio-Inspired Recognition and Communication

  • Dr Christina Woltz

    Tracking geochemical changes in organic fossils through time

  • Dr Daniel Heydecker

    Matching Bounds in Dynamical Large Deviations

  • Dr Elise Needham

    Decoding cellular communication with focused systems genetics

  • Dr Joseph Wynn

    Integrating across timescales for a dynamic perspective on avian migration

  • Dr Sophie Koudmani

    Simulating Galaxies and Supermassive Black Holes in the Multi-Messenger Era

  • Dr Adam McKenzie

    Into the Void: a new architecture for next-generation semiconductor devices

  • Dr Harriet Stanway-Gordon

    CyPeMs: New Modalities for Targeting AMR and NDD