POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS

We are awaiting confirmation from the ESRC regarding the launch of this competition. This page will be updated as soon as this information is available.

WHAT IS A POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP?

A Post-Doctoral Fellowship (PDF) is intended to provide an opportunity for early career researchers to consolidate their PhDs through developing publications, their networks, and their research and professional skills.

WHAT IS ON OFFER?

Successful applicants will receive funding for a PDF for up to one year full-time or up to two years part-time. In exceptional cases, applicants can apply for a Fellowship for up to 18 months. However, this must be fully justified by the programme of activities being proposed.

PDF awards include paying the Fellow a salary for the duration of their award and providing up to £10,000 to support their work (e.g. funding for attending conferences). The awards also cover other costs (e.g. office space and IT support) which are paid directly to the Fellow’s home university.

AM I ELIGIBLE FOR A SENSS ESRC-FUNDED PDF?

Please check your eligibility carefully, as this call is only open to those who have:

1) Completed their PhD at a UK university; AND,

2) Either been awarded their PhD by the Fellowship start date of date to be confirmed, or passed their viva voce with no changes or only minor corrections by the application deadline of 4.00 pm GMT on date to be confirmed (if major corrections are/were required to your thesis, you will not be eligible this year unless you can show that your corrections have been submitted and approved by the call closing date); AND,

4) Had no more than 12 months of active post-doctoral research experience since passing their viva (at full-time equivalent and allowing for career breaks) by date to be confirmed.

WHICH UNIVERSITIES CAN I APPLY TO?

The SENSS Doctoral Training Partnership consists of eight universities across the south and east of the UK. Click here to find out which universities are part of SENSS.

WHICH THEMES OR DISCIPLINES CAN I APPLY FOR?

SENSS offers awards across all its six inter-disciplinary Themes. Click here for more information about these Themes.

 

HOW DO I APPLY FOR A PDF? 

SENSS has a two-phase application process: phase one consists of an expression of interest phase (outlined below), the deadline for which is 12pm GMT (noon) date to be confirmed. If applicants are successful in phase one, under phase two they will be invited to put in a full application, the deadline for which is date to be confirmed. After this deadline, the review process will begin. Those who are shortlisted for interview on date to be confirmed will be advised of this by date to be confirmed. If you are applying for a PDF, please hold date to be confirmed in your diary as this is the only day on which interviews will be held.

HOW DO I FIND OUT MORE? 

The SENSS Director, Professor Fragkiskos Filippaios, will be holding three webinars for potential applicants and mentors. These will be conducted on:

Wednesday 12 November 2025 (6pm - 7.30pm GMT) . Recording of this sessions is available here.

Wednesday 14 January 2026 (12pm - 1.30pm GMT). Registration link: https://essex-university.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iVD5073ZS6qTeSQR9mOQeQ

Recordings of past sessions can be found on our YouTube channel here.

PHASE ONE OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS

Step one: read the ESRC’s documents (see below) carefully, and ensure you are eligible for a PDF.

Step two: if you are eligible, start thinking about your topic and programme of work.

Step three: at the same time, identify an academic you think would be best-suited to being your primary mentor, and make contact with them. The ESRC requires Fellows to have a mentor based at the university at which they hold their Fellowship, and states that “a secondary mentor is permitted”. Please note that SENSS requires its Fellows to have two mentors during their Fellowship: one must be based at the Fellow’s home university, and one at a different SENSS university. SENSS has taken this position, which is endorsed by the ESRC, because we believe that having a second mentor from a different SENSS university strengthens the Fellow’s research, exposes the Fellow to different institutional practices, and increases the Fellow’s access to professional academic and non-academic networks. Our current and former Fellows’ experience has borne this out. Therefore, applicants must name two mentors if they are invited to submit full applications.

Step four: submit your expression of interest (EoI) to SENSS via HEIApply by 12.00pm noon GMT on date to be confirmed. We require you to submit an EoI by the deadline so that we can gauge demand and, most importantly, support you in your application, including working with you on your costings. We anticipate that the EoI phase of this competition will open on date to be confirmed. A document which gives an indication of the questions asked in the EoI will be available here soon.

Please note the following:

  • If you do not submit an EoI by date to be confirmed, you will be automatically excluded from the remainder of the competition.

  • You may only apply to one SENSS university for a PDF. You may also submit applications to other universities which are part of other ESRC-funded DTPs, but you must tell us if you do so.

  • If you are invited to put in a full application, you will receive a decision on that application by date to be confirmed.

  • You will be expected to start your PDF on date to be confirmed.

OUTCOME OF THE EXPRESSION OF INTEREST PHASE

After the deadline of date to be confirmed, the university to which you have applied will review your EoI and, if your application is deemed sufficiently strong when viewed against the selection criteria set out by the ESRC, you will be contacted and invited to submit a full application.

 

ESRC PDF APPLICATION DOCUMENTS - These documents will be available once the ESRC launches this year’s PDF competition