Is it a requirement of the Fellowship to be based in a particular location?
Postdoctoral fellows need to hold a doctorate from a UK or Irish university but the fellowship may be taken up in any part of the world where you can undertake the research you propose. The Society is unable to sponsor visa applications for residence in the UK or Ireland.
Can I use the Fellowship to turn my PhD thesis into publications or does my research proposal need to focus on a new project?
It does not need to be an entirely new project but you will want to demonstrate how the funding will enable you to achieve research goals which would otherwise not be possible. So, if your intention is to revise your thesis, you will want to demonstrate that you will be engaged in further research. If all of the research has effectively been done already by the start of the Fellowship period and you are more focused simply on the editing and production of publications, then this may not make for as strong an application.
Can I simply revise an application I am making elsewhere for this Fellowship?
You can certainly revise an application but do tailor it to the half-time, one-year provision of funding that the Society can provide. Over-promising will not help you: be realistic about what you could achieve in the time available.
Can a Fellowship be held alongside other awards?
We are very conscious that our finances only allow us to provide half-time support. It is up to you how you use that support through the year. What is important is that other awards or employment do not take up the equivalent of 50% of your time over the year.
Can the five-year period following my PhD award be extended to allow for career-breaks for maternity leave or extended illness or caring responsibilities?
Following the established practice of major funders, the SRS Fellowships judging panel will factor career breaks and periods of parental leave into calculations for eligibility. We will accept applications from those presenting the case for unavoidable interruption in their studies. All that this requires from applicants is clarification of the relevant dates in your application.
Can I send my application and/or references to you directly?
All applications should be submitted through the submission interface on the SRS website. All references will be submitted through the SRS website.
Do I personally need to instruct my referees to send their references to you?
Once your application is submitted the referees that you have identified will be contacted automatically.
Will only shortlisted applicants be asked to submit references?
All applications will need to be supported by references who will be contacted automatically once your submission is in.
Do you review draft applications or offer any feedback on unsuccessful applications?
In the interests of fairness and due to the large numbers of applications that we receive, we are unable to review draft submissions or offer feedback at any point.
If you have any queries, please contact the Society’s Fellowship Officer, Dr Jan Machielsen.
August 2023