Brunel University London will support a number of Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship applications in the 2016 competition.  Applications for this competition require the support of a member of Brunel staff who is willing to act as mentor.  Brunel will hold an internal competition to decide which applications will be put forward under the scheme and should not approach The Leverhulme Trust directly at this stage.

The Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship scheme is aimed at scholars who are at a relatively early stage of their academic careers and who have a proven record of research.  Applicants must hold an awarded doctorate (or have equivalent research experience), and must not hold or have held a permanent academic position in a UK university or comparable institution.  Candidates must check that they are eligible for the scheme before proceeding with the application process described below.  More information can be found on the Leverhulme Trust website.

How To Apply

If you are interested in applying for a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship to be hosted by Brunel University London and you meet the necessary eligibility criteria, please contacthilary.lynch@brunel.ac.uk as soon as possible.

Candidates should email the application materials listed below to Hilary Lynch no later than 4pm, Friday 25 November 2016. 

• a one-page (maximum) CV including education, publications, any awards, thesis title and examiners.
• a two-page (maximum) draft statement of research (use similar headings to that in the Leverhulme scheme’s notes of guidance).
• a 150 word abstract summarising the research for a general audience.
• the name of the Brunel staff member who has agreed to act as mentor, should your application be successful. If you require help identifying a Brunel mentor, please contact Hilary Lynch for information and guidance (hilary.lynch@brunel.ac.uk; 01895 267953).
• the names of up to three academic referees. Candidates should ask their referees to email copies of reference letters directly to hilary.lynch@brunel.ac.uk by the deadline above.

The Selection Process

Selection will be made on the basis of application materials, no interview will be held.  All applications will be considered by a panel of senior academic staff that will decide which candidates will be put forward to the Leverhulme Trust.  In assessing applications, the group will be guided by the quality of the proposed research project, its relevance to Brunel’s research priorities, and by the applicant’s potential to produce published work which is internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour. The panel will also bear in mind the Leverhulme Trust’s emphasis on the originality of the project, the significance of the project, the ability to judge and take appropriate risks in the project and the removal of barriers between traditional disciplines.

We aim to inform successful candidates by 2 December 2016. Successful candidates will be expected to work closely with their prospective mentor to prepare a final version of their application and will be provided with additional support from the Research Support and Development Office. The application must be submitted to the University by 31 January 2016 for final assessment, prior to the Leverhulme Trust submission date of 2 March 2017.