Profesor Chris Hays (in focus) and (out of focus) a diagram of the ATLAS detector which forms part of the LHC at CERN, with lines to show a particle collision and the resulting outputs of that collision.

STFC Ernest Rutherford fellowships

Fellowship applications

The Science and Technology Facilities Council offer 10 Fellowships each year to early-career researchers in astronomy, solar and planetary science, particle physics, particle astrophysics, cosmology and nuclear physics. A quota system applies for each university and so the department runs an annual internal selection process for this scheme. It is therefore essential that you contact the research facilitation team fellowships(at)physics.ox.ac.uk and a member of academic staff with a research area similar to your interests as soon as possible for further information and guidance.

Funding is available for 5 years including applicant's salary, and limited research expenses and travel funding. Applicants must not have a permanent academic position, or equivalent and should refer to STFC's competency profile to determine their eligibility. The scheme is open to applicants of any nationality and further guidance is available on the STFC website. From 2023 applications are submitted through the new TFS portal (rather than JeS). 

Deadlines and timescales (2023)

  • 5th July 2023 - Internal EOI Deadline. The department is running an internal sifting process and applicants are asked to submit an expression of interest (EOI) by the 5th of July to fellowships@physics.ox.ac.uk.
  • EOIs should consist of a one-page summary of the research proposal, CV and publication list. Applicants should cc in their Oxford Physics sponsor (an academic based in the department who supports your application) and also include the name of their second reader for the application. Please discuss and confirm the support of your sponsor before submitting your EOI. 

Guidance and useful info

Once we know that you intend to apply, and have been selected as one of the department's allocated entries we will be able to send you our internal guidance documents. We will also be running training for selected candidates in late July. 

The interview stage is an important part of the selection process so if you are invited for interview please notify the facilitation team and your local academic contacts as soon as possible so that mock interviews can be arranged in advance of the real interview.