Postdoctoral Fellowships

We are not currently accepting applications to the 2026 scheme.

The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship offers outstanding early career researchers the opportunity to strengthen their experience of research and teaching in an academic environment. This scheme aims to help develop the award holder’s curriculum vitae and boost their prospects of obtaining a permanent academic post. The primary emphasis is on the completion of a significant piece of publishable research, and the integration of the award holder into the community of established scholars within their field.

The Fellowship is tenable for three years, starting Autumn 2026 in a UK-based university or higher education institution. Candidates can only apply once to this scheme. If you have previously applied and failed to reach the second stage you are not eligible to re-apply.

Applicants should make sure they are eligible to apply to this scheme prior to an application being made to the School. For full eligibility details please refer to the BA Website.

We are currently accepting Expressions of Interest for this scheme. Please send a draft proposal of no more than 1500 words, together with a brief 2 page CV to the School Finance, Research and HR Administrator, Laura Elliott, by 5pm on Monday 11th August 2025. The project should also be able to demonstrate strong fit in terms of our School’s research profile and you should identify an appropriate mentor with whom you’ve spoken in advance: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/elll/research/

The NINE DTP (Northern Ireland and the North East) Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme is designed for early career researchers who have had their viva (and either passed or passed with minor revisions) no later than 25 March 2025. They also may have had no more than 12 months of postdoctoral research experience, measured from the applicant’s viva voce pass date to the application deadline of 25 March 2025. This opportunity will support scholars wishing to consolidate their PhD through developing publications, expanding networks, and enhancing their research and professional skills.

This is a one-year (or two-years part-time) fellowship. A key component of the scheme is the opportunity to be mentored by a permanent member of staff working in language and linguistics at Newcastle (for details, see: https://www.ninedtp.ac.uk/linguistics/).

Please contact your proposed mentor well in advance of the application deadline. The mentor will work closely with you on the application proposal, and the School’s Director of Research in Linguistics (heike.pichler@ncl.ac.uk) will also provide support. For these reasons, we have an internal deadline that is earlier than the NINE deadline. For submissions in 2025, we require that the applicant submit their completed application to SELLL by February 17, 2025.

Submitting an Application: Applicants must have received their PhD from a UK Research Organisation. Please check the NINE website for detailed information on eligibility and the application process: https://www.ninedtp.ac.uk/postdoctoral-fellowship-scheme/

We welcome expressions of interest from excellent international researchers interested in applying for a European Commission Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship with a research project to be hosted in the School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics at Newcastle University.

The standard duration of the European fellowships must be between 12 and 24 months and have a research project as their focus, with a strong element of advanced training both in the research area and in transferable skills. The ideal fellow will be able to engage in a two-way transfer of knowledge, acquiring skills and/or knowledge from Newcastle researchers and sharing their expertise with them.

Applicants must have a compelling track record, appropriate to their career stage, of peer-reviewed publications in internationally recognised outlets, conference invitations or other indicators of success. Applicants must meet the scheme's eligibility criteria.

On the deadline closing date, candidates:

• Must have a PhD degree. This includes applicants who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded their doctoral degree. The successful defence must be unconditional (no further requirements/corrections that need to be addressed) and take place before the MSCA submission deadline.
• Must have a maximum of eight years experience in research from the date on which the PhD was awarded.
• Cannot have spent more than 12 months of the past 3 years (immediately before the call deadline) in the UK.

Please consult the full eligibility criteria before submitting an expression of interest.

The EU provides support for the recruited researcher in the form of

• a living allowance
• a mobility allowance
• if applicable, family, long-term leave and special needs allowances

In addition, funding is provided for

• research, training and networking activities
• management and indirect costs

The next round for applications will open on 10^th April 2025.

Internal Selection process:

Prospective candidates should identify a potential supervisor and contact them to discuss their project and ensure the identified supervisor is happy to support them. Candidates are advised to work closely with their supervisor to develop their Expression of Interest.

Please complete the relevant Expression of Interest Proforma below and send it, including your CV, to Laura.Elliott@newcastle.ac.uk by midday UK time on Tuesday 6 May 2025. Please download and save the form locally. Files should have your name as the file name. 

• Expression of Interest Proforma for the European MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship 

Applications which do not include both components and/or which are over-length will not be considered. Successful candidates will be contacted by 30^th May with further guidance and support for the purposes of submitting a full application with the nominated supervisor. Please note that to satisfy the requirement of institutional approval, applications need to be ready to submit one week prior to the published funder deadline. The deadline for the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships is 10^th September 2025.