Fellowship opportunities in the Department of Physics and Astronomy 2025
Fellowship Opportunities 29th May 2025
The Department invites expressions of interest from potential applicants for both the STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowships (ERF) and Royal Society University Research Fellowships (URF).
Both Manchester-based and external candidates are encouraged to consider applying; we currently have 12 fellowship holders on these schemes within the department and we have a strong track record of supporting applicants. Please share this information in your networks; we particularly encourage eligible candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in the department, including women, Black, Asian and minority ethnic people, or those with disabilities.
Information on the ERF and URF can be found at the STFC and Royal Society websites below. Note that schemes have not officially opened yet, but details are available:
Ernest Rutherford Fellowship Scheme (2025) [ukri.org]
Royal Society University Research Fellowships (2025) [royalsociety.org]
Applicants should initially contact the following senior staff members as appropriate. ERF research areas are aligned with ERF sub-panels, rather than traditional departmental divisions:
| Research area | Contact | ERF/URF |
| Accelerator Physics | Darren Graham | ERF and/or URF |
| Astronomy – Galactic Astronomy – Near Universe Astronomy – Exoplanets/Solar | Richard Battye | ERF and/or URF |
| Nuclear Physics | Kieran Flanagan | ERF and/or URF |
| Particle – Astrophysics / Cosmology* | Andrew Pilkington (Particle) Richard Battye (Astrophysics) | ERF and/or URF |
| Particle – Experiment | Andrew Pilkington | ERF and/or URF |
| Particle – Theory | Jeffrey Forshaw | ERF and/or URF |
| Soft Matter | Anne Juel | URF only |
| Theory (Excluding Particle) | Ahsan Nazir | URF only |
| Biophysics | Jian Lu | URF only |
| Condensed Matter | Andrei Golov | URF only |
| Photon Physics | Mark Dickinson | URF only |
Expressions of interest
For both schemes, applicants should submit and email with three attachments (CV, publications, outline proposal):
- Scheme to be considered for (either ERF, URF or both). Most relevant sub-panel (for ERF).
- Confirmation that you are eligible for the scheme (check websites for details).
- A CV (maximum 2 pages), including:
- Research (clarifying contributions to teams where relevant).
- Career breaks where relevant.
- Teaching, service / leadership, industrial engagement / knowledge exchange.
- List of publications (identify top 5; identify and justify papers with a significant contribution if part of large collaborations).
- Outline research proposal (maximum 2 sides).
Assessment criteria
For the Ernest Rutherford Fellowship the departmental panel will use the following criteria to assess your expression of interest:
- The excellence of the research achievements of the applicant.
- The potential of the individual to lead their research discipline.
- The capability to maximise the potential of others and the ability to be, or become, a clear communicator and disseminator of knowledge.
- The excellence, timeliness, feasibility, distinctive vision and importance of the proposed research.
- Strategic alignment to STFC and Manchester priorities.
For the Royal Society URF the departmental panel will use the following criteria to assess your expression of interest:
- The scientific track record of the applicant commensurate with research experience: past achievements, research career to date, publication record, likely contribution to research field, future potential to become a research leader.
- The scientific merit, originality, significance and quality of proposed research project and likelihood of achieving goals.
- The suitability of Manchester for the research and alignment with Manchester priorities.
Deadline for consideration: End of day Sunday 29 June 2025.
Expected date Manchester will make offers to support: 16 July 2025.
If you are selected as a Manchester-supported candidate, we will work with you to prepare the full application.
Expressions should be submitted to physics-fellowships@manchester.ac.uk and copied to the appropriate senior member of academic staff in the table above.
If you have any queries about the process, please contact physics-fellowships@manchester.ac.uk
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