Alumni Opportunities

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• SGSAH AHRC DTP1 Postdoctoral Fellowships Scheme
• The British Academy ECR Network

SGSAH AHRC DTP1 Postdoctoral Fellowships Scheme

The AHRC have agreed, exceptionally, for SGSAH to use underspend from AHRC DTP1 funding for a one-off Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme. The underspend was largely generated as a direct result of COVID-19 since 2020, which curtailed expenditure on PhD researcher research activities (including international research trips, public dissemination and impact activity, as well as the delivery of in-person events and residentials).

The aim of the Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme is therefore to offer short-term fellowships to SGSAH AHRC DTP1 alumni in order to:

• enable SGSAH AHRC DTP1 funded researchers to realise the full potential of their original funding awards, which was curtailed by the impact of COVID-19, in the areas of additional primary research, impact, knowledge exchange and/or public engagement
• facilitate the production of outputs (academic and stakeholder-oriented) relating to the successful applicants’ PhD projects
• generate potential for future research projects, through pilot projects and networking
• enhance employability prospects through additional training and development

Successful applicants must take up their Fellowship as an employee at one of the SGSAH AHRC DTP1 Higher Education Institutes (HEIs; Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Glasgow School of Art, St Andrews, Stirling, Strathclyde). Applicants can stay at the HEI where their PhD was registered, or move HEI.

Each Postdoctoral Fellow will be supported by a mentor at their designated HEI, who will meet with the Fellow on a regular basis, offer career advice, and oversee the Fellow’s development and training plan. In order to facilitate the Fellow’s expanding network, the mentor will not have been on the PhD supervisory team, although they might be in the same department or HEI.

In addition to their salary, applicants can apply for up to £5000 of research expenses, in order to carry out the activities detailed in the fellowship proposal.

The Fellowships will take place between January and September 2023. The funding end date of DTP1 is 30 September 2023, and therefore all Fellowships must be completed by that date. It is anticipated that SGSAH can fund c10 9-month Fellowships, or a slightly greater number for shorter term Fellowships.

Download the Guidelines for full details:

AHRC DTP1 PDF Scheme Guidelines V4 (Version 4 | PDF document - 499 KB)

Please note, the deadline for applications has now ended. Click here to meet our 2023 AHRC Postdoctoral Fellows.

Key dates

The British Academy ECR Network

The British Academy in partnership with the Wolfson Foundation is piloting for two years an Early Career Researcher Network in three regional 'hubs'; the Midlands, Scotland and the South West region of the UK. The network is for researchers who identify as ECRs and will provide a framework for researchers to build interdisciplinary peer groups, identify and deliver support and training tailored to their needs, and develop the confidence and skills to launch successful careers.

Together with the University of Stirling, the University of Glasgow, SGSSS and 16 other Scottish HEIs, SGSAH is part of the Scotland hub. 

For more information and to sign up to the Network, please visit: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/early-career-researcher-network/