Early-career research fellowships in Social Sciences

The Faculty of Social Sciences are keen to support outstanding candidates in a number of externally funded research schemes.

On

We welcome expressions of interest from high-quality, early-career candidates whose research interests align with those of colleagues across the Faculty of Social Sciences’ academic schools and interdisciplinary research institutes and centres.

Research within the faculty is vibrant, diverse and world-leading.

We recognise the importance of supporting early-career researchers, so provide a range of help and advice with the development of proposals.

There are also many opportunities for researcher development available to those who are successful in joining us.

Our research agenda reflects the complex challenges of our age: how to create truly sustainable growth in the face of climate change; creating an inclusive society; adapting to an ever-increasingly digital society; improving well-being throughout the life course; and how to harness innovative methods for understanding our world.

As sustained support from the host institution is essential for each funding scheme, our advice, in the first instance, is to identify a potential mentor from one of the faculty’s academic schools or research institutes and centres.

Interested applicants should then submit an expression of interest using the additional guidance under ‘Submitting an Expression of Interest’.

The aim of this is to provide some further information about you and your research interests to make sure that there is a good fit between your work and that of the school/centre you would like to join.

With our reputation for research excellence and renowned early career development opportunities, the Faculty of Social Sciences at 91Ö±²¥ can offer you an excellent environment to establish your research career.


Applying for a fellowship

If you're planning to apply for an independent fellowship, you should submit an expression of interest by:

  • Preparing a two page research proposal
  • Writing a two page project outline including aims, research questions, methods and outputs
  • Identifying which scheme you are interested in applying to
  • Identifying a school or research institute you would like to host your fellowship
  • Optionally, you may also want to identify a potential mentor in the host school or research institute

Completed documents should be emailed directly to the named contact for the school or research centre you would wish your fellowship to be hosted by.


School contacts

School of Architecture and Landscape

Dr Emma Cheatle - e.cheatle@sheffield.ac.uk

School of Economics

Professor Mich Tvede - m.tvede@sheffield.ac.uk

School of Education

Professor Jennifer Rowsell – j.rowsell@sheffield.ac.uk

School of Geography and Planning

Professor Matt Watson - M.Watson@91Ö±²¥.ac.uk

Information School

Dr Ana Vasconcelos - a.c.vasconcelos@sheffield.ac.uk

School of Journalism, Media and Communication

Dr Dmitry Chernobrov - d.chernobrov@sheffield.ac.uk

Management School

Professor Kirsty Newsome – k.j.newsome@sheffield.ac.uk 

Department of Politics and International Relations

Professor Akwugo Emejulu – a.emejulu@sheffield.ac.uk

Department of Sociological Studies

Professor Akwugo Emejulu – a.emejulu@sheffield.ac.uk


Research centre contacts

Centre for International Research on Care, Labour and Inequalities (CIRCLE)

Professor Sue Yeandle - s.yeandle@sheffield.ac.uk

iHuman

Professor Dan Goodley - D.Goodley@sheffield.ac.uk

Professor Paul Martin - Paul.Martin@sheffield.ac.uk

 

Urban Institute (UI)

Professor Beth Perry - b.perry@sheffield.ac.uk

Some schools within the faculty may offer additional support for incoming fellows (eg travel bursaries) and further details about this support can be found out when emailing the listed contact.

Some of the funding opportunities listed on this page follow a University selection process in order to select the strongest candidates.

With this in mind, you are encouraged to contact us as early as possible so support can be provided in developing a competitive proposal.


Funding opportunities

Researchers applying for fellowships in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of 91Ö±²¥ may be suitable for one or more of the following schemes.

Please note that some schemes may currently be closed for applications, but the majority of the schemes listed below run on an annual competition cycle.

The list below is not exhaustive, but highlights some of the major schemes early career researchers in the faculty often apply to.

Scheme Funder Duration Opens Closes
Postdoctoral Fellowships Economic and Social Research Council 12 months November March
British Academy 36 months August  October
Leverhulme Trust 36 months  January  February
Natural Environment Research Council 60 months August November
Royal Society 96 months July  September
Urban Studies Foundation 36 months July October
European Commission: Horizon Europe 24-36 months July September
Wellcome Trust 60 months Feb, Jun, Oct (3 rounds per year)  
* UKRI 60 months February 2024  

 * Future Leaders Fellowships - Due to the limited number of applications that can be submitted by the University, potential applicants should contact their prospective host school as soon as possible.


Current opportunities 

Applications from outstanding post-doctoral researchers are now being accepted for the 2025 round of the Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship scheme.

Further details and how to apply are available on the Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships webpage.

Centres of excellence

The University's cross-faculty research centres harness our interdisciplinary expertise to solve the world's most pressing challenges.