Early Career Fellowship Opportunities

The Faculty of Theology and Religion welcomes applications for externally funded research fellowships, including the following:

  • British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships
  • ERC Starting Grants
  • Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships
  • The Leverhulme Trust's Early Career Fellowships

  • UKRI Future Leader Fellowships 

Further information about each scheme, including eligibility criteria and the timetable for submission from previous years, can be found below.

Prospective applicants will need the support of a Faculty mentor, and are encouraged to get in touch with a postholder in the relevant field. Details of our areas of expertise can be found here: https://www.theology.ox.ac.uk/faculty-postholders

Current Schemes

 

The 2027 deadline for expressions of interest for the BA International Fellowships is 12 noon (UK time), Wednesday 25 November 2026.

The BA International Fellowships are two-year Fellowships - however, the eligibility requirements are complex and you are advised to read the guidance on the BA website carefully once this is available.  The eligibility requirements are likely to include:

  • Have a PhD from a non-UK University, or will have had their viva-voce before 1 June 2027.

  • normally no more than five years of full-time postdoc experience, including teaching experience;

  • not holding UK citizenship;

  • not lived or worked in the UK in the 12 months prior to the application deadline;

  • and not already living, working or undertaking research in the UK

  • candidates cannot normally be applying to come back to the place where they did their doctorate, or to work with their previous supervisor

Applicants should ensure that they meet all the eligibility requirements, which are explained in the scheme notes on the BA website.

Submitting an Expression of Interest

You should contact a permanent post-holder in the relevant Humanities Faculty to ask if they are willing to support an application and be willing to act as a supervisor for your Fellowship. All Expressions of Interest must have the agreement and confirmed support of an Oxford supervisor in the Faculty where you wish to be based. If you want your Expression of Interest to be considered by more than one Faculty, you must have the agreement and confirmed support of a supervisor in each Faculty. 

You should bear in mind when writing your expression of interest that it will be reviewed by Faculty staff, some of whom will be outside of your specialism.   

To submit an expression of interest, you should complete the Divisional EoI form and send the completed form along with your 2-page CV to: research.support@humanities.ox.ac.uk. The deadline is 12 noon (UK time), Wednesday 25 November 2026.  Expressions of Interest received after this will not be considered.

For more information, please visit https://www.humanities.ox.ac.uk/british-academy-international-fellowships. For any queries, please contact: research.support@humanities.ox.ac.uk

 

The deadline to submit an expression of interest for the 2026 round has now passed.

This scheme is designed to enable outstanding early career scholars to obtain experience of research and teaching in the university environment, which will strengthen their curriculum vitae and improve their prospects of obtaining permanent posts by the end of the fellowship. Awards are for three years and applicants must be within three years of their successful viva examination – though exemption may be granted for reasons occurring after the date of the viva voce examination such as: maternity leave, illness, family commitments etc. Please note that unsuccessful applicants are not permitted to re-apply unless invited by the BA to do so.

Candidates who intend to apply for a BA Postdoctoral Fellowship through the Faculty of Theology and Religion are asked to submit an application form to general.administrator@theology.ox.ac.uk by 9am on 8 July 2026.

You should also ask your prospective mentor to send an email confirming their willingness to serve as your mentor, along with a brief assessment of the application, to the same address by that date. 

Please note that all applicants should have secured the agreement of a potential mentor within the Faculty, but mentors are not expected to provide any input into applications ahead of this stage.

You are also welcome to include, if appropriate, a separate statement of any circumstances that you feel may have impacted on your research track record (such as illness, parental leave, etc). 

There is no guarantee that applications which arrive after the above date will be supported or processed. Candidates selected by the Faculty will be contacted by the Division’s Research Facilitation with further information on the process and timetable for submitting your application via the British Academy application system. An online webinar for candidates selected by Faculties will be held at the beginning of September.

 

The 2026 deadline for expressions of interest has now passed.

The ERC Starting Grants scheme offers grants of €1.5 million for a period of 5 years to fund extensive programmes of research, led by a single grant-holder, and normally involving a small team of postdoctoral researchers in delivering the project.  Projects need to be ambitious and ground-breaking, with a strong justification for needing an extensive period of dedicated research. Projects with a sole Principle Investigator working alone are unlikely to demonstrate the scale of ambition the scheme is looking for. 

Eligibility: for researchers with up to 10 years of postdoctoral research experience.  In this forthcoming call, researchers will be eligible to apply for a Starting Grant immediately after successfully defending their doctorate (rather than two years after), and be eligible to apply at any time within the following ten-year period (rather than within a limit of 7 years).  Further information here.

Duration: up to five years.

Submitting an Expression of Interest

To submit an Expression of Interest you should submit:

  • 3 page (maximum) description of your project which should address the project aims, objectives, research questions, methodology and outcomes; and including the name of Faculty you wish to be considered by. You should bear in mind when writing your expression of interest that it will be reviewed by Faculty staff, some of whom will be outside of your specialism.   
  • a maximum 2 page CV. 

Please send your EoI and supporting materials to general.administrator@theology.ox.ac.uk.

 

The 2027 deadline for expressions of interest for the Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships is 12 noon (UK time), Wednesday 25 November 2026.

Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships provide an opportunity to undertake a significant piece of publishable research for those who are at a relatively early stage of their academic careers, but with a proven record of research. Awards are for three years.

Eligibility

The eligibility rules for the fellowship are complex, and applicants should check these carefully:  

https://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/funding/grant-schemes/early-career-fellowships

Broadly:

  • Candidates must have submitted their doctoral thesis for viva not more than four years prior to the application closing date unless they have since had a career break, or will have submitted it by the scheme deadline (usually in February each year).
  • Candidates must not yet have held a full-time permanent academic post.
  • Candidates must either hold a degree (any degree) from a UK University at the time of taking up the fellowship, or at the time of the application deadline have been in continuous UK academic employment for more than 4 months.
  • Candidates who have held or currently hold postdoc positions to pursue their own research totalling 3 or more years are not eligible to apply.

Application Procedure

The Leverhulme Trust requires the host university to fund 50% of the overall fellowship cost. The Oxford Humanities Division is normally able to support around six applicants per year across the Humanities Division through the John Fell Fund. Each year, the Faculty of Theology and Religion runs an Expression of Interest stage to select candidates to put forward to the Divisional selection stage.

We encourage prospective Early Career Fellows from outside Oxford to consider applying. Applicants currently at Oxford University who have not already moved institutions in the course of their academic career (e.g. between their undergraduate and postgraduation studies) should, however, nominate a new host university, unless they can demonstrate clear evidence of the academic and/or personal reasons for remaining at Oxford, such as access to specialist materials, or family commitments.

Candidates should return an Expression of Interest form, including research statement and CV, to general.administrator@theology.ox.ac.uk. 

Candidates should also identify a suitable mentor from among the permanent postholders of the Faculty of Theology and Religion. When a potential mentor has been identified and their support secured, you must ask them to complete a Mentor Statement and send it to the same address, or you can return it with your Expression of Interest.

Both forms are available below.

Once the Faculty has considered the applications and forwarded its recommendation to the Humanities Division, successful candidates will be supported by a Divisional Research Facilitator in completing the full Leverhulme application. A workshop with all selected candidates from across the Division will take place in January.

 

The deadline for expressions of interest has now passed.

The Humanities Division at the University of Oxford is inviting expressions of interest from candidates wishing to apply for an EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie European Postdoctoral Fellowship to be based in one of the Humanities Faculties.  

Marie Skłodowska-Curie European Postdoctoral Fellowships are prestigious EU funded fellowships, lasting up to 2 years, which can bring overseas early career researchers to Oxford to work with an identified supervisor.

Check the detailed guidance for the scheme carefully to ensure you are eligible.  

Broadly:

  • Applicants should have a doctoral degree by the time of the deadline for applications.
  • Applicants must have a maximum of eight years’ experience in research, from the date of the award of their PhD degree.
  • Applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the UK for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.

Submitting an Expression of Interest

You should contact a permanent post-holder as soon as possible to ask if they are willing to act as a supervisor for your fellowship. All Expressions of Interest must have the agreement and confirmed support from a supervisor in the Faculty of Theology and Religion. If you wish your Expression of Interest to be considered by more than one Faculty, you must have the agreement and confirmed support from a supervisor in each Faculty.

To submit an Expression of Interest you should submit:

  • 3 page (maximum) description of your project which should address the project aims, objectives, research questions, methodology and outcomes; and including the name of Faculty you wish to be considered by, and the name of the agreed supervisor. You should bear in mind when writing your expression of interest that it will be reviewed by Faculty staff, some of whom will be outside of your specialism.   
  • a maximum 2 page CV. 
  • you should also ask your proposed supervisor to send an email confirming their support and availability over the summer to provide input and feedback on your application.

Please send your EoI and supporting materials to general.administrator@theology.ox.ac.uk 

Candidates may also provide a statement of any circumstances which they feel may have impacted on their research track-record; for example, caring responsibilities, periods of maternity or paternity, etc.

For general queries, please contact research.support@humanities.ox.ac.uk 

For information about early career opportunities provided by the Humanities Division, please see: https://www.humanities.ox.ac.uk/early-career-opportunities