Early Career Fellowship Opportunities

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

  • British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships
  • 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

Applications for Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships are now live, and must be received by midday on Tuesday, 9 December 2025. For more information, please see below.

 

The 2025 round is now closed.

The next round of the British Academy International Fellowships scheme closes on 18 March 2025. The Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford is inviting Expressions of Interest from candidates which intend to apply to be based in the Faculty.

The deadline for expressions of interest is Tuesday 28 January 2025.

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. The eligibility requirements include:

  • Have a PhD, or applicants in the final stages of their PhD;
  • normally no more than seven 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 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 much have the agreement and confirmed support from 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 from a supervisor in each Faculty.

To submit an expression of interest you should submit:

  • 2 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 ask your proposed supervisor to send a statement of support separately to the relevant email address listed below by Tuesday 28 January 2025.

Your Expression of Interest documentation should be emailed to hr@theology.ox.ac.uk by Tuesday 28 January 2025.

 

The 2025 round is now closed.

The Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford invites Expressions of Interest from postdoctoral and completing graduate scholars who wish to apply for the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme for entry in 2025-26.

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 hr@theology.ox.ac.uk by noon on Wednesday 6 August 2025.

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 the same 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.

 

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 by midday on Tuesday, 9 December 2025. 

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 by the same date, 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 2025 round is now closed.

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 can last between 1 and 2 years. Note that the Humanities Division does not support Global Postdoctoral Fellowships.

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

Broadly:

  • You should have a doctoral degree by the time of the deadline for applications.
  • You must have a maximum of eight years’ experience in research, from the date of the award of their PhD degree.
  • You 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 want 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:

  • 2 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. 

Please send your supporting materials to research.support@humanities.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.

The deadline for expressions of interest is Monday 2nd June 2025. If selected, you will be provided with support to develop your application for the scheme deadline of 10 September 2025. 

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