Early Career Fellowships

Early Career Fellowships is sponsored by Leverhulme Trust. This scheme aims to provide career development opportunities for those who are at a relatively early stage of their academic careers, but who have a proven record of research.

Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships | Humanities Division Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships The 2026 Leverhulme call for applications has now closed. The next deadline is expected to be February 2027. Details of how to submit an expression of interest to submit an application through a Humanities Faculty or Institute will appear below.

The deadlines for expression of interest are usually in late November or December. 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.

Applications are welcomed in any discipline, and approximately 145 Fellowships will be available in each year. The eligibility rules for the fellowship are complex, and applicants should check these carefully - s ee: https://www. leverhulme.

ac. uk/funding/grant-schemes/early-career-fellowships 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 postoc positions to pursue their own research totalling 3 or more years are not eligible to apply.

Procedure for Humanities applicants applying through Oxford We are keen to encourage prospective Early Career Fellows from outside Oxford to consider applying through the Humanities Division.

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.

Initially, you should make contact with the academic at Oxford who you would like to be your mentor, and ask if they would be prepared to undertake this role. Mentors must be permanent post-holders in the Faculty in question. Once they have agreed, follow the relevant Faculty process to submit an expression of interest in being supported by the Faculty for the submission of an application (see below).

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 across the Division per year through the generosity of the John Fell Fund.

Each year, Faculties run an Expression of Interest stage to select candidates to put forward to the Divisional selection stage; please check their websites for further information regarding this process. If you are interested in applying through Oxford for a Leverhulme ECF, please note that your expression of interest application will be assessed by the relevant Humanities Faculty in the first instance.

The relevant internal deadlines and requirements for each of the Faculties in the Humanities are listed here in the autumn. (For Social Sciences, please contact the relevant departmental administrator: https://socsci. web.

ox. ac. uk/research-support-in-departments ).

Faculty Procedures for 2027 Competition Round Faculty deadlines will be published here - typically deadlines are late November or early December. For general queries, please contact research. support@humanities.

ox. ac. uk