Mathematical sciences postdoctoral fellowship

Mathematical sciences postdoctoral fellowship is sponsored by Innovate UK. Mathematical sciences postdoctoral fellowship. Funding opportunity from Innovate UK.

Apply via the UKRI portal.

Mathematical sciences postdoctoral fellowship – UKRI Funding opportunity: Mathematical sciences postdoctoral fellowship Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 19 February 2025 9:00am UK time Last updated: 2 June 2026 - see all updates These are personal, career development focused awards.

more than four years’ experience in a relevant field by the start of your fellowship You must be hosted and supported by an eligible UK research organisation during your fellowship. Your Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) fellowship can be up to three years long and may be held part time. Your fellowship must focus on research where the majority of the research novelty lies within our mathematical sciences remit.

To lead a project, you must be based at an eligible organisation. Check if your organisation is eligible You can apply if you have a PhD or have worked in a relevant field for at least four years by the start date of your fellowship. This is an early career fellowship for those that have not already been in receipt of significant funding or been leading in an area of technical development.

You could consider applying for a postdoctoral fellowship if you: have recently started formulating your own research ideas for programmes of work up to three years in duration that will deliver high quality research with a focus on mathematical sciences can demonstrate that you have acquired the skills and expertise to successfully deliver your research proposal have not previously held a significant grant (usually defined as those that included postdoctoral research associate (PDRA) time, capital equipment, or were over £100,000 full economic cost (FEC)) have identified training and development needs to enable you to prepare for an enhanced career in research and innovation There are no eligibility rules about how many years of postdoctoral experience you need.

You do not need to hold a permanent academic position to be eligible for postdoctoral fellowships. Your employment status may vary by host institution.

You can apply for a postdoctoral fellowship if: your programme of work will last up to three years in duration and will deliver high quality research within mathematical sciences you have identified areas for your continued research and professional development that will enable you to expand or enhance your role and career professional development is not limited to formal training courses and can include acquiring additional skills and experience through formal, informal routes or both, which will need to be fully justified and subject to peer review We encourage applications from candidates who have taken a non-standard career path after their first degree.

We also welcome applications from candidates who want to move back into research after a career break or any other type of break from active research. Candidates with more research experience may prefer to apply for the open fellowship or open plus fellowship .

We expect eligible research organisations to select through inclusive processes, support the most suitable candidates for these fellowships, and identify the additional support and resources they will provide the applicant if successful.

If you are a research organisation, you must: make sure that the experience, aims and aspirations of the applicant are suitable for a fellowship application commit to supporting the applicant to ensure their knowledge and expertise in implementing good practice and in creating a modern and inclusive research environment is continually updated identify the additional support you will provide to ensure successful fellowship delivery and opportunities for the applicant to expand or enhance their current role We will not accept uninvited resubmissions of projects that have been submitted to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) or any other funder.

Find out more about EPSRC’s resubmissions policy . Equality, diversity and inclusion We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.

We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes: support for people with caring responsibilities alternative working patterns UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.

We are committed to the continued support of excellent responsive, discovery led research as detailed in EPSRC’s Strategic Delivery Plan 2022 to 2025 . Our fellowships are a prestigious individual award aimed at ambitious and talented researchers and technical professionals who wish to develop, expand or establish a programme of research.

Your fellowship must focus on research where the majority of the research novelty lies within our mathematical sciences remit. For more info on the scope of mathematical science at EPSRC please see Mathematical sciences theme . Applications where the majority of the research is within the remits of other themes in EPSRC or other research councils will be rejected.

For interdisciplinary projects, this funding opportunity is open for applications for development of novel mathematical and statistical tools to applications. This could include novel combinations of existing mathematical techniques. Application of mature or well-established methodologies into applications is not within remit of this funding opportunity.

For proposals at the interface of Theoretical Physics, Mathematical Physics and Particle Physics, Cosmology and related areas, candidates are advised to read this joint statement between Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and EPSRC . We will work with other research councils to ensure that applications close to remit boundaries are assessed by the most appropriate lead council.

We encourage you to contact us first to discuss your proposal if you believe your research may cross research council boundaries. See our remit query form . Our fellowships present an accelerated pathway to progression and success on your career journey.

Postdoctoral fellowship schemes are designed to be flexible and enable you to design a programme around your individual needs, with freedom to design a package that fits your career ambitions, research needs and personal and professional development requirements. Successful fellowships can include elements of community engagement and advocacy, research leadership, and drive positive change in the research environment.

You can apply for up to three years for a postdoctoral fellowship award. We expect most of our fellows to hold the fellowship for 100% of their time. If you work part time, you can hold your EPSRC fellowship part time as well, at a minimal level of 50% full time equivalent.

In these circumstances, the duration of your fellowship can be extended proportionally to a maximum duration of six years. If you do not work part-time, you may hold our fellowship for between 50% and 100% of your time. This must be clearly justified in your application.

However, the total fellowship duration will be fixed at three years. There is no limit on the value of the grant. We will fund 80% full economic cost (FEC) of your project.

equipment and other items required to carry out the project We will not fund costs for additional researchers on postdoctoral fellowships or individual items of equipment over £25,000 (including VAT). Supporting skills and talent We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment .

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks. See further guidance and information about TR&I , including where you can find additional support.

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service, so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system. The fellow is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.

Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI. Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page: Confirm you are the fellow. Answer questions directly in the text boxes.

You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.

Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.

Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI. Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

You should: use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words insert each new image onto a new line provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit) ensure files are smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format Watch our research office webinars about the Funding Service .

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see: how applicants use the Funding Service how research offices use the Funding Service how reviewers use the Funding Service References should be included within the word count or page limit of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application. Hyperlinks can be used in reference information.

When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that: references are easily identifiable by the assessors references are formatted as appropriate to your research persistent identifiers are used where possible General use of hyperlinks Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information.

You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.

For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment . This funding opportunity is always open, with no closing date, so there is no specific deadline for applications. We will begin the assessment process as soon as an application is received, ensuring that you receive a timely decision.

We are committed to holding regular decision points throughout the year. Due to system limitations, a closing date will appear on the Funding Service. Please disregard this date while preparing your application and submit it when you are ready.

Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.

If your application is rejected and invited for resubmission, we aim to complete the assessment process within nine months of receiving your resubmission, rather than from the date of your original application. Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment.

If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected. EPSRC as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications. We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely.

For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice . If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email maths@epsrc. ukri.

org Include in the subject line: [Mathematics open fellowship; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].

Typical examples of confidential information include: individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave) additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection the application is an invited resubmission For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice .

Institutional matched funding There is no requirement for matched funding from the institutions hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the application, beyond the standard 20% FEC. Expert reviewers and panels assessing UKRI funding applications must not consider levels of institutional matched funding as a factor on which to base recommendations.

Direct and in-kind contributions from third party project partners are encouraged. This policy does not remove the need for support from host organisations who must provide the necessary research environment and infrastructure for award-specific activities funded by UKRI. For example, research facilities, training and development of staff.

EPSRC as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at EPSRC Funding Application Outcomes . If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research . In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.

We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information.

Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example: the wider research community Guidance for writing a summary Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of: the challenge the project addresses potential applications and benefits List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following: professional enabling staff For fellowships, the role of fellow will be responsible for intellectual leadership and management (equivalent to project lead).

You can only list one fellow on the application. UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘Specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications . Create a document that includes your responses to all criteria. The document should not be more than six sides of A4, single spaced in paper in 11-point Arial (or equivalent sans serif font) with margins of at least 2cm.

You may include images, graphs, tables. You can have an additional page for a diagrammatic workplan. For the file name, use the unique Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application, followed by the words ‘Vision and Approach’.

Save this document as a single PDF file, no bigger than 8MB. Unless specifically requested, please do not include any sensitive personal data within the attachment. If the attachment does not meet these requirements, the application will be rejected.

The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply. What are you hoping to achieve with and how will you deliver your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response For the Vision, explain how your proposed work: is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s) has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area of its focus is timely given current trends, context and needs impacts world-leading research, society, the economy or the environment Within the Vision section we also expect you to: identify the potential direct or indirect benefits and who the beneficiaries might be For the Approach, explain how you have designed your work so that it: is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how you will manage them if applicable, uses a clearly written and transparent methodology if applicable, summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built on and progressed will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place, and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work References may be included within this section.

Applicant capability to deliver Why are you the right individual to successfully deliver the proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Evidence of how you have: the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to make best use of the benefits presented by this funding opportunity to develop your career the right balance of skills and aptitude to deliver the proposed work contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community the appropriate team working or leadership skills (appropriate to career stage) You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

Further details are provided in the Funding Service. The word limit for this section is 2500 words, 2000 words to be used for R4RI modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions. Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format to showcase the range of relevant skills you have and how this will help to deliver the proposed work.

You can include specific achievements and choose past contributions that best evidence your ability to deliver this work. Complete this section using the following R4RI module headings. You should use each heading once, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI .

You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills you bring: contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships contributions to the wider research and innovation community contributions to broader research or innovation, users and audiences, and towards wider societal benefit Additions: Provide any further details relevant to your application.

This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them). You should complete this section as a narrative.

Do not format it like a CV. The roles in funding applications policy has descriptions of the different project roles. Why is this fellowship the right way to develop your career, and how will you use it to benefit others?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Ensure that you have identified: career development goals appropriate to the fellowship funding opportunity how the fellowship will provide a feasible and appropriate trajectory for your personal development and to achieve your stated career development goals (as appropriate to your career stage and field) how you will instigate positive change in the wider research and innovation community, for example through Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), advocacy or advisory roles, stakeholder engagement, participation in peer review, influencing policy, public engagement, or outreach Within the Career development section we also expect you to describe: how you will ensure continued research and professional development in those you will be managing on the project, to have a positive research and innovation experience, with opportunities or support to progress their own careers (useful links Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and Technician Commitment ) how the proposed work will provide a feasible and appropriate trajectory for you to acquire additional skills, like research, leadership, communication and management what mentoring arrangements are proposed and how they are appropriate to you Host organisation support How will the host organisation support your fellowship?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Provide a support statement including: evidence detailing how the host will support you, as appropriate for your career development and the vision and approach of the fellowship who you have engaged with in your host organisation (name and role) how your research environment will contribute to the success of the work, in terms of suitability of the host organisation and strategic relevance to the project how the host organisation will ensure your time commitment to the fellowship is protected what development and training opportunities will be provided and how they form a cohesive career development package tailored to your aims and aspirations what financial or practical support, such as access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment, is being provided and how this strengthens your application Resources and cost justification What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular: significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences) any equipment that will cost more than £25,000 any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities all facilities and infrastructure costs all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’ Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources.

Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work: are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes maximise potential outcomes and impacts Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI) What are the ethical or RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work?

If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why. What the assessors are looking for in your response Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated: the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations how you will manage these considerations You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

If you are collecting or using data you should identify: any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing or storing the data (including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further reuse of data) formal information standards that your proposed work will comply with Additional sub-questions (to be answered only if appropriate) relating to research involving: genetically modified organisms Add details about any project partners’ contributions.

If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service. A project partner is a collaborating organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include direct (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of facilities.

Project partners may be in industry, academia, third sector or government organisations in the UK or overseas, including partners based in the EU.

Add the following project partner details: the organisation name and address (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable) the project partner contact name and email address the type of contribution (direct or in-direct) and its monetary value If a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made. Project partners: letters (or emails) of support Upload a single PDF containing the letters or emails of support from each partner you named in the ‘Project partners’ section. These should be uploaded in English or Welsh only.

What the assessors are looking for in your response Enter the words ‘attachment supplied’ in the text box, or if you do not have any project partners enter ‘N/A’.

Each letter or email you provide should: confirm the partner’s commitment to the project clearly explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the work to them describe any additional value that they bring to the project have a page limit of two sides A4 per partner The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.

If you do not have any project partners, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service. Ensure you have prior agreement from project partners so that, if you are offered funding, they will support your project as indicated in the ‘Project partners’ section. For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Does your proposed research require the support and use of a facility? What the assessors are looking for in your response If you need to use a facility, follow your proposed facility’s normal access request procedures. Ensure you have prior agreement so that if you are offered funding, they will support the use of their facility on your project.

For each requested facility you will need to provide the: name of facility, copied and pasted from the facility information list (DOCX, 42KB) proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicated on the facility information list confirmation you have their agreement where required Facilities should only be named if they are on the facility information list above.

If you do not need to use a facility, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service. Trusted Research and Innovation Does the proposed work involve international collaboration in a sensitive research or technology area?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Demonstrate how your proposed international collaboration relates to Trusted Research and Innovation, including: list the countries your international project co-leads, project partners and visiting researchers, or other collaborators are based in if international collaboration is involved, explain whether this project is relevant to one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act if one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act are involved list the areas If your proposed work does not involve international collaboration, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

We may contact you following submission of your application to provide additional information about how your proposed project will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help manage these risks. How we will assess your application We will assess your application using the following process.

We will invite peers to review your application independently, against the specified criteria for this funding opportunity. You will not be able to nominate reviewers for applications on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service. Research councils will continue to select expert reviewers.

We are monitoring the requirement for applicant-nominated reviewers as we review policies and processes as part of the continued development of the new Funding Service. You will be able to respond to reviewers’ comments if your application gains enough support.

Following peer review, we will invite peers to use the evidence provided by reviewers and your applicant response to assess the quality of your application and rank it alongside other applications. You will be invited to an interview if your application gains enough support at this stage.

For shortlisted applications, an expert interview panel will conduct interviews with applicants after which the panel will make a funding recommendation. You will be provided with details of the interview, including format and date at least a month before the interview date. EPSRC will make the final funding decision.

We do not provide feedback for out fellowships scheme applications. We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity. Find out about the UKRI principles of assessment and decision-making .

Using generative artificial intelligence (AI) in peer review Reviewers and panellists are not permitted to use generative AI tools to develop their assessment. Using these tools can potentially compromise the confidentiality of the ideas that applicants have entrusted to UKRI to safeguard. For more detail see our policy on the use of generative AI .

We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed. The criteria against which your application will be assessed directly relates to the core responsive mode application questions.

The assessment areas we will use are: applicant capability to deliver resources requested to do the project host organisation support ethical and responsible research and innovation considerations of the project Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Get help with your application If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page IMPORTANT NOTE: The Helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the Helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue.

Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding Finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility or content/remit of an opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process. For questions related to this specific funding opportunity please contact maths@epsrc. ukri.

org Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk. Email: support@funding-service. ukri.

org Our phone lines are open: Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm To help us process queries quicker, we request that users highlight the council