Fellowship opportunities in CRAB
Join us
The University of Exeter hosts one of the biggest groups of animal behaviour researchers worldwide, studying a diverse range of topics including foraging behaviour, animal cognition, social organisation, life-history evolution, animal welfare and sexual selection. Based at the University's Streatham campus, the Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour (CRAB) offers a vibrant and supportive environment for independent research fellows working on any aspect of animal behaviour. We are always keen to welcome new members. We have a strong track record of hosting fellowships funded though UK, EU and international schemes (including NERC, BBSRC, Royal Society, ERC, Leverhulme Trust, Marie Curie, NSF and others) and several previous fellows have gone on to become permanent members of academic staff in CRAB.
Fellowship applicants interested in joining us should contact our Director of Research, Professor Darren Croft (d.p.croft@exeter.ac.uk), to discuss their proposed project. We also welcome enquiries from existing fellowship holders interested in relocating to CRAB. If possible, please include a full academic CV.
Support we can offer you
Pre-application
- Advice on scheme suitability and proposal writing from our many successful fellows and research support staff.
- Review of draft proposals.
- Assistance with interview preparation.
For fellows
- 1:1 mentoring from senior colleagues.
- Peer support from our Early Career Researcher network.
- Opportunities (but no obligation) to gain teaching experience and to supervise BSc, MSc, MRes and PhD project students.
- Training and personal development.
- Support for grant proposal development from senior colleagues and research support staff.
Career progression
- Clear criteria for progression to permanent positions.
- Opportunities for proleptic appointments.
Fellowship schemes
The following table lists the main UK and EU fellowship schemes. Some other countries have their own fellowship schemes that can provide support to work in CRAB (e.g. NSF in the USA); we are also very willing to provide support for these candidates.
| Funder | Scheme | Notes | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBSRC | David Phillips Fellowships | 5-year fellowships for applicants 3-10 years post-PhD, applications in any area of BBSRC’s remit but proposals aligned strategic priorities particularly welcome. | Annually, usually in May |
| Future Research Leaders | 3-year awards for early career researchers (up to 5 years post-PhD) in any area of BBSRC’s remit but proposals aligned to strategic priorities particularly welcome. | Annually, usually in May | |
| Knowledge Transfer Partnerships | 1-3 year partnerships for early-career researchers to work on an innovative project within industry, jointly supervised by academic partners. | Apply any time | |
| Daphne Jackson Trust | Daphne Jackson Fellowships | Fellowships are usually held half-time for 2 years. The scheme aims to return those with a STEM background to their careers following a career break of 2+ years (must have had 3+ years in research prior to break). | Apply any time |
| European Molecular Biology Organization | EMBO Long-term Fellowships | 2-year fellowships to support post-doctoral (up to 2 years post-PhD) research visits to laboratories throughout Europe and the world. Fellowships must involve movement between countries. The receiving institute or the applicant's nationality must be from one of the EMBC Member States. | Apply any time |
| ESRC | New Investigator Grants | 3-year fellowships for early career researchers (maximum 4 years post-PhD) of any nationality. | Apply any time |
| EU Horizon 2020 | Marie Sklodowska-Curie individual fellowships: European fellowship (IF-EF) | 1-2-year fellowships for researchers undertaking mobility between/to EU countries, optionally to the non-academic sector, with a PhD or at least 4 years’ research experience. Candidates must not have lived, worked or studied in the UK for more than 12 months in the 3 years prior to the deadline. | Annually, usually in September |
| ERC Starting and Consolidator Grants | |||
| L'Oreal - UNESCO UK and Ireland | L'Oreal UK and Ireland Women in science fellowship | 1-year awards of £15k for outstanding women in science with less than 10 years postdoctoral experience. | Usually March annually |
| NERC | Independent Research Fellowships | 5-year fellowships for early career researchers (up to 8 years full-time (or equivalent) post-PhD) of any nationality in any area of NERC’s remit | Early October annually |
| Knowledge Exchange Fellowships | 1-3 year fellowships held at 20-80% to focus on accelerating and amplifying impact from NERC research. Applicants can be at any career stage from user or academic background. | Annual call around April | |
| The Leverhulme Trust | Early Career Fellowships | 3-year fellowships providing 50% match-funding for early career researchers (<5 years post-PhD) in any area except clinically-relevant. | Usually March every year |
| Research Fellowships | 3-24 month fellowships offering up to £50k for experienced researchers to conduct a programme of research in any discipline. | Usually November each year | |
| The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 | Research Fellowships in Science or Engineering | Up to 3-year fellowships for early-career researchers (up to 3 years post-PhD) of any nationality. | Usually February each year |
| The Royal Society | University Research Fellowships | 5-8 year fellowships for outstanding early career scientists with 3-8 years postdoctoral experience. | Usually September each year |
| Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships | Up to 5-year fellowships for outstanding early career scientists who require a flexible working pattern. | Usually November each year | |
| Education Research Fellowships |
2-year fellowships for academics researching mathematics or physics education who have held at least one short-term postdoc post. |
TBC | |
| Industry Fellowships | Up to 2-year (or 4-year part-time) fellowships for academic scientists who want to work on a collaborative project with industry and for scientists in industry who want to work on a collaborative project with an academic organisation. | 26th March 2015 | |
| The Royal Society/ Newton Fund | Newton International Fellowships |
Up to 2-year fellowships for non-UK early-career scientists (up to 7 years post-PhD) who wish to carry out research in the UK. |
TBC |
| Newton Advanced Fellowships |
Up to 3 year awards to enable established international researchers from particular countries up to 15 years post-PhD to develop the strengths and capabilities of their research group through training, collaboration and reciprocal visits with a partner in the UK. |
18th March 2015 | |
| The Royal Society/ The Wellcome Trust | Sir Henry Dale Fellowships |
5-year fellowships for outstanding post- scientists with a maximum 7 years’ postdoc experience.wishing to build their own UK-based, independent research career addressing an important biomedical question. |
Three deadlines a year, next 17th April 2015 |
| The Wellcome Trust | Career Re-entry Fellowships | 2-4 year fellowships that give post-doctoral scientists the opportunity to return to high-quality research after a career break. | 15th May 2015 for preliminary applications |
| Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowships | 4-year fellowships for the most promising newly-qualified (up to 2 years post-PhD) postdoctoral researchers to make an early start in developing their independent research careers in the biomedical sciences. Open to individuals with a relevant connection to the European Economic Area. | 15th May 2015 for preliminary applications | |
| Senior Research Fellowships in Basic Biomedical Science | 5-year awards for the most outstanding postdoctoral biomedical scientists with 7-12 years’ experience post-PhD. Applicants must be UK/ EEA nationals or non-EEA nationals who have a relevant degree from a UK university or have worked in the UK for at least 3-years continuously. | 8th May 2015 |