ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowships Applications

Apply for a LISS ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship

Applications for the 2026 Postdoctoral Fellowships are now closed.

The London Interdisciplinary Social Science DTP is inviting applications for five ESRC funded Postdoctoral Fellowships to be based at any of our partner institutions: King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London, or Imperial College London for October 2026 entry.

These fellowships are aimed at providing a career development opportunity for researchers in the immediate postdoctoral stage of their careers, to provide the opportunity to consolidate their PhD through developing publications, their networks, and their research and professional skills. New research cannot be funded through these awards.

Fellowships will provide funding for up to 9 months full-time, or up to 18 months part-time to cover the fellow’s salary plus up to £7,500 for all other costs (e.g. mentoring costs, travel, conference attendance, training, and impact and engagement events).
Full-time fellowships must finish by 30 June 2027.

All Fellows are required to have a mentor based at the research organisation where the fellowship is held. The mentor should have experience and a strong interest in the applicant’s field of research but should not normally have been the applicant’s PhD supervisor. If you need help finding a mentor, you can see our list of potential mentors interested in working with postdoctoral fellows here: Mentors List.  Applicants are welcome to contact staff members who are not on the mentor list.

Working with a non-academic partner is encouraged, you can see examples of LISS DTP Partners here.

Proposals are welcome from both single discipline or a combination of disciplines, but Social Sciences must make up at least 50% of your fellowship activities and your proposal must fall under one of LISS DTP’s Research Areas.

Eligibility

Applicants must make sure that they meet the ESRC’s eligibility criteria before applying.
To be eligible applicants must:

  • Have completed their PhD at a UK research organisation.
    Applicants are not required to have previously held an ESRC funded studentship to be eligible to apply.
  • Have been awarded a PhD or have passed their viva voce with minor amendments by the application deadline of 23.59 on 1 June 2026 and have been awarded their PhD by the fellowship start date of 1 October 2026.
  • Have no more than 15 months full-time (or pro rata equivalent) of active postdoctoral experience by the competition closing date, 1 June 2026. This is defined as any post involving a research component – it does not include teaching-only contracts. The period is calculated between the date of the viva and 1 June 2026 (taking into account any career breaks).
  • Only one application to a single DTP is permitted. If an applicant submits to more than one DTP, all of their applications will be withdrawn from further consideration.
    You can submit more than one Expression of Interest application across the DTPs but only one full ESRC fellowship proposal to a single DTP is permitted at the 1st June deadline.

Applicants requiring a Visa to work in the UK should check they are eligible to apply for a relevant visa.

 

ESRC Call Documents

  • Full details about the Call are available here: [ESRC PDF Call Specification]

  • A list of Frequently Asked Questions can be found here: [ESRC PDF FAQs]

    Please read the Call specification and FAQ documents fully before applying.

How to Apply

 LISS DTP has a two-stage application process: an Expression of Interest application and a Full Fellowship proposal.

Stage 1: Expression of Interest - CLOSED

Applicants who are interested in applying for an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at the LISS DTP should read the ESRC Call specification and make sure that they meet the eligibility criteria.  Applicants should consider their application and plans for the fellowship carefully and identify a potential mentor and contact them before applying.

Applicants are required to submit an online Expression of Interest (EOI) Application Form to LISS DTP by the deadline of 10am on 13 April 2026. 

You can see an example of the EOI application form to help you prepare your answers here.  Please note this is for guidance only and applications must be submitted through the online portal.

Expression of Interest (EOI) Applications must be submitted online by the deadline of 10am on 13 April 2026 to be considered for the full fellowship proposal stage.

Successful applicants will be notified by the end of April 2026 and invited to submit a full Postdoctoral Fellowship proposal in Stage 2.

 

Stage 2: Full Proposal

Successful Expression of Interest applicants will be invited to submit a full ESRC  Postdoctoral Fellowship proposal by the deadline of 23.59 on 1 June 2026.

Completed applications must be submitted by Email to: lissapplications@kcl.ac.uk.

Competition Timeline

  • Closing date for Expression of Interest online application – 13 April 2026
  • Successful EOI applicants will be notified to submit full proposal by end of April 2026
  • Closing date for submission of full ESRC Fellowship proposals – 1 June 2026
  • Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed in early July 2026
  • Decisions confirmed to applicants – July 2026
  • Successful proposals submitted to the ESRC by 23 July 2026
  • Fellowships will commence on 1 October 2026
  • Fellowship end date – 30 June 2027

Find out more

Please see the slides from the Postdoctoral Fellowship Applicant Briefing for more information here

If you have any queries on the scheme or application process, please contact: liss-dtp@kcl.ac.uk.