University of Manchester Doctoral Prize Fellowships for International Research Students 2017/2018

Application Deadline: Monday 14th August 2017 at 12 noon.

Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: International

To be taken at (country): United Kingdom

About the Award: The EPSRC Doctoral Prize is a prestigious scheme aimed at developing the very best EPSRC funded students beyond the end of their PhD and help them launch a successful career in research as potential future research leaders.

Successful applicants will be expected to take their research to the next level and undertake significant new research; the Prize must not be viewed merely as an opportunity to continue/complete PhD work although continuation of specific work from the applicants’ PhD that will result in publications may be permitted.

Type: Fellowship

Eligibility: 

1. Candidates may apply for funding for not less than six months and not more than 12 months.
2. The proposed project must be within the EPSRC remit;
3. Candidates must be able to demonstrate a clear commitment to remaining in academia.
4. Candidates must have been funded for their PhD studies by the EPSRC in the form of fees and/or stipend in order to be eligible for an EPSRC Doctoral Prize.
5. If candidates have already submitted their thesis at the time of application, this must not be more than six months before commencing an EPSRC Doctoral fellowship.
6. Although candidates are not required to have submitted their thesis prior to application, successful applicants must have submitted their PhD thesis before they can start to receive EPSRC Doctoral Prize funding. They may commence their Fellowship while awaiting viva, but may have their Fellowship withdrawn if they subsequently achieve a result lower than Aii at first viva examination.

Project

1. Candidates should propose a Fellowship research project. This may include the publication and development of work from their PhD, but the major part of the propose research programme must include substantive new work which will take allow the candidate to take their next steps in terms of developing as an independent researcher.
2. Projects are welcomed in any area of research which comes under the EPSRC remit.
3. Proposals should explain how the candidate will manage the project and how this will be facilitated by the project sponsor with whom they are working.
4. All EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellows are expected to engage in Public Engagement work as part of their fellowship.
5. EPSRC Doctoral Prize funding will provide maintenance costs and the consumables and travel costs associated with a project. It may also be used for attendance at conferences to present the results, but will not support purchase of equipment.

Assessment Procedure

1. Applications will be assessed and short-listed by an appointing Committee consisting of Associate Vice-President for Research and Associate Deans for Research.
2. The Committee will fund proposals that are of sufficient quality, subject to available funds. Candidates should be in the top 10-15% of PhD students.

Number of Awardees: Not specified

Value of Scholarship: 

• The University will provide Fellows with excellent research and training environments including a first class and challenging career development training programme.
• In addition to a Project Sponsor (a research – active member of The University’s academic staff who is willing to support an applicant’s project and, where appropriate, host the project in their lab), recipients of a Prize will also have access to an academic mentor who will offer advice and support regarding the mentee’s research and career development throughout the duration of the award.
• Successful applicants will be awarded a tax-free living allowance of £24,370 per annum (pro rata).

Duration of Scholarship: 12 months

How to Apply: Candidates are expected to submit:

1. A completed application form;
2. A brief CV (1 page maximum: Arial font size 11 or equivalent). Please attach a separate list of publications;

• Letter of Support from the Head of the School where you intend to conduct your Prize research. The completed form should be signed and returned as a PDF document;

1. Evidence of qualifications (scanned certificates or transcripts);
2. A scanned copy of your passport (if you will need a visa to study in the UK).

All applications should be made in accordance with the scheme’s guidelines, which can be found at the end of the Application Form (See links below)

Candidates must have been funded for their PhD by the EPSRC in the form of fees and/or stipend and have submitted their PhD thesis no more than six months before commencing the EPSRC Doctoral Prize fellowship.

Full applications, including application form and a letter of support from the Head of School where the EPSRC Doctoral Prize research will be carried out, should be returned by e-mail to lee.wilkinson@manchester.ac.uk. Please note that the word counts and page limits listed on the application forms are not flexible.

Candidates will be shortlisted and interviewed by a panel of senior academics. The decision of the panel is final.

It is expected that interviews will take place in the last week of September 2017

• EPSRC Application form
• Head of School Support Form

Visit Scholarship Webpage for details

Award Provider: Faculty of Science and Engineering, The University of Manchester.