ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳

Postdoctoral researchers

The department has a strong record of hosting successful postdoctoral researchers. Fellowships are designed to develop individuals through research and support career development, whereas research grants are focused on discrete, standalone projects.

The department does not fund postdoctoral fellowships. All postdoctoral fellows hosted in the department are funded by external grants. You can see a list of funded postdoctoral fellowships below. 

The for four funded Postdoctoral Fellowships to commence October 2025. Information about the fellowships, appliation process and deadlines is detailed below. 

How to apply 

If you are interested in applying for a fellowship hosted at the department, you should review our Academic Staff profiles to see if there is a suitable departmental mentor for your fellowship and approach them to support your application. You will need to submit an application to the department's Research Committee for approval. The application should contain:

  • A research proposal
  • Your academic CV
  • Approval from a departmental mentor 
  • Details of the funding scheme you intend to apply to and any deadlines (please note that the process to apply to be hosted at ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ can take some time so to be considered you must apply to the department well in advance of any funding deadlines)

Applications and any queries should be sent to gender.research@lse.ac.uk.

If you application is approved by the department, our Research Office will support you through the application process for the fellowship award.

ESRC DTP Postdoctoral Fellowships

The ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) will launch the competition for Postdoctoral Fellowships in January 2025, with 4 fellowships to be allocated across all ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ departments. Fellowships will commence in October 2025.

are aimed at providing a career development opportunity for those in the immediate postdoctoral stage of their career, to provide the opportunity to consolidate their PhD through developing publications, their networks, and their research and professional skills. The Fellowships last one year (or part-time equivalent).

Prospective applicants should approach a departmental mentor by 14 February to discuss the proposed project and the application before the School’s 25 March 2025 4pm deadline.

Applications will be ranked against the scheme’s selection criteria (quality of the work programme, impact and user engagement, communications, ethics, outputs, data management plan) by the departmental Research Committee as part of the submission to the PhD Academy. 

Application timeline

January 2025

Applications open

14 February

Recommended deadline for candidates to approach a departmental mentor to sponsor their application

25 March 4pm

Applications close

July

Decisions confirmed to applicants

July

Successful applicants submit their proposals to ESRC

1 October 2025

Fellowships commence

Full information is available in the . The ESRC has also produced a .

See the  as well as the  for further details. 

British Acadamy Postdoctoral Fellowships

This funding opportunity supports outstanding early career researchers in the humanities or social sciences with a full-time, three-year award towards the completion of a significant piece of publishable research and integration into the community of established scholars within their field.  

The department typically sets its internal deadline for late August or early September. 

See the for further details. 

Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellowships

Due to the requirement of match funding, the department is not currently participating in the Leverhulme scheme. See the  for more information on the fellowships.

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships

European Fellowships are for researchers relocating within or to Europe for 1-2 years; all nationalities can apply. 

Global Fellowships fund 2-3 years research outside Europe, with a mandatory 1-year return phase; only EU nationals or long-term residents can apply. 

See the  website for further details. 

Wellcome Early-Career Awards

This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. Through innovative projects, they will deliver shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the award, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme. The award usually lasts for 5 years, but may be less for some disciplines, such as humanities and social science. 

See the  website for further details.  

ESRC New Investigator Grant

This grant scheme supports new researchers at the start of their careers to become independent researchers through gaining experience of managing and leading research projects and teams. 

Grants range from £100,000 to £300,000 for a period of up to five years. Funding is based on the full economic costs of the research, with ESRC providing 80% of the cost and the research organisation covering the balance. 

Proposals can cover any research area, but the social sciences must represent more than 50% of the research focus and effort. 

Find out more . 

ESRC Starting Grant

Researchers of any nationality with 2-7 years of experience since completion of PhD, a scientific track record showing great promise and an excellent research proposal can apply for this scheme. 

ERC grant applications can only be submitted in response to a Call for Proposals. Calls are published on the European Commission’s  and in the Official Journal of the European Union. 

Find out more . 

AHRC Catalyst Award

Awards to support researchers without prior experience of leading a significant research project to accelerate their trajectory as independent researchers, to unlock their potential and build leadership and convenor experience. 

Awards are available for projects between £100,000 and £300,000 (full economic cost) and AHRC will fund 80% of this. Funding is available for projects up to five years in duration. 

Ensure  

Find out more . 

BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grant

The BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants are available to support primary research in the humanities and social sciences. These awards, up to £10,000 in value and tenable for up to 24 months, are provided to cover the cost of the expenses arising from a defined research project. 

Find out more .

British Academy Knowledge Frontiers: International Interdisciplinary Research Projects programme

This programme provides UK-based early career researchers, active in any discipline within the humanities or the social sciences, with the opportunity to develop and lead international and interdisciplinary research projects. 

It aims to support projects which engage with questions concerning the relationship between expertise, public understanding and policy delivery internationally, and highlight the importance of collaboration between communities of practice, disciplines, capacities and borders. 

The call supports international collaborations between early career researchers in the UK and elsewhere on internationally focused research projects of an interdisciplinary nature involving the humanities and social sciences. 

Find out more . 

British Acadamy ODA International Interdisciplinary Research Projects

This programme provides support for UK-based early career researchers working with international partners wishing to develop ODA-eligible interdisciplinary projects involving both the humanities and the social sciences. 

The scheme is focused on enabling UK-based early career researchers to work with early career researchers in Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam and/or . In the context of this call, funding from the International Science Partnerships Fund is funded by Official Development Assistance (ODA), therefore applications for this funding must be ODA-eligible.    

Find out more  

Find out more about research fellowships and grants

  • The  website hosts a Funding Finder for information about postdocs and beyond 
  • . Sign up to their . 

  •  is a database of funding opportunities to which ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ has an active subscription.  

  •  is also available in some circumstances.

  • invites applications for post-doctoral Research Fellowships, in a wide range of disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences.