Applications are now being accepted for Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships at the Faculty of Music, the University of Oxford in the UK. Citizens of the UK can apply for these Early Career Fellowships.

Early Career Fellowships aim to provide the opportunity to undertake a significant piece of publishable research for those who are at a relatively early stage of their academic careers, but with a proven record of research.

The Leverhulme Trust was established by the Will of William Hesketh Lever, the founder of Lever Brothers. Since 1925 we have provided grants and scholarships for research and education; today, we are one of the largest all-subject providers of research funding in the UK, distributing approximately £80m a year.

Scholarship Description

• Applications Deadline: 4 pm on 27 February 2020
• Course Level: Fellowships are available for early-career researchers to undertake a significant piece of publishable work.
• Study Subject: Applications in any field of music/musicology are welcome.
• Scholarship Award: The Trust will contribute 50% of each Fellow’s total salary costs up to a maximum of £25,000 per annum and the balance is to be paid by the host institution. Given the prestige of the awards, each Fellow may request annual research expenses of up to £6,000 to further his or her research activities.
• Nationality: Citizens of the UK can apply for these Early Career Fellowships.
• Number of Scholarships: Approximately 100 Fellowships will be available each year.
• Scholarship can be taken in the UK

Eligibility for the Scholarship

Eligible Countries:  Citizens of the UK can apply for these Early Career Fellowships.

Entrance Requirements: Applicants must meet the following criteria:

Applicants must not hold or have held a permanent academic position in a UK university or comparable institution and must have a doctorate or equivalent research experience. Those registered for a doctorate have submitted their doctoral thesis for viva voce examination by the closing date of 4 pm on 27 February 2020.

• Applicants must not yet have held a full-time permanent academic post in a UK university or comparable UK institution, nor may Fellows hold such a post concurrently with the Early Career Fellowship. Those in receipt of a stipendiary Fellowship may not hold this at the same time as an Early Career Fellowship. Applicants who have existing funding in place for a duration equivalent to or greater than the duration of the Early Career Fellowship should not apply.
• All candidates must hold a doctorate or have equivalent research experience by the time they take up the Fellowship. Those who are or have been registered for a doctorate at any time may apply only if they have submitted their doctoral thesis for viva voce examination by the closing date of 4 pm on 27 February 2020. Those who at the time of commencing the Fellowship are registered for or are intending to register for degrees, professional or vocational qualifications are not eligible.
• Applications are invited from those with a doctorate who submitted their doctoral thesis for viva voce examination not more than four years prior to the application closing dates. Hence those who formally submitted their doctoral thesis for viva voce examination before 27 February 2016 are not eligible unless they have since had a career break. Those wishing to make a case for a career break should present the case for interruption by a period of maternity leave, family commitments, illness, or other exceptional circumstances. Please note that time spent working outside academia does not qualify as a career break.
• Applicants must either hold a degree from a UK higher education institution at the time of taking up the Fellowship or at the time of the application deadline must hold an academic position in the UK (e.g. fixed-term lectureship, fellowship) which commenced no less than 4 months prior to the closing date. Hence, those who do not hold a UK degree and whose UK academic position commenced after October 2019 are not eligible. The intention is to support the career development of those building an academic career within the UK.
• Candidates who have been, or are currently a Principal Investigator on a 3-year post-doctoral research project, or have held or currently hold a comparable 3-year post-doctoral position to pursue their own research are not eligible to apply.
• The Research Awards Advisory Committee believes that the development of an academic career is best served by gaining experience at different institutions. Applicants who have not already moved institutions in the course of their academic career (i.e. between their undergraduate university and proposed host institution) should nominate a new host institution, or otherwise demonstrate clear evidence of the academic and/or personal reasons for remaining at the same institution, such as access to highly specialist equipment or a highly specialised research team.
• The matching funding contributed by the host institution must be drawn from generally available funds and must not be associated with any other grants received by the institution. The host department must secure the matching funding for the applicant before the closing date. Applications that do not meet these conditions are ineligible and will be rejected.

A candidate may submit only one application per year. Previously unsuccessful applicants may reapply.

Candidates may not apply for both an Early Career Fellowship and a Study Abroad Studentship in the same year. Candidates who have held a Leverhulme Study Abroad Studentship for postdoctoral research are not eligible to apply for an Early Career Fellowship. Candidates should consider carefully which of these two schemes best suit their requirements.

Application Procedure

How to Apply: A Fellowship must commence between 1 September 2020 and 1 May 2021. To make an application, access the Leverhulme Trust Grants Management System.

1. A one-page CV including education, publications, any awards, thesis title and examiners;
2. A two-page draft statement of research (which may use headings similar to those in the Leverhulme scheme’s notes of guidance);
3. A 150-word abstract summarising the research for a general audience;
4. An indication of any additional research expenses that may be needed for the proposed project, such as travel and subsistence.

A selection process internal to the Faculty of Music will then determine which proposals go forward to a full application to Leverhulme.

Online Application

Scholarship Link