Externally funded Research Fellowships in Engineering

Introduction to fellowships in Engineering

Fellowships allow you to pursue your own research agenda, gain valuable experience, and build your CV to put you in a strong position to apply for permanent posts. To support fellowship applications, we provide comprehensive guidance and mentorship throughout the application process, supporting applicants at every stage. This ongoing support continues for successful fellows as they build their research careers within our community. 

Renowned for our research excellence, distinctiveness and growth, our culture of interdisciplinary, collaborative working and strong partnerships produces research with impact, driven by today’s global challenges. 

We aspire to be an inclusive environment for engineering researchers and welcome applications from all underrepresented groups across engineering who want to apply for an externally funded research fellowship through Sheffield.

We accept informal applications all year. Please email the Research Growth Manager: kim.redgrave@sheffield.ac.uk. When making an inquiry please indicate which School you are interested in and a brief outline of your research topic. 

Please note that for some fellowships there is a competitive internal selection process. This is due to limits that funders impose on the number of applications the university can submit to a particular scheme.

Engineering at Sheffield: themes and disciplines

Our four academic schools possess a range of state-of-the-art facilities, centres and laboratories, along with strong links to the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, which enable us to conduct internationally leading research. 

• School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
• School of Computer Science
• School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
• School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering

Our excellent fundamental research, fostered by a diverse environment, drives discoveries and innovations. Our four challenge-driven research themes, shaped by societal grand challenges, connect our partners and translational centres.

• Manufacturing
• Energy
• Infrastructure and Environment
• Engineering for Life
• Emerging Themes

We welcome applications from across our entire research portfolio from schools, institutes and centres. Fellowship holders at Sheffield will be expected to:

• Undertake research that is significant and impactful, increasing Sheffield’s intellectual contribution to the sector, enhancing our reputation and standing, and making a societal difference.
• Actively contribute to the collective vision, mission and values of the University through individual action and inclusive, collaborative working.
• Participate in and develop links with external contacts (within academia, professions or with business) to foster collaboration, at a regional and national level.

Support for fellowship applications and successful fellows

During the fellowship application process and following the award of a fellowship, the Faculty of Engineering provides the following support:

Mentoring 

All applicants and successful fellows will have a dedicated mentor to guide them through the application process and throughout their fellowship. 

Career training and professional development

The University offers a comprehensive training and career progression package to support wider professional development.  Externally awarded fellowships five years or longer in duration (full-time equivalent) will put the fellow in a strong position to transition to a permanent or open-ended position, dependent on satisfactory performance and University recruitment policies at the time. 

Fellowship College

Successful Fellows will become members of the College providing a collective voice and fostering a supportive community for fellows and prospective fellows within the faculty. The College will host activities such as networking events, workshops and webinars. The College will also provide support for the next stage of your career advising on the funding landscape, senior fellowship opportunities and support with developing proposals. 

Provision of PhD studentship

Each School will consider on a case-by-case basis supporting long-term independent research fellows with a PhD studentship to support and expand the fellow’s research portfolio. 

Your application: contact and apply

If you are interested in developing your career here in Sheffield we want to hear from you. We offer a staged and comprehensive mentoring approach to make sure that you are helped to make the optimal fellowship application. It is never too early to start. From experience, it takes a minimum of 6 months from initial idea to submission of an application.

Application process

Stage 1: Initial contact. Applicants should email the Research Growth Manager for engineering Dr Kim Redgrave kim.redgrave@sheffield.ac.uk with their completed CV template (download available in the below links), an indication of the research idea, which scheme(s) they are thinking of targeting and which School they would like to make their application through - including a named contact/mentor if applicants have already made contact with a School. The Research Growth Manager will provide advice on fit to scheme and if appropriate, provide an EOI form to the applicant to complete and return.

Download Word CV template (154KB)Download pdf CV template (40KB)

Stage 2: The Research Growth Manager will send the CV and EOI to the relevant School Director of Research and Innovation  who will then decide whether to support the candidate. Strengths and weaknesses of candidates, as well as fit to School and Faculty research strategies will be considered. The School Director will then make a decision whether to support the application.

Stage 3: Mentoring towards an application - For all candidates chosen for progression an academic mentor will be assigned, if not chosen already at initial contact. The mentor is the first port of call for advice and help with moving the application(s) forward. The mentor will have sufficient knowledge of the field to add value and be willing to take on the role. The mentor will give feedback on the EOI in the first instance and provide support with the application throughout the process. The mentor will also remain in that role if the application is successful. At the point of a mentor being assigned, all applicants will be invited to pitch their proposal to a group of more senior academics with relevant experience to provide supportive advice and feedback on the research idea/vision. 

Stage 4: All applications will undergo expert peer review and non-technical review. After the candidate has responded to this, they will submit the application with the support of the Research Hub. 

Fellowship schemes and funders

Researchers applying for fellowships in Engineering at the University of Sheffield may be suitable for one or more of the following schemes. Please note that some schemes may be closed for applications, but most are expected to reopen soon. Some schemes also have limits on the number of applications an institution can submit and will therefore have a separate internal selection process. All applicants should carefully check that their research aligns with the funder’s research strategy and is within remit before starting their application. We can support you with this process.