Job Posting Title: EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellowship
Grade and Salary: Grade 7 - £37,694 - £47,389
Contract Type: Full Time, Fixed Term (1-2 years)
About our Organisation
Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and leading-edge, relevant research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for innovation, business and industry.
Heriot-Watt University has five campuses: three in the UK (Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Orkney), one in Dubai and one in Malaysia. The University offers a highly distinctive range of degree programmes in the specialist areas of science, engineering, design, business and finance. Heriot-Watt is also Scotland's most international university, boasting the largest international student cohort.
Dependent on area of research, successful candidates will be a staff member within one of our five Schools:
1. Engineering and Physical Sciences
2. Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society
3. Mathematical and Computer Sciences
4. Social Sciences
5. Textiles and Design
The Opportunity
EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellowship roles are funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council as part of Heriot-Watt University’s Doctoral Training Partnership award.
The EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellowship scheme is intended to help universities recruit and retain the very best newly qualified doctoral (e,g PhD, EngD) students, and help them launch careers in research. The Fellowships target the top 10-15% of EPSRC-funded students.
All Fellowship projects must lie within the. Consideration should be given to the alignment of the area of research with one of the following Heriot-Watt Global Research Institutes or Frontier Research areas:
6. The National Robotarium (Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and Data Science)
7. Net Zero (technologies that will enable decarbonisation to deliver net zero)
8. Health and Care Engineering /Medical Technology
9. Photonics and Quantum
10. Smart construction
11. Mathematics
Applications with leverage from an industrial or third sector partner/s are encouraged.
Successful applicants will be expected to take their research to the next level and undertake new research. An outline of eligibility requirements, the application process and deadlines is detailed below.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
As a Fellowship, the needs and aims of an individual project will form the duties and responsibilities for the successful candidate.
Education, Qualifications & Experience:
The Fellowships are funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council as part of Heriot-Watt University’s Doctoral Training Partnership Award. The criteria below is that specified by EPSRC in their award terms.
Eligibility Essentials
12. All Fellowship projects must lie within the. Successful applicants will be expected to take their research to the next level and undertake new research.
13. The fellowship must commence by latest March 2026 and should be 12 or 24 months. (The funding available is for an estimated 2 FTE positions)
14. Applicants must have received EPSRC studentship funding and have submitted their doctoral thesis on or after 1st October 2022.
15. The Fellow must have submitted their thesis for examination prior to the start of the award and no earlier than 1st October 2022. Candidates who have not yet submitted their thesis at the time of application are still eligible, but they must have submitted their thesis prior to the Fellowship start date, and the supervisor’s letter of support must clearly state the expected submission date. Where the viva exam has not taken place before the start of the Fellowship, the outcome must be an outright pass or pass with minor corrections otherwise the Fellowship will be withdrawn. If minor corrections are required, they must be done outside of the time allocated for the Fellowship
16. Applications will be accepted from any student that received EPSRC doctoral funding at a UK institution (fees and/or stipend). This includes students funded by: Centres for Doctoral Training (CDT), Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTP), National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF) and Industrial CASE studentships (I-CASE). Those who received funding via another of the Research Councils within UKRI are NOT eligible to apply for the EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellowship.
Other Costs (non-salary)
Non-salary costs are available for direct research expenses, for example facilities use, consumables, travel (e.g., fieldwork, visiting collaborators, attending conferences) and outreach activities (e.g., public engagement). Any costs requested should be appropriate for the project being undertaken. £10k per annum can be used as a guideline, but more or less can be requested, dependent wholly on the nature of the project. Any costs requested must be realistic and justified in the application form.