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Jobs and Opportunities

Research Fellowship Opportunities

The Astronomy Unit has a high level of success in supporting research fellowship applications. In recent years we have hosted multiple UKRI Future Leaders Fellows and Stephen Hawking Fellows, Royal Society University Research Fellows and Dorothy Hodgkin Fellows, STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellows, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellows, and ERC Grant holders.

If you are interested in applying for a fellowship in the Astronomy Unit at Queen Mary, please get in touch - you can contact Dr Tom Haworth and Prof David Burgess and/or the academic staff member most relevant to your research, all of whom will be happy to discuss your options and the application procedures. There are often restrictions on who can apply for these fellowships and how many we can support, so please contact us well in advance of any deadlines (see below for further details).

Available fellowships include:

STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowships (ERF): The STFC application deadline is usually in September each year. The Astronomy Unit is normally able to support around 2 applications per year and we implement an internal selection process to choose that candidates that we support. Our internal application deadline this year is the 1st July 2026. If you are interested in applying for an ERF with QMUL as your host institution, please follow the instructions below, or contact Dr Tom Haworth and Prof David Burgess with informal queries.

Prospective candidates should submit a draft case for support, CV and publication list by email to Dr Tom Haworth and Prof David Burgess by the 1st July 2026.

The main things we are looking for are that you have a compelling, timely, and well-scoped research proposal, evidence of leadership ability, and a case for how your research connects to existing research themes at QMUL and in the UK more broadly.

Please contact us (the earlier the better) if you would like to discuss any details of the internal selection process.

Royal Society University Research Fellowships (URF) and Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships (DHF): These tend to have a similar deadline to the ERF, and while there are no limits from the Royal Society on how many applications we can enter, we do make a selection due to limited resources available to support applications. We will try to give a quick yes/no answer as to whether we can support your application. The application deadline is usually in September. Please get in touch with us as soon as possible if you are interested in applying for a URF with us. Preparing and reviewing the application materials (including costings) takes some time, so candidates should be prepared to have their materials sent for internal review well in advance of the deadline. Ideally URF applicants should contact us by the same deadline as for the ERF (1st July 2026).

Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) Fellowships: Similarly please get in touch with us, ideally by the 1st July 2026, so we can let you know whether we can support your application and prepare it in time for the internal QMUL deadlines.

Other Fellowships: For any other fellowship that you are interested in applying for at QMUL (e.g. Future Leaders Fellowship, Stephen Hawking Fellowship) please contact us well in advance of the deadline to discuss your application, as there are often internal deadlines that can be significantly in advance of the funder deadlines.

 

Job Opportunities

For job opportunities, please see the QMUL job listings.

 

PhD Opportunities

Each year we accept applications for a funded PhD in Astronomy. The deadline for STFC and QMUL funded studentships is usually in January for entry in the following academic year (although students with external funding may apply at any time). Please take a look at our PhD project page, or get in touch with a member of staff to learn more about the research opportunities that are available. Information on the next main round of PhD applications will be made available in the autumn.

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