EPSRC Doctoral Prize 2024

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Key facts

  • Number of scholarships: 1
  • Value: 1 year salary at Grade 7 Point 29
  • Opens: 7 November 2023
  • Deadline: 6 March 2024
  • Helps with: Living costs
  • Duration: 12 months

Summary

We are pleased to announce a call for the EPSRC Doctoral Prize funded by the University's EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership grant.  The prize funds a 1-year salary for an outstanding researcher to support the further development of their research activities following completion of PhD studies and help them launch a career in research.  Candidates must have had EPSRC funding for their PhD/EngD programme and must have successfully completed their PhD viva voce exam and submitted the final version of the thesis by the start of the Doctoral Prize project (approximately between May and October 2024).

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Eligibility

The University is committed to diversity and inclusion. Applications are welcome from all candidates who fulfil the EPSRC requirements. Candidates who completed their PhD/EngD outside of Strathclyde are welcome to apply, provided the Project Sponsor on their application is a Strathclyde academic.

The award is intended to allow promising research to develop in new directions. Consequently, the gap between the end of the PhD/EngD project and the start of the Doctoral Prize project should not normally be more than 9 months.

Candidates must have been funded for their doctoral studies at a UK institution by the EPSRC in the form of stipend and/or fees in order to be eligible for an EPSRC Doctoral Prize. This includes students funded from the following sources: EPSRC DTP, EPSRC Industrial CASE, EPSRC CDT, EPSRC Project Studentships, and EPSRC NPIF Awards. EPSRC CDT Incorporated Students are also eligible to apply for the Doctoral Prize. Those funded by other Research Councils are not eligible.

Candidates must be able to demonstrate a clear commitment to remaining in academia.

Candidates must have passed their PhD/EngD viva and submitted the final (corrected and bound) version of their thesis prior to the start of the Doctoral Prize project.The Doctoral Prize project will normally be expected to begin between 1st May and 1st October 2024 and no later than 8th January 2025, with good reason. Start dates must be agreed with the Project Sponsor and Head of Department and will be subject to approval by the EPSRC Doctoral Prize assessment panel at Strathclyde.

Any questions about eligibility should be directed to the PGR Funding Team prior to an application being submitted.

Subject eligibility

Architecture, Biomedical engineering, Chemical engineering, Chemistry, Civil & environmental engineering, Computer science, Design manufacture & engineering management, Electronic & electrical engineering, Mathematics & statistics, Mechanical & aerospace engineering, Naval architecture ocean & marine engineering, Pharmacy & biomedical sciences, Physics, Forensic science, Management science, Aeronautical engineering, Biochemistry, Biology & biological sciences, Biomedical science, Civil engineering, Data analytics, Environmental engineering, Health, Mechanical engineering, Microbiology, Naval architecture, Ocean engineering, Pharmacology, Product design, Prosthetics & orthotics, Renewable energy, Software engineering, Engineering, Science, Marine Engineering

Levels eligibility

Postgraduate Research

Study modes eligibility

Full Time, Part Time

Fee Status

Home (Scottish), England or N. Ireland or Rep. Ireland or Wales, International

Student type

Current student, Applicant

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Project details

The EPSRC Doctoral Prize funds a 1-year salary for an outstanding researcher to support the further development of their research activities following completion of PhD studies.  Candidates must have had EPSRC funding for their PhD programme and must have successfully completed their PhD viva voce exam and submitted the final version of the thesis by the start of the Doctoral Prize project (approximately between May and October 2024).

When assessing the applications the Panel will be looking for evidence of:

  • the excellence of the researcher;
  • the quality of the research proposed;
  • how this research is substantively new and different from the candidate’s PhD work; and
  • the role of the proposed research in advancing the career prospects of the applicant.

Projects are welcomed in any area of research under the EPSRC remit.

The EPSRC Doctoral Prize recipient must have a Project Sponsor: a PI who will support the Fellow’s research and, where appropriate, host the Fellow’s research. The EPSRC Doctoral Prize recipient is encouraged to choose a Project Sponsor other than their PhD/EngD Supervisor. 

If there are reasons why a candidate intends to choose their PhD/EngD supervisor as Project Sponsor they must provide a clear justification for this and demonstrate how they will deliver research outputs which are new and substantially different from the PhD/EngD research programme and at an appreciably more enhanced level.

Proposals should explain how the candidate will manage the project and how this will be facilitated by the Project Sponsor with whom they are working.

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Further information

Funding availability

The EPSRC Doctoral Prize will will provide funding in the form of a salary for 12 months (or equivalent for part-time) at Grade 7 (spinal point 29) on the Strathclyde salary scale.

In addition to a salary, the Doctoral Prize recipient will be eligible to apply for up to £2,000 to support travel and consumables costs. Importantly, the candidate is expected to also deliver outreach activities through Doctoral Prize award. Such outreach activities and how these additional available funds could contribute to the support of these endeavours should be detailed in the application. 

 

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How to apply

In order to apply, please submit the following documents electronically by 5pm, Wednesday, 6th March 2024 to the PGR Funding Team. Please send all documents, excluding the equality monitoring form, as one PDF. The equality monitoring form should be submitted separately.

  • A completed application form (see below).
  • A brief CV (2 page maximum: Arial font, size 11 or equivalent).
  • Letter of support from the Head of the Department where the candidate intends to conduct their research. This must be signed, dated, and headed.
  • Letter of support from the proposed Project Sponsor. This must be signed, dated, and headed.
  • A reference from the primary PhD/EngD Supervisor. This must be signed, dated, and headed.
  • Optional: Letters of support from proposed industry partners, or other relevant references. These should be signed, dated, and headed.
  • Optional: An equality monitoring form (submitted separately).

Applications are welcomed from all candidates who fulfil the eligibility criteria, regardless of which UK institution they completed their PhD/EngD at.

Internal applicants can access the EPSRC Doctoral Prize application form on the R&KE Portal.

External applicants should contact the PGR Funding Team by emailing rkes-pgrfunding@strath.ac.uk to request the application form and to allow us to determine eligibility.

 

Application Deadline: 5pm, 6th March 2024

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Contact us

Please contact the PGR Funding Team by email at rkes-pgrfunding@strath.ac.uk if you have any questions regarding the EPSRC Doctoral Prize, eligibility, or the application form.