The University of Manchester’s Physics and Astronomy Department invites exceptional candidates to explore our prestigious physics fellowship opportunities. To ensure the submission of high-quality proposals, it is crucial for interested applicants to express their interest and contact us as early as possible, well in advance of the funder deadlines. Early engagement allows us to provide tailored support and align your application with our funding schemes and departmental goals.
Why apply for a Physics fellowship at Manchester?
Choosing a fellowship at Manchester means joining a world-renowned institution with state-of-the-art facilities and a supportive, collaborative environment. Our department boasts numerous cutting-edge research centres and a commitment to nurturing the careers of talented fellows.
Key benefits of a fellowship at Manchester:
- Research excellence: Engage with some of the world’s leading minds in physics and astronomy.
- World-class facilities: Access top-tier facilities such as Jodrell Bank Observatory, the National Graphene Institute, and the Photon Science Institute.
- Career development: Benefit from our transparent career development structures and opportunities for long-term career growth.
- Collaborative culture: Work within a community that values academic freedom and collaboration, driving transformative breakthroughs.
Explore our fellowship opportunities
We support a wide range of fellowship schemes tailored to different career stages, including postdoctoral, tenure-track, and established researcher positions.
Postdoctoral fellowships:
- ACM SIGHPC Computational & Data Science fellowships
- EC Marie Curie fellowships
- Leverhulme Early Career fellowships
- Royal Academy of Engineering Research fellowships
- Royal Society Career Development fellowships
- Royal Society Newton International fellowships.
Tenure-track fellowships:
- Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw fellowships
- EPSRC Open fellowships
- ERC Starting Grant
- Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin fellowship
- Royal Society University Research fellowships
- STFC Ernest Rutherford fellowships
- UKRI Future Leaders fellowships.
Established researcher fellowships:
- ERC Advanced Grant
- ERC Consolidator Grant
- Royal Society Faraday Discovery fellowships
- Wolfson Visiting fellowships.
If your scheme is not listed, please email our fellowship support team.
Why Choose Manchester?
Our commitment to research excellence, collaborative culture, and world-class facilities make Manchester an ideal place for your fellowship. Hear directly from our current researchers about their experiences and the profound impact Manchester has had on their careers.
We lead with world-class facilities
Our Faculty hosts more leading science and engineering facilities on one campus than any other European institution. With £1 billion invested in facilities over the last decade, we offer cutting-edge capabilities across the country.
Explore our exceptional facilities that support groundbreaking research:
Hosting the Square Kilometre Array Observatory, set to be the largest radio telescope in the world.
A global leader in graphene and 2D materials research, providing highly advanced facilities for industry-led production and developments.
Our physicists participate in leading experiments with access to world-wide facilities.
A multidisciplinary centre for photon science research.
We'll support you to build your career
Join our vibrant community of internationally recognised scientists, including Nobel laureates, and renowned researchers like Professor Brian Cox. Our supportive environment and commitment to career development ensure that you receive the best training to become a leading research leader. We take your development seriously.
Professor Sir Andrei Geim and Professor Sir Kostya Novoselov, who isolated Graphene and sparked a global research revolution, leads our academic community.
Our colleague and recent research fellow Professor Brian Cox. Professor of Particle Physics and Royal Society Professor for Public Engagement in Science.
"It’s been very noticeable how well my career was supported at Manchester. The promotional opportunities were clear, and the support received by the team felt natural and organic. Manchester trains you to become the best research leader, lecturer and team leader".
Previous Fellow / The University of Manchester
Industry recognition
We’re experts at taking research from lab to market. We’ve built a research and innovation community that supports breakthrough academic investigation, while bridging the gap between fundamental research and the real world of commercialised application - that drives real-world impact and attracts industry investment.
Our collaborative innovation centres, such as the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, exemplify this approach. It's unique ‘Industry-led, Academic-fed’ model bridges the gap between theory and application, driving real-world impact and attracting industry investment.
Collaboration drives success
Two key principles - academic freedom and collaboration - are in our DNA. Your peers might be world-leading experts, but at Manchester we’re all equally responsible for building a community that shares research problems and solutions.
Our transformative breakthroughs are achieved through teamwork. From pioneering the UK's first high-energy proton beam therapy service to playing a central role in establishing the Square Kilometre Array, the world’s largest radio astronomy infrastructure, we rely on each other to advance our research. Collaboration is at the heart of our success.
Manchester’s unique ‘Industry-led, Academic-fed’ model bridges the gap between theory and application, driving real-world impact and attracting industry investment. Our collaborative innovation centres, such as the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, exemplify this approach.
Get in Touch
For further questions or to discuss your interest in our fellowship schemes, contact our Fellowship Support team. We support researchers at all career stages, providing advice on fellowship schemes, funding applications, and balancing responsibilities like childcare.
Email the Fellowship Support Team
Explore the wide range of fellowships we support and start your journey towards a successful research career with The University of Manchester.