The Rutherford International Fellowship Programme is a post-doctoral fellowship scheme part-funded by the European Commission under Horizon 2020, through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND scheme. The Programme will support up to 36 post-doctoral researchers to work within Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) departments and facilities, as well as the Diamond Light Source.
RIFP sets out to develop the next generation of leading researchers in a wide range of scientific disciplines. The Programme is designed to attract the highest-quality researchers who will be able to take advantage of the world-class facilities and departments within STFC. These facilities include the ISIS neutron and muon source, the Diamond Light Source (DLS) and the Central Laser Facility (CLF); Particle Physics, RAL Space, Scientific Computing, Accelerator and Technology Departments, as well as the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UKATC). Fellows can be based at any of STFC’s research sites: the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, the Daresbury Laboratory, the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh or the Chilbolton Observatory.
Individual researchers, with at least 4 years of research experience or a PhD, can apply for a fellowship by outlining a programme of work they wish to perform within an STFC host department or Diamond. Fellowships will normally be 2 years long.
The first call for Fellowship proposals took place in 2015 and has resulted in 13 Fellows being appointed. A list of Fellows and their projects is now available. The second call for proposals is now open, with closing date for applications of 14 October 2016, with the aim of fellows starting in Spring 2017. There will be a further annual call with deadline in October 2017.
Fellowships are part-funded by the European Commission, with the host department needing to provide the remaining funding. It is therefore important the potential applicants discuss their proposed projects with the relevant STFC department in advance of applying.
If you would like to apply for a fellowship, please read carefully the eligibility criteria and follow the procedure set out on the How To Apply page. This page sets out in detail the steps required to apply for a Fellowship.
The process for review and selection of Fellows can be found on the Review and Selection page.
Details of the management of the programme and how to contact programme staff for further information can be found using theRIFP Management and Contacts link.
