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Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships are designed to support scholars at a relatively early stage of their academic careers (defined as having submitted their thesis for viva voce examination no more than 4 years prior to the closing date), but with a proven record of research. Fellowships are tenable for three years on a full-time basis. Further details about the scheme are available on the Leverhulme Trust website.

The deadline for the Leverhulme scheme is 19 February 2026, but to enable the Faculty to select the candidates that it wishes to support, applicants must submit expressions of interest by emailing the below documents to the Faculty (philomen.probert@ling-phil.ox.ac.uk)  by 12:00pm on Monday 8 December 2025. Please ensure you meet the eligibility criteria for the Leverhulme scheme before applying.

Required documents (preferably attached to the same email):

  • a completed Expression of Interest form (.docx)
  • a maximum 2-page Statement of Proposed Research (min Ariel 11pt, single spaced and 2cm margins): this should include aims, objectives, methodology and outcome (e.g. publication plans). The methodology should be clear and explicit, comprehensible to a non-expert. Include bibliographic references in full, including page numbers where relevant. (Candidates should not expect any input from their proposed mentors into their Statement of Proposed Research at this stage.)
  • a maximum 2-page CV, including education, thesis title and examiners, any awards, and publications
  • a Mentor Support Form (.docx), completed by your proposed mentor

Candidates may also choose to include a statement of any circumstances which have impacted on their research progress (for example, periods of illness, or maternity / paternity leave, etc).

Potential applicants must not open an application with the Leverhulme Trust until Faculty support for their candidacy is confirmed in writing.

Please note: The Leverhulme Trust panel that makes these awards encourages a change of institution for its award holders. Potential applicants with Oxford DPhils must therefore ensure that their draft statement of research makes a compelling case as to why they need to remain at Oxford to undertake postdoctoral work.