Leverhulme Early Career
The Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship schemes offers an opportunity for early career researchers who have not yet held a full-time permanent academic post to undertake a significant piece of publishable work.
The scheme is based on a pattern of joint support whereby the Leverhulme Trust will contribute 50% of the Fellow’s total salary costs (including National Insurance, superannuation and London allowance, where applicable), with the balance contributed by the host institution. The Trust’s maximum annual contribution will be pro-rated if the Fellowship is held on a part-time basis. The Fellow may also request research expenses (up to a maximum specified in the scheme guidance notes) to support his or her research activities. Further details on this scheme are available at the Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships page.
We expect to be able to support no more than one applicant for the 2027 competition.
How to apply
Expressions of Interest should be submitted by 12.00 midday on Tuesday 1st December 2026. A selection committee will meet shortly afterwards and prospective applicants will be notified of our decision by Friday 18th December.
Please submit your Leverhulme ECF Expression of Interest form.docx (MS Word 
, 930kb), along with your CV and publications list to: philosophy-DRC@york.ac.uk
Research Fellowships
We are keen to welcome outstanding researchers to join our community as Independent Research Fellows through one of the various external funding schemes available.
This includes non-subject specific schemes such as the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Newton Fellowship, the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships scheme, or the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship scheme, as well as philosophy-specific Postdoctoral Fellowships such as the Analysis Trust/Mind Association studentship.
Potential applicants should, having identified a Fellowship scheme, check the eligibility criteria and closing dates carefully and contact the most relevant member of academic staff with a short CV and draft proposal. If you are not sure which member of staff could best support your application, please contact Prof Matthew Ratcliffe, Chair of the Departmental Research Committee, at matthew.ratcliffe@york.ac.uk.
How we can help
We can provide support for the development of your Fellowship application. This support can include:
- arranging for discussions/meetings with appropriate academic staff
- organising constructive comments from peer reviewers
- administrative support.
Our current research groupings include:
- History of Philosophy (with areas of strength including 'Early Modern and Enlightenment Philosophy' and 'Post-Kantianism and Critical Theory')
- Practical Philosophy: research clusters in 'Ethics'; 'Political and Legal Philosophy'
- Theoretical Philosophy: research clusters in 'Phenomenology and Mental Health'; 'Mind and Reason'; 'Philosophy of Religion'; 'Metaphysics and Philosophy of Science'.
Learn more about support for Fellowships at the University.