Mentorship Programme

The intake for 2026 is now closed.

Our mentorship programme aims to support strong senior Independent Research Fellowship (IRF) applications to join the Department of Biology.

Applicants selected for the programme will be paired with a senior academic mentor within the Department of Biology. The mentor will provide strategic advice and guidance to strengthen fellowship applications and, working in coordination with the Research Facilitation team, will help ensure that costings and letters of support are prepared in accordance with funder requirements and submitted within the relevant deadlines.

Those selected will also participate in the Department’s Fellows day: This event formally introduces them to the Department, provides an opportunity to present their proposed research to colleagues across Sections, and confirms mentorship arrangements. The Fellows Day is also designed to support integration into our academic community and to position Fellows strongly for external submission.

The programme invites applications from early career researchers with excellent track records who wish to apply for the following UK and international funding schemes:

  • NERC Independent Research Fellowships 
  • MRC Career Development Fellowship
  • Royal Society University Research Fellowships 
  • Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships 
  • Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellowships
  • ERC Starting Grant 

Interest is welcomed from early career researchers in all areas of biology, including those at interdisciplinary boundaries with other life sciences, physical or social sciences who may draw on the outstanding breadth of Oxford’s research environment. Please check your eligibility for the fellowship you intend to apply to; generally, the fellowships applicable for the mentorship programme are intended for those who have already completed their PhD and some require several years of postdoctoral research experience.

If you wish to seek the Department’s support to apply for any of the fellowships listed above, you must engage with this process.

Please note this is not an offer of a job or a guarantee that you will be successful in gaining any of these fellowships to join the Department.

Selected applicants are assigned a mentor who is a senior researcher within the department who will provide support and advice. The aim of the mentoring system is to:   

  1. Aid the progression to an independent researcher and group leader
  2. Identify ways in which the Department can best support and help you
  3. Facilitate progression to either another Fellowship or permanent position

The Fellows Day is a mandatory part of the mentorship programme which aims to help you prepare for fellowship applications while getting to visit and know Oxford Biology better.

  • Date: TBC
  • Programme: Presentations by selected candidates, networking lunch, and an end-of-day social event.
  • Location: Life and Mind Building, Department of Biology at the University of Oxford.
  • Travel and subsistence costs: These will be covered in full for the selected candidates. Further details will be provided following notification (around the end of April).

In many Fellowship schemes, an interview is the final step in the application process. We provide mock interview practice and have found that this has a positive impact on success rates.

We invite applications to the Mentorship programme once per year, around February to March.

To express your interest, you will need to complete an application form by the deadline (preview the full list of questions). The link to the application form will be shared when applications open. Within the form, you will need to upload:

  1. a two-page research proposal;
  2. your CV (no more than five pages).

Please include all appointments, publications, and appropriate research information. Any questions can be directed to fellows@biology.ox.ac.uk.

The Department has several research Sections; you will need to choose the most appropriate Section for your mentorship submission based on your research interests.

Selection process and criteria

Shortlisting and final selection will be based on the written applications, which will be reviewed within the relevant research Section. A Departmental mentor will be assigned at this time. Applicants are usually informed of the outcome by the end of April. Applications are assessed for:

  • Scientific excellence
  • Potential readiness and competitiveness for schemes in programme
  • Potential synergy or complementarity with Section and Department
  • Availability of facilities for the proposed work

Next steps

We aim to notify all applicants as soon as possible after the deadline if they have been selected and who will be their assigned mentor.

From this point onward, the mentor will be your main point of contact. The mentor will advise on all aspects of the preparation of their applications and will agree a timeline for the next steps. You will also have support from research facilitation and costings officers who will help ensure your application is ready on time.

The candidates will be expected to: 

  • Confirm their intent to submit an application at least 6 weeks before the intended fellowship deadline
  • Finalise all aspects of the application at least 3 weeks before the funder’s deadline
  • Be available to address queries for internal approvals, such as budgeting and support needs, until the application is submitted.

Once you have obtained a Fellowship, the Department can provide a wealth of support and advice to assist you in maximising the success of your Fellowship research.

  • Grants: Various Fellowship schemes allow you to apply for additional research funding. Advice and information can be provided for external funding applications.
  • Additional funding support: Oxford has a diverse range of internal funding schemes to support research, including pilot projects.
  • Graduate students: Fellows holding Fellowships of at least three years duration are actively encouraged to supervise DPhil (PhD) students from their first year.
  • Recognition: We actively nominate researchers for national and international awards, such as Zoological Society of London Scientific Medal, Michael Faraday Prize, and L’Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science Awards, among others.

The Department of Biology is dedicated to upholding and developing good employment practice for women working in science, and holds an Athena Swan Award for its initiatives in this area.