What is the Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw Research Fellowship?
The Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw Research Fellowship (DKO) is one of the Faculty of Science and Engineering’s flagship schemes for investing in outstanding scientists and engineers at an early stage in their academic careers as a stepping stone to establishing an independent research career and gaining a full time permanent academic position. The fellowship is an integral part of the Faculty's commitment to nurturing early-career researchers and promoting diversity within our academic community.
This prestigious five-year fixed-term university research fellowship supports talented individuals with high levels of creativity and ambition in their ideas who want to develop potentially transformative research.
The scheme is funded by The University of Manchester and managed at Faculty level. Fellowships are aligned to strategic research priorities within the School of Natural Sciences and the School of Engineering, as part of the recruitment process.
Applicants are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the Faculty’s research priorities to assess alignment with their research area and are welcome to engage early with departments to discuss how their interests align with our goals.
The fellowships are fully aligned with the recently launched Manchester 2035 strategy and our equality, diversity, inclusion and access (EDIA) goals, incorporating our people, values and our future.
Key information
Funder: The University of Manchester.
Status: Currently closed.
Next call: Expected to reopen in early 2026.
Advert: Full vacancy details are available via the University’s jobs website. View the Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw Research Fellowship advert.
Research area: Please refer to the current call for detailed information on the specific research areas from which the Faculty particularly welcomes applications.
Eligibility:
Applicants must:
- Hold a PhD by the start date of the fellowship (or have equivalent research experience)
- Be an early-career researchers in science or engineering
- Demonstrate strong potential to establish an independent academic research career
- Propose research aligned with Faculty and departmental priorities.
There are:
- No eligibility rules based on years of post-doctoral experience
- No requirement whether the applicant holds a permanent academic position
- No nationality restrictions.
Funding:
- Five years of fixed-term fellowship support
- Full-time (with part-time options considered).
Benefits of the Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw Fellowship
Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw Fellows join The University of Manchester at a pivotal stage in their academic careers, with the time, resources and institutional backing to establish independent research and develop as future academic leaders.
Manchester actively supports researchers at all career stages and is committed to equality of opportunity, inclusive recruitment and transparent assessment processes.
Fellows are supported through the University’s training and development provision, including Faculty Academic Development Programmes that provide a strong grounding in the skills needed to succeed at Manchester. These programmes support fellows across inspirational teaching, research excellence, and personal and professional development.
As a DKO Fellow, you’ll benefit from:
- A world-leading research environment across science and engineering
- Access to world-leading facilities, infrastructure and interdisciplinary expertise
- Supportive departmental and Faculty-level mentoring
- Opportunities to develop teaching experience and academic leadership
- A competitive employment package, including:
- Market-leading pension scheme
- Generous annual leave and additional University closure days
- Employee health and wellbeing services
- Local and national staff discounts.
The Faculty welcomes applications from all sections of the community and particularly encourages applications from groups currently under-represented at this level. Career breaks, non-linear career paths and part-time working arrangements are fully supported.
Application process
It is essential to engage early to discuss:
- Your proposed research direction
- Alignment with Faculty and departmental priorities
- Internal expectations and timelines.
Key information about the Faculty’s research priorities, schools, departments and institutes is available on the Faculty of Science and Engineering research pages. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review this information to help tailor their proposal to areas of strategic strength.
For full vacancy details, including salary, job reference and contract information, view the Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw Research Fellowship advert on The University of Manchester jobs website (currently closed).
Applications are submitted via Jobtrain and must include the following supporting documents:
- Curriculum Vitae (maximum 2 pages)
- Research Proposal (2 pages)
- Academic Impact Statement (1 page)
- Statement of Strategic Fit (1 page).
The Research Proposal, Academic Impact Statement and Statement of Strategic Fit must be combined into a single PDF (maximum 4 pages).
Please note that page limits are strictly applied.
Applications must be submitted via Jobtrain by the advertised deadline.
Deadline: to be confirmed when the scheme reopens.
Applications are reviewed and shortlisted by a panel independently chaired by a head of school.
The selection process includes:
- Shortlisting based on published criteria
- A two-stage interview process
- Stage one: School-level panel interviews
- Stage two: Final interview chaired by the Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty.
Assessment focuses on research excellence, potential for independence, strategic alignment and wider academic contribution. Evaluation processes are monitored to ensure fairness, transparency and the mitigation of bias.
What our fellows say
“The Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw Fellowship at The University of Manchester provides an excellent pathway to independent academic research. My work focuses on computational modelling of cardiovascular disease, bridging engineering and healthcare. Manchester offers an exceptionally supportive and collaborative environment, with strong engagement from both the Department and the wider research community, creating an ideal setting to translate ideas into real-world impact.”
Dr Sampad Sengupta / Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw Research Fellow, The University of Manchester
Frequently asked questions
The fellowship is open to outstanding early-career researchers in science and engineering with the potential to establish independent academic research careers. Full eligibility criteria, including any role or career-stage requirements, are outlined in the vacancy advert via the University’s jobs website.
Yes. The Faculty supports requests for part-time working and proportionately extended fellowship durations. Career breaks and non-linear career paths are fully considered as part of the assessment process.
Successful applicants will be awarded an initial five-year fixed-term contract. A subsequent permanent contract is not guaranteed.
For guidance on internal processes or application development, contact dkofellows@manchester.ac.uk.
Further questions? Get in touch
For guidance on internal processes or application development, contact dkofellows@manchester.ac.uk.