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Non-Stipendiary Research Fellowship 2026-30: Biological and Medical Sciences
King's College wishes to appoint, with effect from 1st October 2026, one Non-Stipendiary Research Fellow. Applications are welcome in any area of the Biological & Medical Sciences.
Graduates of any University are eligible.
Candidates must have external funding support for their salary for at least two years from 1st October 2026. The source of external funding, its duration and amount must be stated in the application. Funding sources include, but are not restricted to research appointments from the Royal Society, the various Research Councils of the United Kingdom, the Leverhulme Trust and the Wellcome Trust. The Fellowship lasts for up to 4-years, or until the end of the external funding - whichever is sooner.
The main function of Non-Stipendiary Fellowships is to offer researchers who have already secured external funding at Cambridge University the chance to participate in College life and enjoy the benefits of a College Fellowship.
Research Fellows are members of the Governing Body, with full privileges of Fellows. In addition to pursuing research, a Research Fellow is required to live in Cambridge or close by and to participate in College life and activity.
Privileges include all meals, limited financial support for expenses associated with research, the possibility of an office, subsidised accommodation in College properties, or an additional living-out allowance of up to £4,000, depending on income.
Although these are research posts, Research Fellows are encouraged to take advantage of opportunities to undertake a small amount of University and/or College teaching. Additional payment is made for any undergraduate teaching. Further information about the College may be obtained from the College website (www.kings.cam.ac.uk).
Research Fellows of the College will be encouraged and expected to participate in the social and intellectual life of the College through attending academic events, appearing at lunch and dinner, and discussing research with Fellows and graduate students. From time to time the Research Managers organise evenings when Research Fellows are asked to give short presentations on their work.
Dates
- The closing date for the Non-Stipendiary Research Fellowship Competition is 9am (UK local time) Wednesday 29th April 2026. Applications and associated materials received after this date and time will not be considered.
- Short-listed candidates will be invited to attend an interview on Wednesday 15 July 2026. Please ensure that you will be available for interview, as it is not possible to arrange other times for interviews.
- The Fellowship will begin on 1 October 2026 and will run until 30 September 2030 or until funding runs out, whichever is sooner.
Application
To apply use the following link to go to the FAS website and create an application:
Applicants must complete all sections of the online Fellowship Application and upload onto the website (PDF only) the following:
- A curriculum vitae (of no more than three A4 sides) including details of higher education, degrees awarded, positions held, and a list of publications.
- A document of no more than 1,500 words in length (excluding bibliography, references, footnotes, endnotes), containing descriptions of your current research and of the research you propose to undertake during the Fellowship.
- A document with a writing sample of your work (eg a short thesis chapter (4,000 words or up to 3 published papers.) You will need to include a covering written statement, which explains your precise contribution, if your work samples include multi-author paper(s).
- Applicants must also arrange for three letters of recommendation to be uploaded onto the site in PDF format. Each referee will be asked to provide the names of two further readers, not in the candidate’s institution, to whom work might be sent if the candidate is long-listed. It is the duty of the candidate to ensure that the referees submit the references and the names of two readers before the closing date.
- Please provide a short letter from the head of your department confirming that you have research funding and facilities in place for this time.
Your referees will need to provide their references (PDF only) through the FAS website. They will be sent an email containing a link to do this. Referees unable to submit references electronically via the FAS website may e-mail the competition administrator, Dr Caro Schade research@kings.cam.ac.uk
Please note that all application materials must be in the English.
The application will not be considered in the competition until it has been submitted and all references have been received. An email will be sent once this has occurred.
Further questions
If you have any further questions regarding any aspect of the competition, e-mail the competition administrator, Dr Caro Schade research@kings.cam.ac.uk
King’s College follows an equal opportunities policy
Research Fellows
Each year, the college holds competitions for Research Fellowships, both Stipendiary and non-Stipendiary. These support gifted young researchers for four years; generally Research Fellows are appointed within two years of the award of a doctorate.
The Fellowships give young researchers an opportunity to establish their career before moving on to become fully independent researchers. Research Fellows have freedom to carry out their chosen research projects within the academic environment of the College and the University departments.
Stipendiary Research Fellowships
Usually, Research Fellows are appointed by the College Research Committee following interviews in mid-January, with a start date in October of that year. For January appointments, advertisements will appear in late July/early August with closing dates in September. Shortlisted candidates will be informed in the first part of December. We invite candidates to attend interviews in person.
Benefits
Research Fellows are members of the Governing Body, with full privileges of Fellows. The Fellowship is a research post and is meant to allow Research Fellows to freely pursue and focus on their research, but they are encourage to take advantage of opportunities to undertake a small amount of University and/or College teaching and to take part in the College's Outreach and Widening Participation activities. Research Fellows join a lively research community, made up of Fellows, Research Fellows and College Research Associates and are expected to participate fully in college life and activities. In addition to a competitive stipend and additional accommodation allowance, privileges include free meals in College (breakfast, lunch and dinner on all days that the servery is open as well as high table dinners) and the possibility of an office and accommodation in College properties.
Eligibility
The King's College Research Fellowships are aimed at people who are at the beginning of their academic career. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in a relevant area of work and has completed or will be completing shortly an outstanding doctoral these. Candidates must not have undertaken more than 2 years postdoctoral work or work outside of academia by the 1 October of the year of their appointment to the Research Fellowships. Applications are welcome from graduates of any university and from international as well as UK applicants.
Non-stipendiary Research Fellowships
The college also usually appoints one non-stipendiary Research Fellows, either in Physical Sciences, Mathematical Sciences & Engineering or in Biological & Medical Sciences. Advertisements appear in March/April and close for applications in late April/mid-May. Long-listed candidates with be notified in May. Short-listed candidates will then hear in early July for interviews in mid-July. Their appointment starts in October of that year.
Eligibility
Non-stipendiary Research Fellows will need to have already secured external funding at Cambridge University for the time of their fellowship and provide a letter from their head of department to confirm that this is in place when applying.
Any questions can be directed to the Research Coordinator at research@kings.cam.ac.uk in the first instance.
Competitions will appear on this page when they open. Competitions that have recently closed will be visible for some time after the deadline below for reference.
College Research Associates
King’s College makes up to eight appointments to College Research Associates each year in any subject. Applicants must at the time of appointment be of post-doctoral standing, and may be graduates of any university. They must at the time of appointment, and for the duration of the appointment, be employed by the University of Cambridge in a post-doctoral research role. There are no conditions of age or subject attached to these positions, but candidates would normally be early in their research careers.
Applications can be from individuals or from groups of up to three. Appointments will be for two years, potentially renewable for a further two years. Applicants must, at the time of appointment, have funding for at least a full year.
Applicants must submit a plan for academic activities linked to their research which will be undertaken within King’s. This could, for instance, involve work with King’s Fellows or doctoral students, use of college archives or research facilities, or the writing of an article.
Research Associates have access to the SCR, the library and other College facilities. They have the right to lunch and dine in College with one High Table dinner and two lunches per week free of charge. Up to £600 per year of research expenses is available through the Research Committee. Presentation of their work to the Fellowship and Graduate student body will be expected of all Associates at some point during their tenure.
Details of competitions for College Research Associate positions can be found below on this page when they open.
