Vice-Chancellor’s Prize Fellowships

Building capability in research excellence.

About the Vice-Chancellor's Prize Fellowships

The Vice-Chancellor’s Prize Fellowship Scheme will contribute a leading role in delivering Aston’s commitment to excellent, transformative research consistent with Aston’s new 2030 strategy, by recruiting and nurturing the research innovation and impact leaders of tomorrow. Fellowships will provide successful candidates with the opportunity to excel as an excellent independent researcher, drive forward innovative and distinctive research projects, exercise leadership within their research teams and across the institution, and establish themselves as a research leader in their fields.

Successful Fellows will be recruited on the basis of excellence as appropriate to supporting Aston’s aim to be at the cutting-edge of research in science, technology, and enterprise; existing and potential areas of excellence in the Colleges and University Research Institutes; and to deliver research of world-leading quality as consistent with Aston’s objectives for REF2029. The programme will commence from 2025/26 to maximise potential returns to REF. 

The final shape of the Fellowships will be determined by the choice of one or two options:

  1. Recruiting excellent researchers immediately following PhD award, to pursue self-defined research programmes (i.e. proposed at application) and/or to work under the close supervision of senior researchers on predefined projects/areas of expertise (and as allocated through an internal application process where Aston academics bid for PDFs). The positives are that this option addresses a gap in existing PDF provision nationally, with the benefit that it will likely attract a supply of strong early career researchers; adds a further ‘pipeline’ of quality researchers to progress into permanent posts; establishes significant vitality to Aston’s research culture.
  2. Recruiting early career researchers at Grades 9 to 10 – i.e., more established than option 1 - to pursue self-defined research programmes (i.e. proposed at application) and as aligned to existing areas of research expertise and strategic importance. The positives include candidates most likely already in possession of a postdoctoral track-record (especially in STEM areas); better positioned to submit high quality external grant applications; more likely to be REF returnable; able to add research value in their own right; and able to help create a strong ‘pipeline’ to permanent appointments.

 

Guidance for applicants: Vice-Chancellor's Innovation Fellowships

Aston University is committed to ensuring the Vice-Chancellor’s Innovation Fellowships create as much benefit for the individual researchers, as well as for the broader University community. We've developed a few key guidelines to aid prospective applicants in submitting a strong application.

The University will offer
  • Three years of supported research in the salary ranges between Grades 8 and 10
  • A route to a permanent academic post, subject to performance review after year 2
  • Support for research expenses 
  • Expert academic mentoring and professional support to help secure external research funding, the production of excellent published outputs and/or high quality research impact and translation 
  • A strong interdisciplinary research environment committed to supporting excellence, including membership of a research institute or centre where appropriate 
  • Collaborations where appropriate with external users and networking opportunities to build impact 
  • Access to Aston’s Early Career Researcher community and excellent researcher development programme
  • High quality mentoring, and individual and cohort-based research leadership coaching
  • Teaching experience, limited to a maximum of one small module per semester; or for those appointed at Grade 8, a maximum of one small module per academic year.
  • The opportunity to study at no cost for a PG Certificate in Teaching and Learning, where appropriate
     
Fellows will 
  • Be Early Career Researchers, defined by Aston as normally those with no more than 8 years of postdoctoral experience. However, there are no strict eligibility rules based on years of postdoctoral experience as Aston recognises that career pathways vary 
  • Be in possession of a PhD prior to the closing date
  • Demonstrate an excellent track-record of research relative to career stage and discipline, as judged by the quality of published research, funding success, awards and prizes, and other relevant markers of peer esteem
  • Possess a reputation for internationally excellent or world-leading research, as appropriate to career stage
  • Demonstrate the capacity to exercise leadership in their proposed research groups and across the institution
  • Have the dynamism to represent their research to national and international audiences
Fellowships will
  • Be located in colleges and attached to named Institutes, Centres, Schools or Departments with clear existing or potential research excellence, or areas identified as strategically important (this is necessary because Fellowships are linked to opportunities for a permanent post and so Fellows need to be closely aligned to existing and future research requirements)
  • Require an initial expression of interest, followed by a full application involving a completed application form, full CV and research proposal that includes a statement of aims, methods, outputs and timelines
  • Be awarded according to Aston’s commitment to recruiting exceptional people from diverse backgrounds and career paths
  • Mainstream Aston’s commitment to creating an inclusive and diverse research culture.

The appliaction process will invovle 3 stages:

  1. Registration of interest through completion of short application form and accompanying CV
  2. Shortlisted candidates require a full application, including a 2000 word (max) research proposal and supporting statement from the Head of School
  3. Interview

Advertisement, shortlisting and selection will be undertaken fully in line with Aston’s highly respected EDI policies.
 

Timelines
  • March/April 2025 - call opens
  • May/June 2025 - interviews involving all Colleges 
  • September/October 2025 - phased start of first cohort of VC Fellows 
     

 

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