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Please note that the deadline to submitting your application to the Leverhulme Trust is 20 February 2025. The Department of Political Science’s deadline for applications is 9 September 2024 and the Faculty of Historical and Social Sciences's deadline for applications is 14 November 2024, which means that you will need to contact your potential mentor at the Constitution Unit at the very latest by 26 August 2024.

aim to provide career development opportunities for those who are at a relatively early stage of their academic careers, but who have a proven record of research. The expectation is that fellows should undertake a significant piece of publishable work during their tenure and that the fellowships should lead to a more permanent academic position.

The Leverhulme Trust will contribute 50% of the fellow’s total salary costs (including National Insurance, superannuation and London allowance), up to a maximum of £28,000 in each year of the award, with the remainder to be covered by the host institution. The fellow may request up to £6,000 per year in research expenses to further their research activities.

In order to be eligible, applicants must have passed their viva between 20 February 2021 and 20 February 2025, with further criteria set out .ÌýFellowships are expected to last for three years on a full-time basis and should commence between 1 September 2025 and 1 May 2026.

Potential mentors

Potential candidates should identify an academic who would support their application and agree to act as a mentor. The following academics from the Constitution Unit would welcome approaches in the research areas indicated below (candidates are encouraged to explore their webpages for more detailed information about their previous research):

• Professor Meg Russell

Professor Russell is the Director of the Constitution Unit and Professor in British and Comparative Politics at ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳. She welcomes applicants wishing to conduct research in areas including parliaments and legislatures (organisation, policy impact, member behaviour, bicameralism and reform), political party organisation and constitutions and constitutional reform.

• Professor Alan Renwick

Professor Renwick is the Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit and Professor of Democratic Politics at ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳. He welcomes applicants wishing to conduct research in areas including electoral systems, electoral reform, referendums, deliberative democratic institutions, democratic reforms and innovations and constitutions and constitutional reform.

• Dr Tom Fleming

Dr Fleming is Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics at ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳ and part of the senior team at the Constitution Unit. He welcomes applicants wishing to conduct research projects relating to parliamentary politics (either comparative or UK-focused).

Researching at the Constitution Unit

Completing a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at the Constitution Unit will allow the applicant to also become part of a leading research centre on political and constitutional reform.

The Constitution Unit is a politically independent research centre based in the Department of Political Science at ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳, with a sharply practical focus. Founded in 1995 to conduct detailed research on constitutional reform in the UK, the Unit continues to produce rigorous, timely and independent research and has close working relationships with policymakers, including representatives of all political parties. Its work has had a significant real-world impact over the past 25 years.

Our current major projects include Constitutional Principles and the Health of Democracy (led by Professor Russell), Democracy in the UK after Brexit (led by Professor Renwick) and The Politics of Parliamentary Procedure (led by Dr Fleming), as well as ongoing research into The Changing Role of the House of Lords (also led by Professor Russell).

Our previous projects include: Brexit, Parliament and the Constitution, the Working Group on Unification Referendums on the Island of Ireland, Mechanics of a Further Referendum on Brexit, Doing Democracy Better, the Independent Commission on Referendums, the Citizens’ Assembly on Brexit and An Elaborate Rubber Stamp? The Impact of Parliament on Legislation.

We are part of the Department of Political Science at ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳. The department's status as one of Britain's leading centres for research in political science was confirmed by the 2021 Research Excellence Framework exercise. The department acts as the bridge between ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳'s world-class research and the policy-making community in Britain and internationally. It holdsÌýweekly seminars featuring distinguished external speakers and regular high-profile events for policy makers and others. Other potential mentors covering a broader range of political science topics are also available in the department.

Application process

Applying is a multi-stage process.

Stage 1: Identify a mentor at the Constitution Unit (deadline: 26 AugustÌý2024)

First, you must find a prospective mentor who is willing in principle to support your application. At the Constitution Unit, this would be Professor Russell, Professor Renwick or Dr Fleming.

Please contact your preferred mentor directly as soon as possible, at the latest by 26 August 2024,Ìýbriefly indicating your project topic, broad proposed approach, details of your previous qualifications (with grades) and any relevant publications. Please note that you may not hear back from yourÌýpreferred mentor until after our internal deadline.

The Leverhulme Trust has a range of eligibility criteria, which can be foundÌý. Most notably, applicants must have successfully completed their PhD viva between 20 February 2021 and 20 February 2025.

Stage 2: Apply to the Department of Political Science (deadline: 9 September 2024)

If your proposed mentor indicates support in principle for your application, you should then apply to the Department of Political Science.ÌýYour proposed mentor mustÌýreview and commentÌýon your proposal before it is submitted to the department for consideration.

Complete the Ìý(ensuring to read the Ìýbeforehand) and send it toÌýMonica Burgess and Sandy Dhillon (polsci.research@ucl.ac.uk), copying in Professor Nils Metternich (n.metternich@ucl.ac.uk), by 9amÌýon 9 September 2024. Please note applications not on the template format will be deemed ineligible.

The Departmental Research Committee Sub-Panel will review the applications received and will communicate its decision by no later than 1ÌýOctober 2024.

Stage 3: Apply to the Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences (deadline: 14 November 2024)

Selected applicants will then need to submit their applications to theÌýFaculty of Social and Historical Sciences by 14 November 2024.

In order to do this, the will also need to be completed.ÌýReferee statements are not required at this stage, but the faculty is expecting a draft budget for research costs. Therefore, candidates selected by the departmentÌýwill work with our research team to include this in their applicationÌýbefore we submit to the faculty.

The faculty will communicate the outcome of this selection process by 19ÌýDecember 2024Ìýat the latest.

Stage 4: Submit an application to the Leverhulme TrustÌý(deadline: 20 February 2025)

If the applicantÌýis successful at faculty level, theyÌýwill work with our departmental research team toÌýfinaliseÌýtheirÌýbudget and obtain approval fromÌýthe research office before submitting the application to the Leverhulme Trust by 20 February 2025.

The Leverhulme TrustÌýwill make a decision byÌý23 May 2025.

Useful links

• Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships