Department of Philosophy

Post-doctoral Funding Opportunities

The Department is very pleased to support applications to post-doctoral funding competitions from candidates working on topics relating to its wide range of research interests. Applicants wishing to apply for an Early Career Fellowship through the Department will receive assistance in the form of feedback on individual draft applications, especially the project proposal. The key schemes are:

British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships - application time usually in August-September.

British Academy International Fellowship - application time usually January - March. This call is for applicants working outside the UK and not holding UK citizenship at the time of application. Applicants should have completed their PhD by the time of the start date of the Fellowship.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - application time usually in September, but contact the department months in advance to secure yourself a mentor.
Addison Wheeler Fellowships

Please note that all post-doctoral applications are subject to an initial round of selection procedures within the University. Applications to all schemes are subject to internal review in the Department and Faculty level.

If you are interested in applying for a post-doctoral fellowship with the Department on Philosophy, please contact the Director of Research and the Senior Research Administrator at: artsandhumanities.researchteam@durham.ac.uk

British Academy International Fellowships 2026 in the Department of Philosophy Durham University

The Department of Philosophy invites expressions of interest from candidates who wish to apply to the British Academy International Fellowships Programme through Durham University. The International Fellowships programme provides support for outstanding early career researchers to make a first step towards developing an independent research career through gaining experience across international borders.

The official call will open in January 2027, but universities can submit only a limited number of applications. We are therefore seeking expressions of interest at this early stage so that we can offer enhanced support to outstanding candidates. Details of the previous International Fellowships scheme, including eligibility criteria, can be found here.

We welcome enquiries from eligible candidates particularly those related to the research themes in the department (https://www.dur.ac.uk/philosophy/research/groups ) or to relevant University Research Centres and Institutes (https://www.durham.ac.uk/research/institutes-and-centres/). Applications are particularly welcome from women, and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in the University.

Working in conjunction and with approval from their mentor, candidates should check their eligibility to apply and confirm their intent to submit an application to the scheme. Notification of intent to submit must be received by the Departmental Director of Research (Dr Jeremy Dunham jeremy.w.dunham@durham.ac.uk;) by 12 noon on Friday 6 November 2026. Candidates should submit the following candidate materials:

(Please use standard margins at a minimum of 11 point font, including all figures and references.)

A CV (two pages)
A Research Proposal (two pages)
A justification of your choice of host organisation and UK sponsor (one page)

Further details about the internal application process will be available via the Arts and Humanities Research Team (artsandhumanities.researchteam@durham.ac.uk).

Final decisions on the candidates Durham is able to support will be made in the week commencing 7 December 2026, after which we will work closely with the successful candidates to develop their applications in advance of the British Academy deadline.

Further information on the British Academy International Fellowships, including details of eligibility criteria, can be found at:

Candidates are also strongly advised to review the Scheme Guidance notes: International Fellowships: Scheme guidance notes | The British Academy

For more information or informal enquiries, please contact the Research Team at artsandhumanities.researchteam@durham.ac.uk