2026 Competition
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) have announced the 2026 call for applications to its Postdoctoral Fellowship (PDF) Scheme – aimed at providing a career development opportunity for those in the immediately postdoctoral stage of their career, and the opportunity to consolidate their PhD through developing publications, their networks, and their research and professional skills.
The posts will be fixed term positions on either a 9 month full-time or 18 month part-time contract. The Fellowship will include salary costs, and additional funds may be applied for to support research activities including travel, conference attendance, training and fieldwork.
5 x fellowships are available to start 1 October 2026.
The White Rose DTP partner universities taking part in the 2026 competition are as follows:
- University of Bradford
- University of Hull
- University of Leeds
- Manchester Metropolitan University
- University of Sheffield
- University of York
The fellows must be located on an accredited WRDTP pathway and have completed their PhD at a research organisation in the UK. Applicants are not required to have previously held an ESRC-funded studentship in order to be eligible to apply.
Only one application to a single DTP is permitted. If an applicant submits to more than one DTP, all of their applications will be withdrawn from further consideration.
You may submit an expression of interest to more than one DTP, but if you are shortlisted by multiple DTPs, you must select your preferred opportunity at this stage.
To be eligible applicants must:
- Have completed their PhD at a research organisation in the UK
- Have been awarded a PhD or have passed their viva voce with minor amendments by the application deadline of 1 June 2026 and have been awarded their PhD by the fellowship start date of 1 October 2026
- Have no more than 15 months of active postdoctoral experience. This is measured from the applicant’s viva voce pass date to the application deadline of 1 June 2026
- Plan to base their fellowship in an ESRC WRDTP accredited department or school
ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowships are specifically designed to build upon applicants’ PhD experience, and developing skills for a future career in research. New research cannot be funded through these awards; the ESRC New Investigator grant opportunity is more suitable for those seeking to undertake significant new research.
Applicants who have passed their viva voce with major corrections will not be eligible for this year’s call, unless they can show that their corrections have been submitted and approved by the call closing date (1 June 2026). This is to ensure that all fellows are able to commence by the annual start date of 1 October 2026.
Successful applicants must be available to commence their fellowship by the 1 October 2026 start date. Deferrals to the fellowship start date due to existing fixed-term contracts cannot be accommodated due to the fixed funding end date of 30 June 2027.
Permanent members of staff in an academic position with a research component are not eligible for this scheme. If a candidate has previously been employed on a part-time basis, that employment can be calculated on a pro-rata basis.
International candidates should be aware that UK Visa and Immigration rules means that there may be restrictions relating to their engagement in this opportunity. Candidates are advised to seek guidance from their host university’s Human Resources/International Staff Support team before submitting their fellowship application.
Please see the ESRC PDF FAQs document that supports this call for further information on eligibility.
Through being embedded within a high-quality environment for research and training, the fellows will have the opportunity to undertake a varied programme of activities supporting their continued development for careers both within and outside of academia.
Proposals are welcome from both single disciplines and combinations of disciplines but the fellowship activities must be based at least 50% within the social sciences.
Key information
Expressions of interest
Shortlisted candidates
The Application Process
The White Rose DTP is running a two stage process:
Stage 1 – Expression of Interest
Requires all potential applicants to email the following documents, using the specific nomenclature provided, to fellowships@wrdtp.ac.uk using SURNAME_FIRST NAME_PDF_EOI as the subject line
- WRDTP ESRC PDF EOI Form – A PDF copy of your form entry will be emailed to you upon submission, please forward this to us via email (using the following nomenclature to name your file – SURNAME_FIRST NAME_PDF_EOI)
- Please be aware that the form must be completed in one sitting. You can preview the form questions here.
- Short CV (using the following nomenclature to name your file – SURNAME_FIRST NAME_CV)
In addition to emailing your expression of interest and CV to the WRDTP, you must also complete the following EDI Monitoring Form:
- EDI Monitoring Form – Please note that responses to this form will be collected automatically so you do not need to email us a copy of your submission.
The deadline is 17:00, Wednesday 8 April 2026.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used within academia. Whilst it can have a positive impact on academic work, it is also opening up opportunities for unfair means to be used by students to gain an unfair advantage – particularly if used in competitive processes such as fellowship competitions.
The WRDTP recognises that there are a number of situations where AI can be useful. However submitted EOIs must be solely the work of the applicant, and any work produced using AI tools should not be passed off as that of the applicant. We therefore require that any use of AI is disclosed and explained in Section 5 of the Expression of Interest form. Failure to do so could result in a fellowship offer being withdrawn.
For further details, please review our WRDTP statement on the use of AI.
Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their EOI by mid April 2026. Those applicants submitting full proposals will receive support from the institution to which they intend to undertake their fellowship.
Stage 2 – Full Application
Shortlisted candidates will be required to complete the following:
The deadline for full applications (from shortlisted candidates only) is 23:59, Monday 1 June 2026.
