Skip to main content
Digital Environment Research Institute (DERI)
  1. Digital Environment Research Institute (DERI)
  2. Discover DERI
  3. Join DERI
  4. DERI Fellowship Opportunities
  5. Royal Academy of Engineering Fellowship

Royal Academy of Engineering Fellowship

DERI invites expressions of Interest for the Royal Academy of Engineering Fellowship 2025.

We encourage candidates to review our Research Team pages to identify potential overlaps with their research area of interest and recommend they have an initial discussion with identified individual(s) about their proposal prior to applying. It is important that you have the support of a DERI-based academic whose group you will be aligned with during the Fellowship. 

The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) Fellowships provide a maximum of 5 years of funding, a total of £625,000 at 80% FEC. The scheme aims to support early-career researchers in establishing their independence and international reputations; provide long-term support enabling the pursuit of an ambitious programme of engineering research and impact; and to develop ambassadors for the Academy and advocates for STEM disciplines. 

Eligibility

  • Applicants must hold a PhD but have no more than 4 years post PhD experience at the RAEng deadline, which is September 17th 2025.
  • Fellowships must start between August 1st 2026 and October 31st 2026

The RAEng allow some exceptions to their 4 year post-PhD limit for extenuating circumstances. Candidates should review the guidance on their webpage for further details.

How to Apply

Expressions of interest should be submitted as one document to deri@qmul.ac.uk by 2pm (BST) on May 28th 2025, consisting of:

  •  Project title (10 words or less): The essence of the research should be captured in the title and should be as informative as possible. Please ensure that it is understandable to a non-specialist reader. For further information please see page 10 of the Applicant Guidance notes.
  • Date PhD was awarded : (letter which says “congratulations you have got a PhD”) and if more than 4 years before 17th September 2025 your extenuating circumstances.  For further information please see page 8 of the Applicant Guidance notes.
  •  Abstract  (300 words): Describe the research in terms that can be understood by a non-specialist reader. What similar research is being/has been undertaken nationally and internationally, and how does your project differ?  For further information please see page 10 of the Applicant Guidance notes. 
  • Timeliness and novelty (250 words): Describe why this research is important and why it should be conducted now.  For further information please see page 10 of the Applicant Guidance notes.
  • Your CV (not more than 2 pages): The format and content of your CV is left to your discretion, but should include a list of publications. You may wish to indicate which publications you deem most significant and include a link to any that are open access. You do not need to include contact details as these are included earlier in the application form. Please also avoid personal information (e.g. gender, date of birth and nationality) in the CV.  
  • Applications from Under-represented groups: The Academy has identified the following groups that are currently significantly underrepresented in UK engineering research. Please confirm in your submission if you self-identify as under-represented, according the three groupings as defined by the Academy:
    • Women 
    • Black people, including those with any mixed ethnicity with Black ethnic background(s) 
    • Disabled people 

The Applicant Guidance notes can be downloaded from the RAEng webpage.

Selection Process

Expressions of interest will be reviewed by a DERI review panel, and candidates will be informed of the outcome. We encourage candidates not to start working on an application until they have received confirmation that we are able to support their application. Supported candidates will be helped with the application process, including preparing of the costings, support with writing, and submitting the application.

There is a multi-step process prior to submitting to the RAEng, and the timeline has been included below. Candidates successful at the initial expression of interest stage and selected by the DERI panel to go forward will be supported to develop their proposal further to be submitted to the Queen Mary demand management process. Each Institution is capped on the number of submissions it can make to the scheme. Candidates who are also successful at the internal demand management stage will be provided support to finalise and submit their application in time for the September 2025 deadline.

Timelines

Submission of EOI to DERI: 2pm(BST) on May 28th 2025

Outcome of DERI EOI: by June 10th 2025

For the Successful candidate(s) at the DERI EOI Stage:

Submission of Paperwork to Queen Mary Internal Selection: June 13th 2025

Outcome of Queen Mary Selection: by June 20th 2025

Submission to RAEng: September 17th 2025 

Further Details

Queries can be directed to deri@qmul.ac.uk 

To find out further details on the RAEng Fellowships, please see the scheme guidance notes and FAQs: https://raeng.org.uk/research-fellowships  

 

Back to top