Apply to join the Early Career Forum in Manufacturing and the Circular Economy Research

Overview

EPSRC is seeking applications from Early Career academics to join the Early Career Forum in Manufacturing and the Circular Economy Research for a three-year term. We are looking to recruit 11 new members in this exercise. Eligibility follows standard EPSRC rules for research grants and is limited to UK Higher Education Institutions. A brief institutional statement of support is required.

EPSRC wishes to invite Forum members across the full breadth of the Manufacturing and the Circular Economy theme. This includes physicists, chemists, computer scientists and mathematicians as well as the manufacturing engineering or process engineering disciplines. Members do not need to have expertise in both manufacturing and circular economy research. 

Why your views matter

This opportunity is available to early career academics. To recognise the range of career paths in manufacturing, there is no specific definition of “early career”; however, applicants should demonstrate why they consider it appropriate to describe themselves as such. This forms part of the assessment criteria outlined below. 

Some indicators that an individual might be considered Early Career are given below. These are not exhaustive or definitive but may help applicants to decide whether this is the right opportunity for them, and to explain why they would consider themselves to be Early Career. The panel may also refer to these indicators but will be encouraged to take a broad view when assessing whether an applicant is at a suitable point in their career. 

• The applicant is in the process of establishing their research independence and their research team, or these are newly established. Established leaders of research groups would not be suitable for this opportunity. 

• The applicant has aspirations to leadership within their research community, and/or some experience of community leadership, but may not have a significant track record of community leadership at a national level 

• The applicant has a good awareness of the international and strategic context of their research and is starting to show evidence of recognition in the community 

We are keen to see diversity in Forum membership, in terms of gender, race, disability and other protected characteristics and we welcome applications from candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds. Details about EPSRC’s approach to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion may be found at Equality, diversity and inclusion – EPSRC – UKRI 

This opportunity is open to full-time and part-time academic staff and Fellowship holders, according to the normal eligibility rules for EPSRC funding. In this call, EPSRC will only accept applications from UK Higher Education Institutions. For information on the eligibility of individuals to receive EPSRC funding, see the EPSRC Funding Guide: Eligibility as an individual – UKRI 

Individuals interested in applying for this opportunity who are unsure of their eligibility should contact EPSRC (see contacts below). 

Submissions to this opportunity will not affect an applicant’s status under the Repeatedly Unsuccessful Applicants policy. 

What happens next

An expert external panel will assess the received applications based on the information provided, addressing how well applicants have articulated their fit to the assessment criteria outlined in the Expression of Interest document. EPSRC will use the shortlist provided from the panel to decide forum membership using additional factors such as organisation and research area.