On an annual basis, the Governing Body of Downing College invite applications during the academic year for election to a Research Fellowship in a specific subject or field. Past competitions have included:

Year Subject or field Fellowship and appointment
2024 Any area of Human Geography Whitworth - competition now closed for applications
2023 Architecture, History of Art, Music or Philosophy Graham Robertson, Rachel Coombes
2022 Physical and Biological Natural Sciences, Engineering or Computer Science Kim and Julianna Silverman, Hugh Burton
2021 Natural Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science or Clinical Sciences Henslow, Alec Christie
2021 Biological Sciences related to Medicine or Clinical Sciences Everitt Butterfield, Charlotte Hammer
2021 Any area of Physical Natural Sciences Mays-Wild, Nathan James
2020 Physical and Biological Natural Sciences, Engineering or Computer Science Kim and Julianna Silverman, Bjoern Neumann
2020 Architecture, History of Art and Music Graham Robertson, Lucy Whelan
2019 Physical and Biological Natural Sciences, Engineering or Computer Science Kim and Julianna Silverman, Robert Hoye
2019 Any area of Physical Natural Sciences Mays-Wild, Josephine Hughes
2018 Any area of Human Geography Whitworth, António Ferraz de Oliveira
2017 No Fellowship Competition  
2016 Any area of the Arts, Humanities, or Social Sciences Isaac Newton Trust, Edward Cavanagh
2016 Biomedical Sciences and the Biological Sciences related to Medicine Everitt Butterfield, Priyanka Joshi
2014 Biological Anthropology, Biological Sciences or Medical and Veterinary Sciences Henslow, Harriet Groom
2013 Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic, Architecture, History of Art, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Classics, Divinity, English, Linguistics, Modern and Medieval Languages, and Music Sarah Kennedy
2012 Organic Chemistry Isaac Newton-Mays Wild, Michael Housden
2011 Economics & Econometrics, History, Human Geography, Law, Politics, Psychology or Sociology Isaac Newton-Graham Robertson, Joseph Webster
2010 Biological Anthropology, Biological Sciences or Medical and Veterinary Sciences Henslow, Jimena Berni

As soon as the competition is open to applications, an advertisement is posted on the following websites:

Downing College

Cambridge University Reporter

Oxford Gazette

Education Sector Vacancies

University of Cambridge Job Opportunities

Please note, the Whitworth Research Fellowship competition 2024 is now closed for applications.

Research Fellowships are open to postgraduates of any university and are intended to support those at an early stage in their academic careers. As such, Fellowships have normally been awarded to candidates who are approaching the end of their doctoral research or are commencing doctoral study.

Emoluments are reviewed annually.

Research Fellows are expected to undertake up to four hours of small group teaching per week in term time (remunerated separately) and to become a member of the Governing Body of the College, participating in the governance and communal life of Downing.

The same privileges are enjoyed as official Fellows, but Research Fellowships are of a limited tenure and usually terminate on the completion of three full academic years.

To apply, candidates must submit a Curriculum Vitae and Statement of Research as part of an online application.

The names of three Referees and either a potential host lab supervisor or Head of Department are generally provided, who are contacted automatically in order to upload a reference by a specified deadline. Once applications have been reviewed by the competition panel, a number of candidates' submitted work, which may for example be a published paper, manuscript in press or a thesis chapter, are assessed.

A very small number of candidates are then invited for interview in the Lent or Easter Term. Anyone interested in applying for a Fellowship should note that the standard needed to progress to the later stages of the competition is extremely high.

Overseas candidates should also note that the College will not pay for international travel should they be shortlisted for interview.

The Governing Body of the College usually make an election during the Lent or Easter Term. Candidates must provide satisfactory evidence of eligibility to work in the UK.

For further information regarding Research Fellowships or the application procedure please contact the Tutorial and Admissions Office.