Academic fellowships
Parliament offers fellowships in which academics come and conduct projects at Parliament. There are opportunities for academic researchers at any stage of their career.
POST's Parliamentary Academic Fellowship Scheme
The scheme first began in 2016 and has two strands. In the Directed Call of the scheme, academics work on projects issued by Parliament. The Directed Call of the scheme is open for applications Monday 31 January - Sunday 13 March 2022. The Directed Call gives university-based researchers and staff working in knowledge exchange the opportunity to participate in a fellowship project with an office in UK Parliament, put forward by that office. For more information, please see the Directed Call webpage.
Researchers bring their skills and knowledge to offices across Parliament. They work closely with parliamentary staff in their host team, and some will also have direct contact with Members of Parliament. A fellowship project might support core work of an office in Parliament, or fill a gap in expertise. It could help to grow Parliament's academic networks, or inform parliamentary scrutiny. It might analyse and evaluate parliamentary practices, or build staff capacity and skills.
Fellowships generate impact for Parliament, the fellow and the fellow’s home institution. In Parliament, for example, fellowships can raise awareness around topics, inform scrutiny and support changes in processes. They allow fellows to increase their knowledge of Parliament, build networks for themselves and their home institution, and develop new skills. They can lead to research impact and can enable opportunities for fellows to publish, and develop their teaching.
An overview of some of the fellows currently participating in the scheme, including their institution, their host office in Parliament and their fellowship project, can be found below:
Fellow name | Fellow institution | Host office in UK Parliament | Fellowship project |
Dr Maria Barrett | University of Warwick |
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, House of Commons Select Committee Team |
Widening the Pool: Engaging with more diverse expertise in the cultural field in a Covid and post-Covid environment |
Dr Patrick Butchard |
Edge Hill University |
International Affairs and Defence Section, House of Commons Library |
Supporting the delivery of international law policy research for the House of Commons Library |
Dr Elinor Carmi |
University of Liverpool | Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, House of Commons Select Committee Team | Digital Literacies for a Healthy Democracy |
Professor Tony Dobbins | University of Birmingham | Business and Transport Section, House of Commons Library | Collaborating in knowledge exchange with the research team in the House of Commons library (employment, labour market) to enhance understanding of the post-Covid future of work context |
Dr. Paul Gorczynski | University of Portsmouth | Women and Equalities Select Committee, House of Commons Select Committee Team | Evaluating mental health symptoms and disorders and service use amongst LGBT+ people before and during the COVID19 pandemic |
Professor Andrew Mumford | University of Nottingham | International Affairs Unit, House of Commons Select Committee Team | Providing Support and Advice to the House of Commons International Affairs Unit on the Government's Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review |
Professor Rachel Murray | University of Bristol | Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK Branch | Assessing the effectiveness of the National Assembly’s Standing Orders and the Standing Orders Consultation Programme in the Gambia |
Dr James Winnett | University of Warwick | Business and Transport Section, House of Commons Library |
Reducing societal reliance on petrol and diesel cars: the impact of policy on decarbonising transport |
POST PhD Fellowships
POST offers fellowships in which sponsored PhD students can work at POST for (usually) three months.
Some fellowships are also open to post-doctoral researchers in academia and industry. POST runs this scheme with Research Councils, learned societies and charities. Find out more about POST PhD Fellowships.
Discover how the Knowledge Exchange Unit supports researchers and Parliament to work together.