The University of Liverpool fellowship scheme for 2025-26 invites applications from early career researchers who have an AI-focused research idea that could be applied to one of our five research frontiers. Along with two years of protected research time and bespoke career development support from The Academy, a permanent position at the University is also available when the tenure of the Fellowship ends.

What we are looking for

• Candidates will be expected to have a PhD in a discipline relating to their fellowship proposal, and at least three years of postdoctoral experience in an academic, research and development (R&D) or policy environment.

• Candidates must apply against one of our defined frontier focus areas and clearly articulate their vision in their outline research proposal. Please do not apply for more than one focus area.

• If you already hold a personal fellowship, you are also welcome to apply, but it is not a requirement for appointment.

Research frontiers

Likely of greatest relevance to IDD are:

• Infection resilience
• Therapeutics innovation
• AI for life (specifically the focus area 'Public health AI: Multi-agent engineering of preventive health systems')

Application timeline

An indicative timeline for the process is:
1 December 2025 Closing date for outline applications
W/C 2 February 2026 Shortlisting decisions to candidates
2 March 2026. Closing date for full research cases
16-27 March 2026. Online presentations
W/C 13 April 2026 In-person interviews at the University