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Post-doctoral and Clinical PhD Fellowships

Brain Research UK

Through our Fellowship scheme, we invite applications for Post-doctoral fellowships and Clinical PhD fellowships from candidates seeking to conduct their own independent research, focused on on one of our three research themes.
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This year's call is now open, with an application deadline of 14th January 2026. Awards are expected to be made in May 2026.

Remit

Fellowship applications must be based on a research proposal that addresses an area of large unmet need within one of our three research themes:

Headache and facial pain: research that aims to improve the management and treatment of headache and facial pain disorders. Within this remit, we will fund research that addresses the fundamental causes, mechanisms, diagnosis or treatment of headache and facial pain.
Neuro-oncology: research that aims to improve clinical outcomes for patients with primary tumours of the brain and spinal cord. Within this remit, we will fund research that addresses the fundamental causes, mechanisms, diagnosis or treatment of primary tumours of the brain or spinal cord, and associated neurological complications.
Acquired brain and spinal cord injury: research that aims to protect or restore function in patients following brain or spinal cord injury. Within this remit, we will fund research that addresses the mechanisms of the injury, the mechanisms of the recovery process, and determinants of outcome.

Research proposals must be based on either:

pre-clinical or clinical research driven by a mechanistic hypothesis and demonstrating a clear pathway to translation; or
the development of a biological model of disease that enhances one of the three research themes and facilitates translation. Such models may be in vivo or other 3D models, and must support the future testing of a mechanistic hypothesis.

A. Post-doctoral fellowships

We invite applications from individuals working in one of our three priority research areas, who wish to conduct their own independent research within a UK host laboratory.

Post-doctoral fellowships will be for three-years, or part-time equivalent (minimum 0.5 FTE, maximum duration six years), with a maximum value of £300,000, including salary and research costs.

B. Clinical PhD fellowships

We invite applications from medical doctors with ambition to follow a clinical academic career, and who are at an appropriate point in clinical training to study for a PhD.

Clinical PhD fellowships will be for a minimum of two and maximum of four years, with a maximum value of £300,000, including salary, fees and research costs.

Value

The maximum award is £300,000, including salary at the appropriate grade and scale, and direct research and training costs, including PhD fees for clinical candidates.

We expect the salary funding to cover the salary of the applicant in its entirety for the duration of the Fellowship; we will not part-fund a salary at a higher level.

For clinical applicants, we will provide a salary appropriate to your level of training, up to but not including NHS consultant level. We will pay tuition fees at the standard home student rate.

Exclusions:

We will not contribute to salaries other than that of the applicant
Capital funding for the purchase of equipment is limited to £20,000
We cannot contribute towards institutional overhead costs such as rent, general utilities, or general administrative costs
We do not fund publication costs

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1️⃣ Strong Relevance to Neurological Disease Impact

BRUK is mission-driven. Proposals must show:

Direct relevance to a specific neurological illness

Clear potential to improve understanding, diagnosis, therapy, or quality of life

Connection to disease burden in the UK

Predictor: The disease-focused rationale is explicit, compelling, and patient-centred.

2️⃣ Translational Potential — How Will It Help Patients?

BRUK highly values projects that bridge basic discoveries to clinical impact.

Competitive applications often:

Address clinical unmet needs

Include biomarkers, therapeutic leads, or treatment-target identification

Provide a clear plan for translation into future clinical trials or interventions

Involve patient cohorts or clinically relevant models

Predictor: Clear “line of sight” from lab → patient benefit.

3️⃣ Rigorous, Feasible Study Design

Given BRUK grants are often early-stage or mid-scale:

1–3 focused aims = ideal

Realistic deliverables within 12–36 months

A robust methodological plan with appropriate controls

Strong statistical and reproducibility framework

Overly ambitious scope is a frequent reason for rejection.

4️⃣ Compelling Preliminary Data (When Appropriate)

Projects with:

Pilot results

Feasibility demonstrations

Proof-of-concept outcomes

…tend to score higher, especially when proposing translational or therapeutic work.

Early-career awards may permit less data but require strong rationale.

Predictor: Evidence that the proposed work is ready to progress.

5️⃣ High-Quality Research Environment & Collaboration

BRUK reviewers look for:

Institutional infrastructure (neuroscience centres, clinical access, core facilities)

Multi-disciplinary teams (neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuroscientists, imaging, computational scientists)

Access to patient cohorts, tissue banks, imaging labs, or animal facilities

Strong mentorship for early-career applicants

Predictor: Demonstrated capacity to deliver — not just a good idea.

6️⃣ Investigator Track Record & Potential

For senior PIs:

Demonstrated productivity

Prior successful grants

Publications in relevant fields

For early-career researchers:

Clear trajectory toward independence

Supportive mentorship environment

Thoughtful career development plan

Predictor: A credible team with a record (or strong promise) of high-quality neuroscience work.

7️⃣ Patient and Public Benefit, Engagement & Involvement

Increasingly important:

Involvement of patients/carers in proposal design or dissemination

Impact statements explaining how outcomes matter to real people

Public engagement plans

Predictor: Strong “PPIE” (Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement) boosts competitiveness.

8️⃣ Clear Route to Future Funding

BRUK positions itself as a springboard to major funders.

Winning proposals typically state:

How results will underpin applications to UKRI, NIHR, Wellcome, or other charities

A long-term vision beyond the project term

Plans for multi-centre trials, translational pipelines, or therapeutic development

Predictor: Convincing scalability + strategy for external follow-on funding.

🚫 Common Pitfalls (Reasons Applications Fail)

Pitfall	Why It Hurts
Weak linkage to a specific neurological disorder	Lack of mission alignment
Overly ambitious scope	Reviewers doubt feasibility
Minimal preliminary data for high-risk projects	Too speculative
Poor statistical/experimental detail	Methodological risk
No translational pathway	Low patient-impact value
Lack of PPIE or public benefit justification	Fails to meet modern expectations
Weak institutional support	Execution risk

Specialties

Cancer

Neurosciences

Eligibility Requirements

Post-doctoral fellowships

Candidates applying for a Post-doctoral fellowship must hold a PhD in a relevant discipline; this must have been awarded - or successfully defended - by the application deadline.
Applicants must have prior experience in the proposed research area, with evidence of an upward trajectory towards independent research.
There is no upper or lower limit on the number of years' post-doctoral experience but you may not apply if you already have your own lab; if you hold, or have held, an equivalent competitive fellowship that allows you to establish independent researcher status; or if you are already in an open-ended, university-funded post.
You must have a mentor with sufficient experience to provide supervision and guidance.
We welcome applications from those returning after a career break and those who wish to work on a part-time or flexible basis.
Applications will be accepted from non-UK nationals only where the appropriate visas and permissions to live and work in the UK are already in place for the duration of the proposed fellowship.

Clinical PhD fellowships

Clinical candidates applying for PhD funding must hold a medical degree, and must have some postgraduate experience moving towards specialty training (or already have a training number and confirmation that they will be allowed out of programme to undertake research).
Candidates must demonstrate a commitment to research, with prior experience in the proposed field of research, and must be able to demonstrate ownership of the proposed project.
Clinicians who have completed a PhD but wish to undertake a period of dedicated post-doctoral research may apply for a Post-doctoral fellowship.
Candidates must have the support of a prospective supervisor, who will have academic responsibility for you and act as guarantor for the quality of the proposed work, suitability of you as a Fellowship candidate, and the quality of training and development you will receive.
You do not need to have registered for a PhD at the time of your Fellowship application.
Clinical PhD fellowships are for a minimum duration of two years. At the point at which you commence the Fellowship, you may not have spent more than one year on a PhD course in a full-time capacity.
We generally expect Clinical PhD fellowships to be full-time, to give you the opportunity to concentrate fully on your research, training and development. You may hold an award on a part-time basis to meet personal commitments, but not because of other professional commitments.
You may undertake up to two clinical sessions per week.
Applications will be accepted from non-UK nationals only where the appropriate visas and permissions to live and work/study in the UK are already in place for the duration of the proposed Fellowship. Note that we will pay PhD fees at the Home rate only.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Brain Research UK

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: Fifth Floor, Holborn Gate, 330 High Holborn, London WC1V 7QH.

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