British Ecological Society (BES) Fellowship 2025/26

Jonathan Wentworth

Overview

Applications for 2025/26 now open to postgraduate students in their second or third year of study, registered for a PhD who are current BES members.
Applications close 11 June 2025.
The 13-week fellowships will start at the earliest in October 2025 and at the latest January 2026.

About the scheme

Fellowships offer opportunity for students to gain real-world experience in the communication of research to policy makers. The successful applicant will be based in UK Parliament, supporting its use of research evidence, potentially outside their immediate area of expertise. POST Fellowships may involve:

Producing POSTnotes, POSTbriefs, or contributed to other briefing reports.
Being placed with a Select Committee, engaging directly with science and policy by supporting the Committee’s work in scrutinising Government.
Organising briefing events.

Fellowships can start either in October 2025 or January 2026, subject to final agreement between the applicant, POST, and the applicant’s supervisor and University. Fellowships are also conditional to security clearance.

Who is eligible?

Successful candidates will be required to complete pre-employment checks. This includes security vetting to Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) level. All successful candidates are required to pass these checks before an offer can be confirmed. You must have resided in the UK for at least three of the last five years to be eligible to receive security clearance to work on the Parliamentary Estate.

If you are an international student, discuss whether you are eligible to work with your institution. POST or BES cannot advise.

How to apply

It is important that you download and read the application pack before applying, as it contains more details on the role, application process, and assessment criteria.
Download the application pack

To apply please submit an online application form by Wednesday 11^th This form must be completed in one sitting.
An approval form, which has been completed by your PhD Supervisor and Head of Department.
A two-page briefing on a topic that you think would be of current interest to Parliamentarians. The briefing should be completed using the briefing template and should not contain your name or any other identifying details. We want you to use the briefing template and ensure your work is not identifiable to make the process as fair and unbiased as possible.
Download the two-page briefing template
Download the approval form

Please email your 2 page briefing and completed approval form to Xanthe Thompson, BES Policy Officer (xanthe@britishecologicalsociety.org).

Applications will undergo an initial sift based on the two-page briefing.

Applications completed by 23:59 on Wednesday 11 June 2025. Late applications will not be accepted. A panel consisting of BES and POST personnel will assess the applications. Interviews will be held on Microsoft Teams on the w/c 7^th of July.

Any queries relating to the application process should be directed to Xanthe Thompson, BES Policy Officer. You can also email POST to discuss general aspects of the scheme. Please note that neither the BES nor POST can advise on the strength or weaknesses of individual proposals.

Funding

The successful applicant will receive a £7,200 award to cover their living costs while undertaking the three-month fellowship. Computing, email, and other facilities necessary for the project will be supplied by POST. £6,200 will be paid on at the start of the fellowship, and the remaining £1,000 on completion

Frequently asked questions

What is a POST fellowship? Who can apply for it? Who pays for it? We have put together a page with answers to some of the most frequently asked questions we get about POST fellowships.

Photo by: Sebastian Pena Lambarri, via Unsplash