BES POST Fellowship

Applications for the 2020 BES POST Fellowship are now open!

The BES POST Fellowship

The BES POST Fellowship is an outstanding opportunity to gain an insider’s view of how Parliament works and hone your ability to communicate scientific issues to a wider audience.

The Fellowship lasts for three months and is usually based at the Houses of Parliament in London, but may be subject to home working due to Covid-19.

The Fellow will work on a policy topic grounded in science and technology, producing a POSTnote, contributing to a longer report, or assisting a Select Committee in a current inquiry. The Fellow will be expected to organise a seminar to inform or disseminate their work, which may occur after their three-month placement has finished.

The exact topic of the Fellowship will be determined by the Board of POST. Applicants should therefore be aware that, on joining POST, they may be working on something other than their originally-proposed topic.

The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology

The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) is Parliament’s in-house source of independent, balanced and accessible analysis of public policy issues related to science and technology. POST regularly publishes short briefing papers (POSTnotes) and longer reports giving parliamentarians a broad overview of the background to an issue and an analysis of the policy implications.

Eligibility

Eligibility is restricted to BES members currently studying for a PhD in a UK university, who are engaged in their 2^nd, 3^rd or 4^th year of full-time study or part-time equivalent at the time of application.

Funding

The successful applicant will receive a £5,000 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. £4,000 will be paid on at the start of the fellowship, and the remaining £1,000 on completion.

Start date

The Fellowship will ideally start in October 2020 subject to final agreement between the applicant, POST, the applicant’s supervisor and University, being security cleared, and any working restrictions related to Covid-19.

Application process

To apply, please submit:

1. A completed POST Fellowship application form, which has been approved by your Head of Department or principal supervisor.
2. A two-page briefing in the style of a POST publication. This summary should demonstrate why the topic chosen by you to be the subject of the briefing is of parliamentary interest and should demonstrate your ability to write in a style suitable for a parliamentary (rather than academic) audience and your understanding of the relevant evidence base.
3. A one page statement illustrating:

• Your interest in and suitability for the Fellowship.
• How the training you have received and your research and other experience to date will enable you to carry out this work

4. A BES Equality & Diversity monitoring form (this information is collected for monitoring purposes only and will not be used by the assessment panel). Download the monitoring form.

Completed applications should be emailed to brendan@bes.brightminded.com by 23:59 on Sunday 7 June 2020.

Please note, late applications will not be accepted. A panel consisting of BES and POST personnel will assess the applications.

Restrictions

Candidates will have to receive parliamentary security clearance before they can receive the BES POST Fellowship. POST is a strictly non-partisan organisation. Fellows will be expected to abstain from any party political activity and generally to uphold the principles of parliamentary service, including a commitment to confidentiality, during their time with the Office.

Queries

Any queries relating to the application process should be directed to Brendan Costelloe, BES Policy Manager, at brendan@bes.brightminded.com.

Dr Jonathan Wentworth from POST is available on 020 7219 2161 to discuss any general aspects of the scheme.

Please note that neither the BES nor POST can advise on the strength or weaknesses of individual proposals.

Read Katherine Maltby’s reflections on her 2017-2018 POST Fellowship. 

Read Daniella Rabaiotti’s reflections on her 2016 POST Fellowship.