About the role
The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) sits within the Commons Research and Information team although it works for both Houses of Parliament. It is overseen by a Board of MPs, Peers and external experts and provides research from across the biological, physical and social sciences, and engineering and technology.
POST provides balanced and accessible overviews of research, mainly in the form of POSTnotes. These POSTnotes are based on reviews of the research literature and interviews with stakeholders from across academia, industry, government and the third sector that are reviewed by external experts.
POST runs seminars, receptions and other events on science and technology topics. It also runs several fellowship schemes with Research Councils, learned societies and charities, through which PhD students are sponsored to spend three months working at POST.
POST and selected Midlands Innovation partner institutions are offering a 13-week fellowship to students who are undertaking or have recently completed their PhD study in EITHER the social sciences OR life sciences, health sciences and medicine (see eligibility).
What will you be doing?
PhD Fellows join POST (or a Select Committee, the House of Commons Library or the House of Lords Library) for short-term secondments. During their time, Fellows may produce a POSTnote, which is a summary on emerging science, technology or social science topic that is relevant and timely for Parliament. POSTnotes are widely used as briefing material by Parliamentarians. PhD Fellows may also contribute to a longer report, assist a Select Committee in a current inquiry, and/or carry out related activities on an area of public policy. The exact role will be determined by the POST Board or relevant host parliamentary team.
POST is a strictly non-partisan organisation; PhD Fellows are expected to abstain from any party-political activity and generally to uphold the principles of parliamentary service, including a commitment to confidentiality and impartiality, during their time in Parliament. In all cases, PhD Fellows are encouraged to interact closely with people and activities in the two Houses of Parliament, including Select committees, MPs and Peers, their support services, 'All-Party Parliamentary Group' meetings and the very wide range of other activities at the Palace of Westminster. Access to conferences, workshops and seminars can be arranged.
The fellowship can be carried out full-time for 13 weeks or part-time over a longer period. Successful applicants will start their fellowship in April 2026. The exact start date is to be agreed between the applicant, POST, and the applicant's supervisor.
Candidate requirements
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:
- Your PhD should be related to either the social sciences, OR life sciences, health sciences and medicine. You have excellent research and analytical skills and can gather and assess information from a range of sources. You also have the ability to work in new subject areas.
- You can explain complex information clearly, impartially and succinctly to a non-specialist audience in writing. You are able to talk about research with a wide range of different people.
- You are able to work successfully within a team, whilst upholding the values of equality, diversity and inclusion. As this role involves discussing research topics with various internal and external stakeholders, you are able to adapt personal and working styles to accommodate the needs of others.
- You are able to work independently. You can plan, manage and prioritise your workload to meet changing demands and tight deadlines.
- We are looking to offer this fellowship opportunity to people who are interested in UK Parliament and want to learn more. You have an interest in how UK Parliament works, its role in scrutiny and legislation, and how research evidence is used in its work. You understand how Parliament and Government are different. You may also have an interest in UK Government and policy in general.
Eligibility
The fellowship is open to those registered at a participating Midlands Innovation institution who are undertaking or have recently completed their PhD study in the social sciences OR in life sciences, health sciences and medicine. “Recently completed” applies to people whose PhD funding ended within the six months prior to the application deadline. If your funding ended before 20 April 2025 you are not eligible for this fellowship.
Participating Midlands Innovation institutions:
- University of Birmingham
- University of Leicester
- Loughborough University
- University of Warwick
Please note that PhD students from other Midlands Innovation partners (Aston University, Cranfield University, Keele University and University of Nottingham) are not eligible to apply for this fellowship.
This opportunity is also open to self-funded PhD students. If you are a self-funded PhD student who has recently completed their PhD, your university will determine an appropriate cut-off date for eligibility, aligned with funded students. Please contact your university to establish whether you are eligible.
Some international students may have working restrictions as part of their visa that will require undertaking the Fellowship part-time. We will discuss this with all successful applicants on a case-by-case basis.
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. Applicants normally need to have lived in the UK for 3 out of the last 5 years to be eligible for security clearance. Click here for further information.
POST is strictly non-partisan and needs to maintain high standards of impartiality. Candidates who are already in employment and have their employer’s permission to take time out for the Fellowship should consider whether there might be any potential conflicts of interest and are strongly advised to contact POST to discuss this before making an application.
Next steps
Please carefully read through the application pack before applying.
If you are interested in this fellowship, please submit your application form, writing sample (please use the MS Word document found above) and supervisor approval form (please use the MS Word document found above). This is not an employment recruitment process; an online recruitment portal is being used for best practice, including protection of your data and diversity monitoring.
For more information on this fellowship or to contact the host team, please refer to the documents found above.
