Research Fellowship Opportunities at UCL Institute of Health Equity 

We are again accepting applications to the Prince Mahidol Fellowship Scheme with the hope that applicants can travel to UCL in 2022.  Circumstances may change and are dependent on the  ongoing COVID-19 situation at the time of application and at the suggested time of arrival into the UK. If it is not possible for applicants to travel to the UK we will endeavour to support applicants working from their home country, if this works for their research proposal. Alternatively, we will make efforts to reschedule their fellowship start and end dates.

The UCL Marmot Prince Mahidol Fellowships are available to researchers who are committed to reducing inequalities in health within their countries.  The Institute primarily encourages applicants from low and middle income countries, and/or from  countries with high GINI coefficients to apply. However, all applications will be considered.

Applicants are likely to have completed doctoral training by the time of entry into the program in one of a variety of fields including, but not limited to:

• behavioural and social sciences
• biomedical sciences
• health professions and public policy

The flexibility of the program is designed to ensure inclusiveness and maximize the benefits reaped from the available resources.

Fellowships will last for up to one year with fellows being required to use the residency at UCL, within the Institute of Health Equity (IHE), to produce the following outcomes:

• generate new secondary analyses or qualitative research,
• or, build a full research proposal that will shed light on effective international legislation, policies and programmes to reduce inequalities in health,
• write one collaborative research publication,
• and, deliver research findings on inequalities in health at a seminar and/or conference.

Individuals will be expected to be able work on their own initiative and to be proactive, however support will also be provided through a mentoring system and through exposure to the IHE activities.

It is intended that the program should support the development of the individual. As much flexibility will be allowed as possible on start and end dates, within the constraints of space and staff capacity.

Level of Funding: Fellows will already be linked to an institution or organisation, therefore they will likely be seconded and paid a salary by their home institution, but awards of up to £12,000 will be payable to the home institution or to the individual to contribute to fellowship costs (stipend towards accommodation and travel, and related research expenses).  Where costs are incurred the host institution or individual will usually be required to pay them initially, with itemized invoices and associated receipts then being submitted to the Institute of Health Equity at the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care for approval and reimbursement. Some items can be purchased directly by IHE.

The amount of money awarded will be dependent on the length of stay of an individual and the travel costs for that individual from their host country. 

The fellowship will consider the following types of expense (up to £12k total per fellow):

• Accommodation in London – for longer periods of stay, the awards will cover a contribution of approximately £700 per month (average rate for a room in a shared house) for accommodation in London. 
• Return flights from home to London and related visa fees.
• Conference/event related costs i.e. travel, abstract submission fees, and subsistence when travelling to conference.
• Costs to access relevant data.
• Training and software packages for research, where necessary.

Funding made available will be agreed in advance of the Fellowship commencing.

Selection Criteria and Process: The Fellowships are designed to help develop the next cadre of researchers working in the area of inequalities in health, whilst building strategic global links between UCL and other institutions world-wide. The selection panel will employ the following criteria:

• Potential to contribute to the field of inequalities in health;
• Commitment to a career within the subject area;
• Quality of past research;
• Ability to utilise the opportunity presented by the fellowship to build strategic links and/or interdisciplinary research work;
• References provided by those with whom the applicant has worked or studied;
• Eligibility to live and work as a sponsored researcher within the UK for the specified time.

Application Process

The fellowship is currently open to rolling applications. Applicants must provide us with the following documents and information:

• Up-to-date CV
• A two page research proposal, which could include:
  • rationale - summary of why this is important to you, and why it's important at this time
  • research questions
  • objectives
  • hypothesis
  • study design
  • potential outcomes (be specific)
  • methods of dissemination and knowledge translation
  • expected duration of residency
  • a one page summary of opportunities and future plans to build on the work when back with the home institution, or with other partners. Please provide details of any existing support you are aware of that would allow this type of research to continue. And/or describe how you would communicate your work, to achieve impact and to create momentum and interest in this research and in further research.
  • Statement of support from your linked institution/organisation, including:
  • names and contact details of two referees.
  • If possible, an agreement from your institution to cover the costs of your fellowship in advance, with expenses to be reimbursed by IHE (similar to a secondment arrangement).
  • if possible, provide an agreement from your institute or organisation's representative, stating that any work undertaken will contribute to continued wider work on health equity and the social determinants of health at the home institution - and detail examples if necessary.

  Upon receipt, applications are reviewed and a response will usually be given within one month.

  Applicants may be asked to join a videocall if the team feels that more clarity is needed. If your application is accepted, then your ability to work with us would still be subject to visa approvals. It would also be subject to approvals from the wider UCL HR team for honorary researcher status. This process may take up to 4 months. You may need to adjust your timeline for this.

The fellowship accepts applications year round. Please send applications to p.hallam@ucl.ac.uk with the email subject title 'UCL Marmot Prince Mahidol Fellowship (plus your full name)'.

Applicants are welcome to discuss their research questions and potential costs by correspondence prior to submitting their application.  Please email correspondence to p.hallam@ucl.ac.uk.

Learn about successful applicants and their research.