University receives second-highest grant funding in country to recruit world-class academics
The University of Southampton is to share in a £50 million Government grant to help identify and develop the next generation of top academics. It will receive £2,125,000, the second highest amount in the UK, to fund eleven Roberts Fellowships.
These posts will provide five-year research appointments in six key areas of research strength across the University. Fellows will then be appointed as lecturers. The positions will be advertised nationally in October.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Curran said, "These prestigious Fellowships will enable us to recruit eleven researchers of exceptional promise from around the globe to work within some of the University of Southampton's world-leading research teams. In particular, they will help to strengthen further research into stem cells, lung cancer, foetal development, climate change, nanotechnology and global population flows."
Seventy three universities were successful in the competition for these posts. The top ten are Leeds, Southampton, Birmingham, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Warwick, Imperial, Cardiff, Manchester and Queen Mary (London).
Notes for editors
- Roberts Fellowships are named after Sir Gareth Roberts. He undertook a Government-commissioned review into the supply of science and engineering skills, as part of the UK's productivity and innovation strategy. It reported in April 2002 with a series of recommendations to the Government, employers and others with an interest in fostering science, engineering and innovation.
- The University of Southampton is a leading UK teaching and research institution with a global reputation for leading-edge research and scholarship. The University has over 19,200 students and 4,800 staff and plays an important role in the City of Southampton. Its annual turnover is in the region of £250 million.