The Faraday Institution Professorial Fellowship (FIPF) programme is a scheme designed to attract battery scientists to come to the UK or promote new people to contribute to fields related to energy storage research. It provides funding and resources for research, professional development, collaboration and engagement with the Faraday Institution (FI) energy storage research community. It also includes mentoring and training for junior researchers, and opportunities for public engagement and outreach to promote the fellow’s research. The goal of the program is to enable UK universities to attract and retain top talent in energy storage research and advance the state of the art in this field.

The Faraday Institution is the UK’s independent institute for electrochemical energy storage research, skills development, market analysis, and early-stage commercialisation. It brings together research scientists and industry partners on projects with commercial potential that will reduce battery cost, weight, and volume; improve performance and reliability, and develop whole-life strategies including recycling and reuse. We have awarded £138M over the past five years to the UK energy storage research community. Today this research programme spans ten major research projects in lithium-ion, beyond lithium-ion technologies and battery recycling. Together, these projects bring together 27 UK universities, 85 industry partners and 500 researchers passionate about leading Britain’s energy future.

This award is intended to help attract and integrate foreign talent or promote new people in the UK battery ecosystem.

Requirements
UK universities that are actively recruiting for a full professor in fields relevant to energy storage may apply for this fellowship scheme. The determination of whether the final candidate will be awarded a FIPF will be administered by the FI through a separate and additional process, detailed below.

Elements consistent with appointment to a FIPF include the following, with the clear expectation that an outstanding research record is required.

• A reputation for being among the top 10-20% of researchers in their respected field, as demonstrated by receipt of national or international awards, selection as a Fellow of professional societies, and letters of endorsement from leaders in the field. This reputation should be supported by a record of high citation rates or other metrics.
• A history of leadership and mentorship throughout their career to date, as well as a commitment to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion.
• A track record of excellence in teaching and public engagement in the field of science. Candidates should review the Faraday Institution’s research areas and resources to identify alignment with their research portfolio.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities of a FIPF may include:

• Offering expertise and advice to the Faraday Institution CEO and Chief Scientist and team on energy storage related topics
• Presenting a virtual or in-person masterclass to the Faraday Institution research community

Benefits

The Faraday Institution will award a grant of up to £75,000 — £25,000 per year for up to three years — to the institution for use by the successful candidate to support research and engagement activities with the Faraday Institution. The specific usage of the grant will be determined based on an agreement between the university, its appointee, and the Faraday Institution, and may include:

• A contribution to related research start-up costs (excluding equipment purchases).
• A contribution to funding for a postdoctoral researcher or lab technician to support research guided by the Fellow in areas related to energy storage.
• Placement for a PhD student on the Faraday Institution’s 1 year PhD Enrichment Scheme that starts in October 2023 (equivalent value £10k)
• Funding for an undergraduate student to participate in a summer research internship through the FUSE program in 2023 and 2024 (equivalent value £4k)
• Funding to attend the Faraday Institution Annual Conference in 2023 and 2024 (equivalent value £2k)
• Participation in Faraday Institution Engagement events and meetings
• Use of an additional professional affiliation as a “Faraday Institution Professorial Fellow” for publications and conferences

Annual renewal criteria for the grant’s continuance will be determined in consultation with the successful candidate and may involve a range of activities, including active participation in the Faraday Institution’s research community, participation at conferences and reviews, giving public and scientific lectures, as well as promoting and advocating for the institution’s best interests.

Review process

The FIPF Programme application review process will occur on a rolling, ad hoc basis, to support the recruitment of talent by UK universities. Applications will be reviewed by an independent panel, with recommendations supplied to the FIHQ. Selected applicants may be invited to participate in an interview with members of the panel to discuss their application further.

The FIPF follows a multiple-stage application process.

• Eligibility: The first step in the application process is to determine if the candidate and their host university are eligible for the FIPF programme. The host university must be a UK degree-granting institution with an active energy storage research programme, or plans to create one, and the candidate must be a highly accomplished researcher.
• Nomination: The university must nominate the candidate for the FIPF programme. This typically involves submitting a letter of nomination and a CV or resume of the candidate.
• Review: The proposals are reviewed by a panel of experts in the relevant field. The review process typically involves both a scientific and a merit review.
• Selection: After the review process, the panel makes recommendations to the FI CEO and Chief Scientist, who will make the final selection of the successful candidate.

Fellow Application

Eligible applicants for this fellowship should provide the following package of information to jobs@faraday.ac.uk:

• Personal Information: Name, contact information, current employment details, and other relevant personal information.
• CV and Publications: A summary of the applicant’s professional experience, education, and publications.
• Mentoring and Outreach Plan: A description of how the applicant plans to mentor and train junior researchers, as well as engage with the broader public and promote energy storage research.
• References: Names and contact information for at least two professional references.
• Supporting documents: A copy of transcripts, CV, publications, and any other relevant documents that would help the panel evaluate the application.
• Diversity and inclusion statement: A statement detailing the applicants’ commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in their research and mentoring activities.
• Research alignment with Faraday Institution: A statement detailing how the applicant’s research aligns with the Faraday Institution’s research portfolio.

Opportunity posted 22nd February 2023