Early Career Fellowships

Data Science and Earth Observation 2024-25

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Apply now: deadline June 30, 2024

Fellowship Opportunity

Apply now for a year-long fellowship in Earth Observation (EO) and data science for social sustainability research!

Join the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham to use EO approaches for understanding forced labour and deforestation. Three fellowships are available for researchers from Brazil. Fellows will work as part of a team with Professor Doreen Boyd, a leading EO expert, and colleagues in the Rights Lab. The fellowships will develop methods to identify the locations, nature and extent of labour issues, intersections with environmental degradation.

The fellowships are funded by the British Council through the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) in alliance with the Amazonia +10 Initiative and are available for researchers from Brazil. Three fellows will join the Rights Lab’s world-leading programme that is building on UK strengths in “space” to advance EO research for human rights, sustainable supply chains and international development.

Together the cohort of fellows from Brazil will focus on a case study that represents a vital industry and supply chain for both the UK and Brazil—for example, timber from the Brazilian Amazon as a priority supply chain, an industry that can be analysed from space, and a cause of deforestation practices that use forced labour and exacerbate climate change. The fellows will pioneer techniques for mapping high-risk sites, and build on their own country networks and knowledge as they develop new research.

The fellowship programme will build long-term and sustainable links between Brazil and the UK on the topic of social sustainability. The fellows will be part of the Rights Lab’s programme to develop the next generation of EO research leaders, will be welcomed into the Lab’s thriving community of ECRs, and will work together as an integrated cohort to deploy different methods and foster collaborative skills.

Further Information

How to apply

Please complete this online application, which includes applicant information, short sections about your experience and interests, and the requirement to upload a CV.

You also can sign up for an informational webinar on 4 June 2024, 2-3pm (UK time), please register here to attend.

Interviews will take place online on July 18, 2024.

Offers will be made by August 12, 2024.

Fellowships will begin in the UK by September/October 2024 for 12 months.

Informal enquiries can be addressed to Doreen.Boyd@nottingham.ac.uk. Please note applications will not be accepted by email and must be submitted using the application link above.

What experience/skills do I need?

Applicants should have a research background in one of more of the following areas:

remote sensing and geospatial analysis
statistical including geostatistical techniques
geoprocessing tools (e.g. machine learning)
geospatial products (e.g. land change detection, satellite night lights analysis)
coding languages (e.g. Python and/or R)

What is the Early Career Fellowships Scheme?

The scheme will enable early-career researchers (ECRs) to collaborate internationally and gain access to new research environments, facilities, knowledge and expertise, creating lasting benefits for the ECRs as well as the UK and Brazil research communities through sustainable collaboration. It will provide up and coming researchers with a foundation to launch their careers.

One of the key objectives of this fellowship scheme is to nurture talent to drive inclusion in Research & Innovation. Fellowships are specifically designed to widen participation and to support the careers of researchers from a variety of backgrounds, including those whose backgrounds are underrepresented in their research field.

Who is eligible to apply?

This opportunity is available to ECRs who have not yet held a full-time research-related post or academic post with a research specific element, who wish to have a research experience at a UK university.

Fellows must:

Be a permanent resident of Brazil.
Be from the Legal Amazon/ Amazônia Legal universities and research centres. ‘Legal Amazon’ includes all states with Amazonian land and the Amazon State.
Be an Early Career Researcher (ECR). This means you have completed or are close to completion of their PhD, potentially waiting for the final viva voce examination (which must be passed prior to taking up the award). ECRs will not have held a permanent academic post or a post with a research-related element, or one which allowed them to supervise PhD students or submit research grants as a principal investigator. Time spent in teaching-only roles or academic related roles does not affect ECR status, provided no research element was part of the role. If a researcher does not hold a PhD but has research experience equivalent to a PhD holder and works in a field where a PhD is not a prerequisite for established research activity, they can still be considered eligible. To support greater inclusivity for ECRs from a wide range of backgrounds, we are not counting years spent in a specific career stage. Career breaks and alternative trajectories are outside the definition of career stage.
Not be from a for-profit organisation.
Not be currently in receipt of financial support or funding towards any other programme in the UK from any other sources.
Meet the English language requirement of the University of Nottingham (IELTS 6.5)
Have a background or a proven interest in the proposed research area.
Be willing to demonstrate future contribution to capacity-building and socio-economic advancement through the benefits achieved after completing the fellowship programme.
Agree to maintain contact with the British Council for purposes of monitoring and evaluation during and after their fellowship.
Demonstrate a plan and a passion to engage other early career researchers from their home country.
Not be employees of the British Council, the UK government or Scottish, Welsh, or Northern Irish governments.

What does the fellowship offer?

The fellowship includes:

A visiting researcher Bursary (min: £30,487 for 12-month fellowship)
A grant of £10,000 for research-related expenses (e.g. Earth Observation data)
Costs for IELTS exam fee if applicable
Return economy-class travel from Brazil to the UK
Costs for visa and insurance / NHS surcharge
Reimbursement for ad hoc costs (heavy baggage allowance, necessary purchases for UK accommodation e.g. cooking equipment)
Access during the fellowship to a laptop and docking station
Office and desk space in the Rights Lab’s secure on-campus building, with an in-person work environment that includes communal offices, social and lunch areas, break-out and meeting rooms
Support before arrival including for visa application and flight booking
Support to arrange accommodation/housing in Nottingham
A nominated programme manager alongside the academic lead, as an additional point of contact for any issues during the fellowship and questions about practicalities
General information about adapting to living in the UK
Access to a mentor within the Rights Lab’s mentoring scheme
Access if required to the University’s mental health services, which include one to one counselling, therapeutic groups and a programme of interactive workshops
Wellbeing resources from the Lab’s dedicated staff SharePoint
Invitations to the Lab’s regular multicultural celebrations and weekly social
Access to the Lab’s ECR development resources, including sessions with key external stakeholders and the opportunity to present work in progress for peer feedback
A team-based approach within the cohort of three fellows, that fosters multidisciplinary collaboration while enabling each individual fellow to lead on specific project elements
Regular meetings with Professor Boyd including on publication strategies and training needs
The opportunity to co-convene and lead workshops to share and develop ideas and methods
Access to regular team meetings, including the Lab’s weekly all-team check-in, to enable new collaboration and team integration
An ECR “buddy” from the Lab’s large ECR community to help develop collaborative opportunities
Access to other training and development resources offered by the University including support to access external organisations for project work

What logistical and welfare support will I receive?

Support before arrival including for visa application and flight booking
Support to arrange accommodation/housing in Nottingham
A nominated programme manager alongside the academic lead, as an additional point of contact for any issues during the fellowship and questions about practicalities
General information about adapting to living in the UK
Access to a mentor within the Rights Lab’s mentoring scheme
Access if required to the University’s mental health services, which include one to one counselling, therapeutic groups and a programme of interactive workshops
Welling resources from the Lab’s dedicated staff SharePoint
Invitations to the Lab’s regular multicultural celebrations and weekly social

What development opportunities will be available to me as an Early Career Fellow?

Access to the Lab’s ECR development resources, including sessions with key external stakeholders and the opportunity to present work in progress for peer feedback
A team-based approach within the cohort of three fellows, that fosters multidisciplinary collaboration while enabling each individual fellow to lead on specific project elements
Regular meetings with Professor Boyd including on publication strategies and training needs
The opportunity to co-convene and lead workshops to share and develop ideas and methods
Access to regular team meetings, including the Lab’s weekly all-team check-in, to enable new collaboration and team integration
An ECR “buddy” from the Lab’s large ECR community to help develop collaborative opportunities
Access to other training and development resources offered by the University including support to access external organisations for project work

What is the British Council?

The British Council supports peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. A registered charity and non-departmental public body (sponsored by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office), it works with people in over 200 countries and territories and is on the ground in more than 100 countries.

What is the International Science Partnerships Fund?

The International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) in alliance with the Amazonia +10 Initiative, which is funded by the DSIT, is designed to enable potential and foster prosperity. It puts research and innovation at the heart of our international relationships, supporting UK researchers and innovators to work with peers around the world on the on the major themes of our time: planet, health, tech, and talent.

What is the Rights Lab?

The Rights Lab is the world’s leading, largest group of researchers focused on all forms of modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking, and a University of Nottingham “Beacon of Excellence.” One of the Lab’s flagship programmes uses EO data to map and measure forced labour—a key issue of social sustainability—from space. We deploy these findings for supply chain tracing, to help governments and companies achieve sustainable, resilient supply chains and economies.

What is it like at the University of Nottingham?

The University of Nottingham is a vibrant multi-cultural community with over 150 different nationalities represented in our student body, and over 200 societies on campus offering celebrations, festivals and social events throughout the year. Fellows can access to an international office with deep experience, and be welcomed to a University with the ambition to be known across the world as Britain’s foremost global university; one that “thinks and acts both locally and across borders and cultures to promote the development of a global mindset as an integral part of the Nottingham student and staff experience” and is “the destination of choice for the brightest and internationally curious minds.” The campus is regularly commended for its beauty and has been a Civic Trust Green Flag Award Winner every year since 2003 – the only university campus to achieve this status.