Every year, a number of vacancies become available on the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) advisory bodies and peer review panels. These bodies perform a vital function for STFC, providing advice and guidance that aids our strategic direction and supports our decision-making processes.
This page includes:
- a summary of what members do, who we’re looking for and how to apply
- link to guidance documents
- specific details on each available panel, committees and board vacancy, including eligibility, selection criteria and time commitment
STFC cover funding for Frontier Science Programme core areas (the PPAN areas of particle physics, particle astrophysics, astronomy, and nuclear physics, alongside the accelerator science and computing programmes that accompany them), but also run facilities and advisory panels. Therefore, we’re interested in your expertise in different types of the main core areas where applicable.
What members do
Members have the opportunity to influence STFC’s strategy, policies, and funding decisions, as well as guiding STFC to develop the societal impact of our investments and best support our research and innovation communities.
Members will also be able to expand their professional networks and explore a wide range of challenges related to investment in UK science and engineering.
Our handbook for members of STFC’s advisory bodies will help you to understand our expectations of a panel member. The handbook also includes useful information on other topics, such as:
- equality and diversity
- conflicts of interest
- confidentiality
- our policy on travel, subsistence, and remunerated meeting fees
Webinar recording
See our webinar about membership and recruitment for STFC boards, panels and committees.
Video credit: UKRI. Video transcript and on-screen captions are available by watching on YouTube
Who can be a member
We are committed to the principles of fair and transparent decision-making, promoting equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). In addition to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) principles on EDI, STFC continues to develop a range of measures and objectives around EDI. We have undertaken an equality, diversity and inclusion impact assessment (EIA) for this opportunity, see application guidance documents.
We want to encourage a diverse range of applicants to all our panels, and have a target of 30% in relation to the underrepresented gender (for STFC, women) on our panels. We collect other diversity-related information, to understand whether our panels are more broadly representative and to inform any future action we might take in this area.
We therefore encourage all applicants to share information about themselves. This information will be anonymised and aggregated, to protect individual identity.
We are also highlighting the opportunity for early career candidates to apply for certain vacancies. This has been indicated in the text for specific panels.
We are seeking applications from academia, government, industry, the ‘third sector’ or civil society communities (including charities) relevant to STFC’s grant programmes, and from the communities supported by STFC facilities.
Submissions from STFC employees (for example scientists, technologists, project managers or engineers) who meet the criteria for panels are also welcome.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodation to participate in the panel membership. We are committed to helping you with the application and appointment processes, and have tried to make the information clear and accessible.
How to apply
- Check the specific details for the panel, committee and board vacancies before deciding which to apply for.
- Read the application guidance documents, which include:
- a preview of the application form
- questions and answers from a webinar we held in 2021
- testimonies from members of STFC panels, boards and committees
- Read the specific details for the relevant panel, committee and board vacancies (including relevant criteria) before making your application.
Panel vacancies 2025
Vacancies for 2025 include:
- Advisory Panel for Public Engagement
- Astronomy Grants Panel
- CERN Fellowships Panel
- Commercialisation Scheme Panel
- DiRAC Resource Allocation Committee – Particle Physics and Nuclear Theory Sub-Panel
- Education Training and Careers Committee
- Ernest Rutherford Fellowship Panel
- Innovation and Business Board
- Leadership Fellow in Public Engagement Funding Panel
- Nuclear Physics Advisory Panel
- Nuclear Physics Cross Community Committee
- Nuclear Physics Grants Panel
- Nucleus Public Engagement Funding Panel
- Particle Astrophysics Advisory Panel
- Particle Physics Advisory Panel
- Projects Peer Review Panel
- Science Board (Facilities and Laboratories)
- Science Board (PPAN)
Closing date for applications is 18 May 2025 11:59pm UK time.
Additional information
Start dates and term lengths
This is an annual opportunity and, as a result, membership may commence at different times. For most committees and panels members will be appointed for three years unless otherwise stated.
Reaching the widest possible pool of applicants
We strongly encourage communities to ask their relevant network and colleagues to participate. You should apply directly.
If appropriate, STFC may open the opportunity up again to encourage a wider pool of applicants, and to ensure that we have a balance across the different range of representation and experiences we are seeking.
We encourage all members of our community to either put themselves forward for membership of our boards and panels, or to recommend other qualified candidates to apply themselves.
Video: about Science Board
See our video about the responsibilities and benefits of being a member of the STFC Science Board.
Video credit: UKRI. Video transcript and on-screen captions are available by watching on YouTube
Ask a question about applying to an STFC panel or advisory board
Email: psg@stfc.ukri.org
Last updated: 28 April 2025