EPSRC seeks expressions of interest for the refresh of the membership of the Engineering ECF (see ‘the scope and what we’re doing’ section).
EPSRC is looking to appoint around 10 new members of the forum. Applicants should have a strong focus on advancing the UK’s reputation in engineering research. Applicants should be open to developing interdisciplinary research agendas and help with two-way communication between EPSRC and the early career engineering research community.
Members of the ECF will have the opportunity to interact with other early career researchers from across the breadth of engineering and the physical sciences, forming new professional networks that may generate future innovative research programmes and influence research strategy.
Forum members will have the opportunity to connect to EPSRC strategic activities, interact with EPSRC’s advisory streams, and will receive insight into, and practical advice relating to, UK funding body policy and practice.
Members appointed via this process will form the new cohort of the forum. Their membership period is expected to run from autumn 2024 to autumn 2026 (with the possibility of extension for a further two years).
Scope
The Engineering theme at EPSRC aims to identify and enable the research community to tackle fundamental engineering research challenges with the potential for lasting academic, social, and economic benefit to the UK. These challenges are often inherently interdisciplinary, cutting across EPSRC’s portfolio and across UKRI more widely.
It is recognised that the future international reputation of engineering research in the UK rests upon the early career researchers of today, who will go on to generate new and sustainable engineering processes, technologies, and systems at the interfaces of traditional mathematical, scientific and engineering disciplines.
The Engineering theme interacts widely with academia and industry via advisory bodies of strategic large investments, membership of cross-industry, academia and governmental committees, and discussions with professional societies and networks.
Engaging with early career stakeholders from academia and industry is a crucial part of achieving EPSRC’s ambitions, helping to set the direction for engineering research in the near future.
The Engineering ECF aims to identify and support some of the most promising early career researchers who may have the characteristics required to become international leaders of the future.
The Engineering ECF acts as a sounding board for the theme to inform new ideas, provide informal advice on key issues and offer a direct link to the research community, while alerting EPSRC to emerging issues and opportunities affecting the early career community.
The ECF is a long-term initiative with an evolving membership base. The activities of the forum are influenced by the wishes and ideas of the membership, who are expected to participate in organising and convening meetings and events.
Members will have access to a range of tailored events and opportunities, which have previously included:
- networking and idea-sharing with all other ECF members
- discussions, networking and mentoring opportunities with senior academics and industrialists from the Engineering theme and beyond
- insight and mentoring into EPSRC processes and procedures, including various EPSRC grant awards and the associated peer review processes
- developing working relationships with EPSRC
- joint sessions with the EPSRC Engineering Strategic Advisory Team, and other advisory structures
ECF members also advocate on behalf of EPSRC on any policies or specific issues that may arise, ensuring they are visible leaders able to articulate strategy and activities to the community and stakeholders where appropriate.
Meetings are run by a chair, who serves as the early career representative on the Engineering Strategic Advisory Team.
Applicants are advised that the ECF usually meets three times annually, with each meeting running over one or two days. EPSRC would expect ECF members to be willing to actively participate and contribute to the forum’s meetings on a regular basis.
Individual membership of the forum will last for approximately two years with possibility of two years extension. ECF members are selected from academia, industry and other stakeholders and are separate from the peer review process.
EPSRC wishes to recruit forum members across the full breadth of the Engineering theme. This includes appropriate representation of our portfolios in the engineering discipline (indicated on Tableau Public) and also individuals who are able to take more general overview of the theme.
For more information about EPSRC’s portfolios and strategies, see our research portfolio and priorities and Engineering theme.
EPSRC explicitly seeks to ensure that at each refresh the forum is constituted with an appropriate balance of membership across scientific research areas while securing appropriate distribution across institutions and regions of the UK.
Through the selection process we will try to accommodate, where possible, a diverse and representative membership for the ECF.
Opportunity available
This is not a direct funding opportunity, but rather an expression of interest for membership of the Engineering Early Career Research Forum.
EPSRC will pay some of the forum meeting costs (for example, lunch, refreshments, room hire), however successful applicants would generally be expected to find their own travel and accommodation costs to attend the meetings. Applicants should ensure their host organisation can provide such costs for their attendance.
