Macquarie University Research Fellowships (MQRF)

Up to ten full-time Research Fellowships commencing in 2024 will be awarded on a competitive basis, and will be tenurable for three years. The salary range for the Fellowship will be awarded at step 6, 7 or 8 of Level A of the Academic Salary Scale, plus annual leave loading and 17% employer superannuation. These salary levels will be adjusted in line with movements in the Academic Salary Scale. Salaries above the range A6-A8 cannot be supported by the Fellowship, however supplementation by the host Department may be negotiated.

All Macquarie University assessment panels are governed by the policies and procedures of Macquarie University, including the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy. A commitment is made to ensure gender equity of our internal awards.

• Applicants are eligible only if their PhD has been conferred on or after 1 March 2020 (or if they have successfully made a case at Expression of Interest stage for an exemption to this rule in Section 4 of the EOI application form); or their thesis will be submitted on or before 8 August 2023. The Fellowship cannot commence until the PhD has been conferred, which must be by 30 June 2024.
• Applicants who do not meet the eligibility criterion set out above, must make a convincing case for early career researcher status in their Expression of Interest application (Section 4).  Circumstances establishing early career status could include career interruptions due to non-research employment, debilitating illness, childbirth, international relocation, disaster management, unemployment, misadventure or carer responsibilities.
• Each period of career interruption must be significant, extending for a period of greater than 60 calendar days, and not overlapping.
• At the time of applying for a MQRF Expression of Interest (EoI), applicants must have Australian Citizenship, Australian Permanent Residency or an existing entitlement to work in Australia for the duration of the fellowship (2024-2026).
• Applicants who have been invited to apply for a Global Talent Visa are eligible to apply for an MQRF in 2023.
• Fellows must be in full-time attendance at Macquarie University for the entire term of the Fellowship, except for approved field work and travel.
• Applicants who were/are PhD candidates at Macquarie University, or who have had full-time, part-time, or casual employment at Macquarie University since the beginning of 2020 must make a case (in Section 6 of the Expression of Interest Form) for why it is appropriate for them to continue or recommence their research career at Macquarie University.
• Applicants may be subject to review under the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011 (Cth). This Act restricts Australian organisations (including Macquarie University) from interacting with people or organisations associated with countries on the sanctions list.
• Applicants for any Macquarie University internal grant scheme must not have any overdue reports for internal grants on which they are a current or past lead investigator.

If you wish to submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) for a Macquarie University Research Fellowship, please provide the following information via email to mqrf@mq.edu.au:

Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Science; Faculty of Science and Engineering; Macquarie Business School

Your complete EOI submission should be emailed, by 5pm Wednesday 26 April (AEST), as a single PDF named according to the following convention: "Surname_MQRF_EOI". Use this checklist to ensure you include all the required information:

• Completed EOI Form
• Proof of your Visa type, or invitation to apply for the Global Talent Visa (if you are not an Australian or NZ Citizen)
• Copy of PhD conferral
• 6-page maximum CV, including full publications list
• ALL applicants must read and agree to the policy terms set out in Section 11 of the guidelines
• Expressions of Interest not complying with the above will not be accepted.

Faculty of Arts

If you wish to submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) for a Macquarie University Research Fellowship in 2023, and your research area is aligned with the Faculty of Arts you must complete the below pre-EOI steps.

You must email the relevant Director of Research and Innovation by 5pm (AEST) on Wednesday, 29 March 2023. Information about our Departments and Schools is available here: https://www.mq.edu.au/faculty-of-arts/departments-and-schools

The email must include:

1. Provisional project title and a brief (up to 400 words) project description
2. Name of potential Sponsor (there is no need to contact the Sponsor at this stage)
3. Your PhD conferral date (or thesis submission date if the PhD is not yet awarded)
4. A copy of your CV as an attachment including a list of publications. Publications should be listed under the headings: books, book chapters, peer-reviewed journal articles and other. The CV should also briefly detail any career interruptions since the award of your PhD.
5. A copy of your Australian residency document - passport or visa.

Directors of Research and Innovation

• Department of Philosophy: A/Prof Robert Sinnerbrink
• Department of History and Archaeology: Prof Bronwen Neil
• Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature: Prof Bridget Griffen-Foley
• Macquarie Law School: Prof Niloufer Selvadurai
• Department of Security Studies and Criminology: A/Prof Courtney Fung
• Department of Indigenous Studies: Prof Bronwyn Carlson
• Macquarie School of Education: Prof Tiffany Jones
• Macquarie School of Social Sciences: A/Prof Andrew McGregor

The appropriate Department and School will, if successful, invite you to submit an EOI and confirm your Sponsor's name and contact details no later than Tuesday, 11 April 2023.

Expressions of Interest will be assessed by the relevant Faculty in accordance with the selection criteria outlined in these guidelines. Each Faculty will nominate a shortlist of proposals which will go forward to full application. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a full application in accordance with the 2024 Full Proposal Guidelines.

Expression of Interest (EoI) Key Dates:
Opening Date: Wednesday 8 March 2023
Closing Date: Wednesday 26 April 2023, 5pm (AEST) 
Outcomes Expected: June 2023

Full Proposal (by invitation only) Key Dates:
Opening Date: Early June 2023
Closing Date: Late June/Early July 2023
Outcomes Expected: Late August 2023

Expression of Interest (EoI) Documents:

EOI Funding Guidelines
EOI Application Form
Career Disruption calculator
Advice Toolkit (including FAQ's and discipline norms)
Frank the question bot!
MQRF EOI Webinar Slides
MQRF EOI Webinar Recording

MQRF Webinars
Applicants must attend one of the below six webinars. Each webinar will be the same content, but there is ample time for you to ask questions. We understand applicants are on different timezones and have flexible working arrangements so we have scheduled the webinars across varying times and days. If you are unable to attend a webinar, under extenuating circumstances, the slides will be available here. All applicants must also read the Funding Guidelines and Advice Toolkit.

Webinar 1
Date: Monday 6 March 2023
Time: 11:00-12:00 (AEST)
Location: Zoom, https://macquarie.zoom.us/s/85137444917
Speaker: Courtney Bendall (Research Services)

Webinar 2
Date: Tuesday 7 March 2023
Time: 14:30-15:30 (AEST)
Location: Zoom, https://macquarie.zoom.us/s/84236386144
Speaker: Courtney Bendall (Research Services)

Webinar 3
Date: Friday 10 March 2023
Time: 08:00-09:00 (AEST)
Location: Zoom, https://macquarie.zoom.us/s/81836273008
Speaker: Courtney Bendall (Research Services)

Webinar 4
Date: Monday 13 March 2023
Time: 12:00-13:00 (AEST)
Location: Zoom, https://macquarie.zoom.us/s/86515075756
Speaker: Courtney Bendall (Research Services)

Webinar 5
Date: Wednesday 15 March 2023
Time: 17:00-18:00 (AEST)
Location: Zoom, https://macquarie.zoom.us/s/81210672427
Speaker: Courtney Bendall (Research Services)

Webinar 6
Date: Thursday 16 March 2023
Time: 13:00-14:00 (AEST)
Location: Zoom, https://macquarie.zoom.us/s/89471306513
Speaker: Courtney Bendall (Research Services)