Janet Thornton Postdoctoral Fellowship
Sanger Excellence and Janet Thornton Postdoc Fellowships: future calls
Thank you for your interest in the Sanger Excellence and Janet Thornton Fellowships at the Wellcome Sanger Institute. Both schemes are currently paused while they undergo review, and there are no immediate plans to open further calls.
Other opportunities to join Sanger as a Postdoc
There are, however, other opportunities to join Sanger as a Postdoc. You can learn more about the different routes to joining us on our Postdoc opportunities webpage.
1. We advertise Postdoc vacancies throughout the year, and warmly welcome and encourage applications from researchers from underrepresented groups and those returning to research after a career break.
If there are no suitable advertised roles, we encourage you to explore our Faculty directory and contact a potential supervisor whose research aligns with your interests as they may:
2. Have core funding available to support a Postdoc position
3. Or be interested in supporting an application for an externally funded Postdoc fellowship
Advice about applying for an externally funded fellowship
External fellowships can provide another route to undertaking postdoctoral research at Sanger. include the Royal Society Career Development Fellowship or Daphne Jackson Trust Fellowship, subject to the funder’s eligibility requirements. Our Partners at the University of Cambridge have this page, which talks more about Externally-funded Postdoc Fellowship opportunities.
If you identify a suitable external fellowship opportunity:
- You will first need to secure the support of a Sanger supervisor. We do not offer a supervisor matching service, so please identify and contact relevant Faculty members directly with a brief outline of:
- Your background and expertise
- Your proposed research idea
- Why you feel the supervisor and Sanger would be a good fit for your proposed research
- The name of the Fellowship you’re interested in applying for and the next application deadline (you may also wish to note you would’ve like to apply via the Sanger Excellence or Janet Thornton Fellowship routes had they been open)
- A full project proposal is not necessary at this stage; the first step is to establish the supervisor’s interest and capacity to support you
- If a Supervisor agrees to support your application, they will help you develop your fellowship proposal and connect you with the relevant Research Managers and Sanger’s Grants Office. These teams provide support with the administrative aspects of the proposal, including budgeting, and any legal and governance considerations
- Fellowship applications must be approved by the supporting Sanger supervisor and Sanger’s Grants Office before submission to the funder
Janet Thornton Postdoc Fellows - past and present
For more than a decade now, the fellowship has supported scientists returning to research.
- If you would like to learn more about a day in a life of a Janet Thornton Fellow click here
- Read about individual Janet Thornton Fellow experiences below
Current and former Fellows, alongside Gosia Trynka (Janet Thornton Fellowship Faculty Lead)
Fellowship benefits and recruitment process
At the Wellcome Sanger Institute, we are committed to enabling and opening routes back into science for those who have had a break from scientific research – for any reason.
We understand that even a short time out of research can have an impact on your career – the very nature of pioneering work means that the field can advance rapidly and that projects can rarely be “paused” during leave. While career returners are welcome to apply for any of our Postdoc roles, this dedicated Fellowship schemes provides an opportunity specifically for those who have been out of scientific research for 12 months or more to return to high-quality postdoctoral training.
One Fellowship will be awarded each year.
Janet Thornton Postdoc Fellowships can be worked full time, part time and flexibly and include:
- 3 years salary, in line with our Postdoc pay scale (currently £38,000-£41,956 per annum in 2025), dependent on skills and experience, pro-rated for part time working
- Research consumables of up to £18,000 per annum, dependent on the nature of the project
- A budget of £1,500 per annum for conferences and training
- A Sanger Supervisor host and access to a first-class and well-resourced research environment
- Access to an exceptional learning environment, including our Postdoctoral Programme, which provides a comprehensive training experience designed to equip individuals with the knowledge, training and skills they require to be successful in their future careers – whatever they may go on to do.
The Janet Thornton Postdoc Fellowship is open to scientists who:
- Have taken a minimum of 12 months break from scientific research, for any reason (for example, caring for dependants, ill health or if your career has been negatively impacted by COVID-19)
- have at least one years’ postdoctoral research experience
- will be able to start within 6 months of being offered the role
- Are not currently working in a scientific research role
- Must be able to take up the Fellowship within 6 months of being offered the role
Stage 1 of the application process typically requires candidates to submit an Expression of Interest via our jobs portal to assess eligibility before being able to progress through the application process.
Candidates typically get lots of support through this part of the process, and do not need previous experience of applying for Fellowships or developing proposals.
Candidates meeting the eligibility requirements complete a full application, which includes:
- Deciding which pre-defined project outline you intend to apply to
- Making contact with the named supervisor to discuss co-developing the outline into a full research project.
- Submitting a 1500 words max application form answering a number of questions:
- Why are you interested in applying to this project outline?
- How have you co-developed the outline into a research project that builds on your unique skills and experience?
- How do you think your research experience and broader contributions to the research environment will enrich your Fellowship experience?
- What academic achievements are you most proud of?
- What personal achievements are you most proud of?
For more information:
- Download our JTF application form guidance
- The Janet Thornton Fellowship Panel will decide which candidates to invite for interview
- Interviews are delivered virtually by the Panel and Wellcome Sanger Institute staff.
- Candidates will be asked to:
- Give a presentation and answer questions on their previous research and the developed project proposal (via Zoom).
- Answer some competency-based questions related to our BCF and Values
- All candidates, including those unsuccessful at this stage, will receive feedback and will have the opportunity to receive mentorship and support from members Faculty.
Contact
- For general enquiries related to the Sanger Excellence Fellowship, please contact: academicprogrammes [@] sanger [dot] ac [dot] uk
- For queries related to recruitment, please contact: ta-team@sanger.ac.uk
