Puzey Postdoctoral Fellowship

Critical Dates

Wednesday, 1 April 2026

Round opens. Application form available on SmartyGrants &  Scheme Guidelines released.

Thursday, 16 April 2026
10.00am  - 11.00 am

ECR Fellowships Webinar (Registration Link)

Thursday, 7 May 2026
3:00pm 

EOIs (including Eligibility Exemption Requests if applicable) are due.  These must be submitted via SmartyGrants.

Wednesday, 22 July 2026

EOI applicants notified of outcomes. Highly ranked EOIs are invited to submit a Full Application.

Wednesday, 19 August 2026
3:00pm 

Completed Full Applications to be submitted via SmartyGrants. Referees to email completed written testimonials to ecr-fellowships@unimelb.edu.au.

End of October 2026

Notification of outcomes

The Puzey Postdoctoral Fellowship selection process is administered through the University of Melbourne’s central Early Career Researcher Fellowships Selection Process. Through that process, applicants can submit an Expression of Interest for the Puzey Fellowship (and others for which they are eligible).

To view scheme documents and apply, please see the instructions on the McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellowships scheme page.

Overview

The Puzey Postdoctoral Fellowship is available to outstanding early career Australian researchers working in the fields of medicine, science and engineering. The fellowship is awarded annually and supported by the Elizabeth and Vernon Puzey Foundation Trust, which was established in 1992 with the aim of enabling Australian researchers to improve the health and wellbeing of all Australians.

The Fellowship rotates between the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (MDHS), the Faculty of Science (SCI) and the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT) each year. The table below lists the faculties in which fellowships will be based in 2025-2029.

Application YearCommencement YearFaculty
20252026SCI
20262027FEIT
20272028MDHS
20282029SCI

Funding

The fellowship is funded to commence at Academic Level A6 in the University Salary Band (plus oncosts and superannuation). Each Fellow will receive an additional single allocation of $25,000 for research project costs (over the full term of the fellowship) funded by the relevant host faculty.

The default term of the Puzey Postdoctoral Fellowships is for three years (at 1.0 FTE) of research-focused activity, however fractional appointments can be negotiated in some circumstances (see Funding Conditions below).

Eligibility

Applicants for a  Puzey  Postdoctoral Fellowship must have:

  • graduated, or have met the requirements to graduate, with a PhD in a discipline relevant to their fellowship proposal from a university in any country, including Australia, and the University of Melbourne.
  • completed the requirements for the award of their PhD degree no earlier than 1 April 2023.

Additionally, due to the terms of the Puzey Trust, applicants for a Puzey Postdoctoral Fellowship must be:

  • An Australian citizen and resident in Australia; and
  • Express an interest in employment in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.

Additionally, current academic staff at the University of Melbourne who meet all other eligibility requirements may apply if their appointment is casual, fixed-term, or a continuing research contingent (CRC) appointment.

Please refer to the Early Career Researcher Fellowships Guidelines for full eligibility details.

How to apply

  1. Review the Scheme guidelines

    2. Review the 2026 Early Career Researcher Fellowship Guidelines posted on the McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellowships scheme website.

  2. Establish an Academic Contact

    • Only one Academic Contact is required per EOI for an ECR Fellowship, even if you are applying for more than one fellowship scheme.
    • If required,  Eligibility Exemption Requests can be made as part of the EOI form.
    • Shortlisted applicants will be invited to complete a Full Application. Referees will only be required at the Full Application stage.

Supporting documents

Please see  the ECR Fellowships application documents listed for the McKenzie Fellowships.

Contacts

Please refer to the ECR Fellowship Guidelines before submitting enquiries.


Email address for Early Career Researcher Fellowships Selection Process, including McKenzie, Mary Lugton and Puzey Postdoctoral Fellowships:  ecr-fellowships@unimelb.edu.au

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