Post-Doctoral Fellowship Scheme
The Society awards a Post-Doctoral Fellowship for researchers in applied philosophy who are within two years of receiving their PhD. The one-year fellowship, worth £20,780, will be awarded each year to support post-doctoral research to be undertaken at a university / research institute in any country.
The application deadline for the 2026–27 fellowship is 1st of May 2026, with a start date of the 1st of September 2026. Applications for the 2026–27 fellowship can be made from 01 March 2026. The committee anticipates making decisions by early July each year.
Eligibility
• The 2026–27 scheme is open (01 March 2026) to those who defended, or will defend, their PhD (judged by date of their viva) between the 1st of September 2024 and the 31st of August 2026. Applicants who defended prior to September 2024 but have a relevant period of parental or sick leave should submit documentary evidence of this period with their application.
• The SAP supports work in applied philosophy. Although those with backgrounds in other areas are welcome to apply, the proposed research must be within applied philosophy. Potential applicants who are unsure whether their proposed research area is eligible may contact the committee via admin@appliedphil.org with a brief summary of their proposed research in advance of the application deadline.
• The scheme is open to researchers worldwide.
• The scheme is open to both SAP members and non-members. Successful applicants will be provided with SAP membership for the duration of the fellowship.
• Applicants must identify a university / research institute willing to host them for the duration of the fellowship.
Conditions
• The Fellowship stipend will be paid quarterly on the 1st of September, 1st of December, 1st of March and 1st of June.
• The Fellowships are intended to support full-time research and may not be held concurrently with other forms of work or employment, excepting teaching. ‘Work’ includes e.g. non-salaried but stipendiary positions, and duties performed in exchange for ‘benefits in kind’ such as accommodation. Fellows may engage in a small amount of teaching at their host or other institution. Teaching should broaden the Fellow’s teaching expertise in order to strengthen their CV, in terms of either topic or teaching level and should not exceed three contact hours a week during termtime. Teaching outside of termtime (e.g. as part of a summer school) is permitted at the discretion of the awarding committee
Applications Must Include
• The applicant’s CV, listing their education, publications, conference presentations, prizes, any funding awards / grants and experience of public / policy engagement.
• A research proposal of no more than 1000 words outlining the applicant’s research plans for the fellowship.
• Writing sample(s) of no more than 10,000 words. This can be one longer piece or two shorter pieces. Samples can be published or unpublished.
• Two letters of reference to be submitted by the deadline. At least one referee should be based outside the applicant’s doctoral institution. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that letters are received by the application deadline.
• A copy of the applicant’s PhD certificate or signed confirmation from their supervisor that their viva will take place no later than the 31st of August 2026. Applicants without a PhD certificate will also be required to submit a signed letter from their supervisor confirming the successful defence of their thesis prior to taking up the fellowship.
• Details of other post-doctoral schemes (e.g. Leverhulme, British Academy) to which the applicant has applied. Applicants who are successful in these other schemes should notify the committee that they wish to withdraw from the SAP scheme as soon as possible.
• A letter of support from the head of the university department or institution confirming that they are willing to host the Fellow for the duration of the fellowship. This letter should:
( a ) confirm that the Fellow will be provided with an affiliation, office space (which may be shared), access to library and computing facilities;
( b ) confirm that the Fellow will not be asked to carry out departmental administrative duties, although they may be expected to participate in departmental events;
( c ) acknowledge that the department may not ask the Fellow to carry out unpaid teaching;
( d ) identify a member of academic staff who will serve as the Fellow’s mentor.
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Online interviews may be held; any such interviews are likely to take place in the second half of May.
Enquires should be directed to admin@appliedphil.org
SAP Annual Conference
SAP Annual Conference 2026
03 – 05 July
University of Edinburgh, JMCC
Join the Society
Membership of the Society is open to anyone interested in our aims, whether or not you hold a philosophical qualification or are employed as a professional philosopher.
Membership includes online access to the Journal of Applied Philosophy, as well as a reduced fee for the Society’s annual conference. Members can also apply for event funding through the Society’s grant scheme.
Membership and journal subscription are handled by Wiley, as the publishers of the Journal of Applied Philosophy. The button will take you through to their website.
Latest News
SAP Annual Lecture 2025 — Society as a Common Possession: Membership and Solidarity in Diverse Societies, Will Kymlicka (Queen’s University)
Annual Lecture 2025: Society as a Common Possession: Membership and Solidarity in Diverse Societies, Professor Will Kymlicka (Queen’s University). The lecture will take place at 6.00 -7.00pm (UTC/GMT +0) on Wednesday 12 November at the Dickson Poon School of Law,
Funding Opportunities and Awards
The society is proud to support a range of activities in applied philosophy: • Event Funding of up to £3000. (Deadlines: 01 January, 01 May, 01 September.) • Doctoral Scholarships (up to £10,000 in year of award) – Awards are
Society for Applied Philosophy — Annual Conference 2026
The Society’s 2026 conference will take place at University of Edinburgh, JMCC. Papers will be given on a wide range of topics across the field of applied philosophy (Authors of papers selected for inclusion in the programme can confirm or
[SAP Sponsored Event] Social AI workshop
The rise of Generative AI in recent years has, not surprisingly, been met with an outpouring of philosophical work. Such work covers all manner of philosophical inquiry, including asking whether AI is (or ever can be) conscious, how AI enhances and/or threatens our epistemic endeavours, and what the ethical implications
SAP Sponsored Event: Boycotts and Beyond: How should we respond to ethically compromised sporting events?
Major sporting events can be ethically charged. They may be hosted by fascist regimes, as a way to gain a perception of legitimacy on the world stage. Notably, the 1936 Olympic games was hosted by Nazi Germany, and opened by Adolf Hitler. More recently, the FIFA World Cup in 2018
SAP Sponsored Event: Democratically Governing Geoengineering Research
The Applied Philosophy Speaker Series is co-organized by W.A.V.E. (Workshop on Agency, Value, and Ethics) and Yuan Yuan, faculty member UCSD, in her capacity as the North American Overseas Representative of the Society for Applied Philosophy. Events in the series will occur annually from 2025 to 2028. We extend our gratitude to the