The Rutherford International Fellowship Programme (RIFP) is a programme of post-doctoral placements. It enables high-quality researchers to develop their careers within Europe, contributes significantly to researcher training and development, and to employment conditions of post-doctoral researchers, and increases the research reputations and outputs of host departments and the STFC as a whole.
The overall objectives for the scheme were:
- to employ up to 36 2-year post-doctoral Fellows across the facilities and departments of the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and the Diamond Light Source.
- to recruit these Fellows through three annual calls.
- to provide the Fellows employed with excellent research opportunities and supervision; technical and scientific training opportunities; wider transferable skills training; and public engagement training.
The overall aim was to develop the skills and career prospects of the next generation of science researchers, to improve the international mobility of researchers and to provide excellent research staff for STFC departments. This has significant benefits for the individual Fellows, for the host departments, and for wider society which benefits through a new cohort of well-trained science researchers who can use their skills to tackle societal problems.
Rutherford International Fellowships are based at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK, the Daresbury Laboratory, UK, or the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh, UK. An extremely wide variety of science and technology areas have been available to the Fellowship Programme including the following departments: the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source; the Diamond Light Source; the Central Laser Facility; RAL Particle Physics Dept.; RAL Space; Scientific Computing Dept.; the Accelerator Science and Technology Centre; the UK Astronomy Technology Centre.
The 5-year Programme began in July 2015 and consisted of three calls for Fellows in 2015, 2016 and 2017. A total of 117 applications were received, 24 of which (21%) were women. A total of 35 Fellows were appointed, with 10 of these (29%) being women. The 35 Fellows had 15 different nationalities between them, and came from 18 different countries around the world including 4 UK nationals who returned to the UK after time overseas.
A very wide variety of research areas are undertaken by STFC departments where Fellowships could be held. The broad areas of research of Fellows employed during the programme included astronomy and astrophysics; high energy particle physics; accelerator technology development; fundamental and applied materials studies using neutrons, muons or x-rays; earth observation for climate studies; satellite technology; and laser technology development. During their Fellowships, the researchers produce between them 185 published journal articles and 48 conference posters, and had delivered over 130 talks.
Training activities for Fellows were strongly supported. This included scientific and technical training, as well as a wide variety of transferable skills training including general courses offered by STFC together with specific courses and events for RIFP Fellows. Between them, Fellows attended 196 technical or scientific training events including conferences and workshops, and received 125 transferable skills and other training activities. Fellows were strongly encouraged to engage in public engagement activities including events for the general public and schools, and were involved in a total of over 75 such activities between them.
The research and training opportunities afforded by an RIFP Fellowship meant that Fellows' career prospects were enhanced, and this is shown by the posts that they were able to obtain following their Fellowships. 16 Fellows have gone on to permanent positions at universities, facilities or companies, and 18 have found fixed-term positions as post-doctoral workers or have won grant support to carry on their research.
