Scholarships

Forrest Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships 2027

At a glance

The Forrest Postdoctoral Fellowships will be open to candidates of any nationality. You will require an outstanding academic track record, be a creative thinker, excellent communicator, passionate researcher and wish to join this group of exceptional Forrest Fellows.

The Fellowships will be open to candidates from all disciplines and are intended to accelerate opportunities for outstanding researchers.

Forrest Fellowships are highly competitive, with four Fellowships typically awarded in each round.

As the Fellowships are open to applicants from any discipline, we assess academic achievement relative to opportunity and what is considered excellence in your field of research. We encourage applications from subject areas that are not represented by our current Fellows.

Applications must be submitted on the Forrest Research Foundation website: Forrest Research Foundation

Eligibility guidelines

To be eligible to apply, applicants must be in their final year of PhD or no more than two years post PhD conferral. For applications submitted in 2026 – with Fellowship commencement in 2027 – applicants must have had their PhD conferred on or after 1 January 2024, or will have successfully completed all the requirements for the award of their PhD by 31 December 2026.

Applicants will be required to identify and contact a proposed mentor from their research field to discuss their Fellowship application before submission. Applicants who do not have a nominated mentor (or who have not been in contact with their mentor) will not be considered.

For the full set of Fellowship guidelines, including eligibility criteria, please see Fellowship Guidelines.

Selection criteria

Applications will be assessed using the following selection criteria:

• Excellence – a demonstrated commitment to research excellence remains a core focus of the Fellowship program.
• Exceptional academic achievement relative to opportunity and career stage.
• Evidence of intellectual contribution and independence, including a clear indication of the applicant’s own role in research outputs and projects.
• Resourcefulness and resilience, including the ability to overcome challenges and pursue ambitious goals.
• Leadership potential, including the capacity to contribute positively to academic and broader communities.
• Originality, ambition and significance of the proposed research, including its potential impact within the field and beyond.
• Potential to contribute to the intellectual and interdisciplinary community at the host university and within the Forrest Research Foundation community at Forrest Hall.
• Capacity to strengthen Western Australia’s research community by attracting outstanding researchers who may otherwise be difficult to recruit to the state.
• A desire to use research to create positive impact, both within Western Australia and globally.

Value

These generous fellowships provide a stipend and accommodation at Forrest Hall in a luxury self-contained studio apartment.

• Salary consistent with a Level A, Step 8 appointment plus 17% superannuation.
• Accommodation Allowance of $25,740 per annum in 2026 (subject to marginal tax rate).
• Research allowance of $12,000. This allowance is available for approved research-related expenses, overseas research, and conference travel.
• All interstate and international Fellows can apply for a relocation allowance which can be discussed with the Director if successful.

Within Forrest Hall, you will live amongst other researchers in a vibrant and inspiring research environment. The Foundation also offers a unique “researcher journey” program that exposes our Fellows to world leading researchers, mentoring, connections with Australia’s learned academies and more.

Partner Universities

The Fellowships can be held at any of Western Australia’s five universities:

• Edith Cowan University
• The University of Western Australia
• Curtin University
• Murdoch University
• The University of Notre Dame Australia (Fremantle Campus)

About Forrest Research Foundation

Forrest Research Foundation was established in 2014 following one of the largest ever philanthropic donations in Australian history by Andrew and Nicola Forrest. The donation is used to drive research and innovation capacity in Western Australia by awarding Forrest Scholarships and Fellowships to outstanding young intellects from around the world to conduct research at one of Western Australia’s five universities.

Applications close Tuesday, 30^th June 2026 at 11:59pm AWST.

How to apply

For full Fellowship guidelines, further particulars and the online application portal go to: Forrest Research Foundation. Applications must be made via the Forrest Research Foundation website. Please note applications will not be accepted via this email address or website.

For more information and to apply

Please contact Louise Renwick, Program and Partnerships Coordinator at Forrest Research Foundation on admin@forrestresearch.org.au for more information.