What are the Deakin University Postdoctoral Research Fellowships?
The Deakin University Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (DUPRF), formerly known as Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellowships, support and develop early career researchers identified as potential rising stars, to enhance the capacity and capability in key research areas and build the next generation of high-achieving and internationally competitive researchers.
Application key dates
Please note the following internal deadlines:
- Applications open – Tuesday 1 July 2025
- Applications closed – 11:55pm Sunday 10 August 2025 (AEST)
- Outcomes – From November 2025
Eligibility
- Applicants must have been awarded a PhD on or after 1 January 2022 or, together with allowable career interruptions, have an award of PhD date that would be commensurate with a PhD Award Date of 1 January 2022.
Funding Amount
- The Fellowship provides up to 3 years of salary support from a Level A, Step 6 up to the top a Level B classification, commensurate with experience. Please note that for international fellows the third year is subject to meeting visa requirements. Refer to the Guidelines for further information.
- Successful fellows also receive a once-off research support grant of $15,000, to be used throughout the Fellowship. This grant must be used for direct research costs that relate specifically to the research project. These can include consumables, specialised computers, other equipment and resources as well as domestic or overseas travel if permitted.
How to apply
- Download and read the 2026 Deakin University Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Guidelines, Instructions and Conditions of Award (PDF, 533KB).
- Liaise with the faculty/school/institute/centre that aligns most closely with your research interests and identify your proposed supervisor. Refer to the Faculty, school, institute and centre contacts page. Please note applicants are required to obtain a supervisor support statement confirming their agreement to host the fellowship and attach to the application.
- Top 5 Publications – You will need to provide details of your top 5 publications, monographs, NTROs or patents from the last 5 years, including the publication title, your role and contribution, impact on the field, number of citations and impact factor (if applicable), following the specified content guidelines.
- Supervisor Support Statement – You will need to ask your proposed supervisor to complete and sign a Support Statement form, which includes comments on your research proposal and a summary of how they will support you if your application is successful.
- Summary of Experience and Contributions – You will need to prepare a one-page Summary of Experience and Contributions form outlining your key research contributions, relevant expertise, supervisory experience and career aspirations, strictly following the required formatting guidelines.
- Full Research Project Proposal – You will need to work with your supervisor on a Full Research Proposal (maximum five A4 pages) that outlines your project aims, background, significance, methodology, anticipated outcomes and alignment with Deakin's research strengths, strictly following the required formatting guidelines.
- Curriculum Vitae and Publication List – You will need to upload this list as a single PDF document and must not exceed 8 pages.
- Evidence of PhD conferral – This must be your official testamur, not transcript. Or a letter from your institution indicating you are on track to complete your PhD by no later than 31 December 2025.
- Evidence of any career interruptions impacting your eligibility (if applicable) – This can be in the form of a Statutory Declaration (This link is for a Victorian Statutory Declaration. Equivalent Statutory Declarations are also accepted as long as they are in English). As well as attaching the career interruption calculator.
Prepare the following supporting documents, which must be uploaded as part of your application. Templates for the 2026 round will be accessible via the online application form, available from 1 July 2025.
- Complete the online application form via the Deakin careers website, ensuring you upload all supporting documents and follow the submission instructions as detailed in the Guidelines. Failure to comply with any of these instructions will render your application ineligible.
- Submit the application on or before the closing date and time.
Frequently asked questions
Browse our frequently asked questions to learn everything you need to know about the Deakin University Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and how to apply.
Career Interruptions Calculator
You can use our career interruptions calculator to determine if you are eligible to apply for this round. To request access to the career interruptions calculator, please email our team.
Faculty, institute and centre contacts
Search our contacts page to identify a supervisor that aligns with your research interests. You will then reach out to them prior to applying to prepare your research project proposal and obtain a supervisor support statement.
Deakin's research strengths
Guided by five research strengths, our world-class researchers are transforming bold ideas into groundbreaking solutions to global challenges.
Key contacts
For a full list of contacts, you can visit our Faculty, Institute and SRIC contacts page. If you need information regarding the fellowships please get in touch with out team.
Email the Deakin University Postdoctoral Research Fellowship