A research fellow is an academic

research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

position at a

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a principal investigator. Research

fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

positions vary in different countries and academic institutions.

India

In India, the position of research fellowship is provided to scholars from various streams like science, arts, literature, management and others. Research fellowships are funded by government academics, research institutes, and private companies. Research fellows research under the supervision of experienced faculty, professor, head of department, and Dean on two different posts known as Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and senior research fellow (SRF). Research organisations like ICAR, CSIR, UGC, ICMR recruit research fellows through

National Eligibility Test The National Eligibility Test (NET) is a standardised test conducted at the national level by various agencies of the Government of India. It assesses candidates' eligibility for research fellowships, specifically the Junior Research Fellowship ( ...

. After the completion of pre-defined tenure, JRF can be considered for a senior research fellowship based on the research fellow's performance and/or interview conducted by the committee of the research institute.

Russian Federation

In the

Russian Federation Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, the position and title research fellow is unknown; however, there is a broadly similar position of (, ). This position normally requires a degree of

Candidate of Sciences A Candidate of Sciences is a Doctor of Philosophy, PhD-equivalent academic research degree in all the post-Soviet countries with the exception of Ukraine, and until the 1990s it was also awarded in Central and Eastern European countries. It is ...

approximately corresponding to the PhD. More senior positions normally require, in addition to the aforementioned degree, a track record of publications or certified inventions, as well as practical contributions to major research and development projects.

South Africa

Research fellows in South Africa are considered an asset to research organisations and universities. There are highly ranked universities such as

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The universit ...

, University of Stellenbosch Business School, and

Rhodes University Rhodes University () is a public research university located in Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is one of four universities in the province. Established in 1904, Rhodes University is the prov ...

which offer fellowships to South African nationals in certain fields of research.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom a research fellow is a broad category, used to indicate a scholar on a research-oriented professional development track. In many universities a research fellow is a career grade of a ''Research Career Pathway'', following on from a postdoctoral position such as research associate, and may be open-ended, subject to normal probation regulations. For some universities, research career grades roughly correspond to the grades of the academic pathway in the following way: research fellow (a lower or same grade as a

lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

), principal research fellow— reader, whereas senior research fellow is somewhere between a

and senior lecturer or

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position ...

. Some universities such as Cambridge restricts Professorial grades only to academics who have excelled in both teaching and research. Outside of faculty appointments, the title of "Research Fellow" or "Senior Research Fellows" can be also used as honorary or temporary awarded "fellowships" to distinguished academics by research institutes or colleges, usually from different institutions.

Professorial Fellows

University College, Oxford University College, formally The Master and Fellows of the College of the Great Hall of the University commonly called University College in the University of Oxford and colloquially referred to as "Univ", is a Colleges of the University of Oxf ...

, Professorial Fellows are the holders of Statutory Chairs, the most senior professorships at

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

: they are members of the College's Governing Body.

Senior Research Fellows

Senior Research Fellowships (SRFs) are awarded to researchers with "academic standing comparable to that of a distinguished research professorship at a major university." They recognize scholars with distinguished research records and publications. This position originated in the 15th century as a way of allowing scholars time and funding to pursue independent research without having teaching duties. As with the professorial fellows, senior research fellows are research-only posts, with the rise of the career grade there will normally be a formal requirement of a moderate amount of teaching and/or supervision (often at postgraduate level). At

All Souls College, Oxford All Souls College (official name: The College of All Souls of the Faithful Departed, of Oxford) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full me ...

, senior research fellows are 7-year long positions that are equivalent to a tenured position in the United States. This position is equivalent to a full professorship.

Junior Research Fellows

List of research fellowships

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Research Fellow Academic administration