UK:Ramsay Memorial Fellowships for Chemical Research ~ International Student Scholarships

Employer: The Ramsay Memorial Fellowships Trust, University College London

Level: Postdoctoral

Fellowship Description: The Ramsay Memorial Fellowships Trust was constituted in 1920 for the purpose of administering the award of Ramsay Memorial Fellowships for Chemical Science. The Fellowships comprise a British Ramsay Fellowship and a number of overseas Fellowships.

The Ramsay Memorial Fellowships constitute a long standing scheme of international cooperation originated as a memorial to Sir William Ramsay, KCB, FRS, with a view to promoting the development of the science of chemistry by encouragement of individual ability at the highest level.

British Ramsay Fellowships are awarded annually by the Ramsay Memorial Fellowships Trust to distinguished chemists, so that they may conduct research at universities in the United Kingdom. Ramsay Fellows are typically mature research chemists who usually continue their work in the chemistry field after their Fellowships have ended. Many have become esteemed Professors of Chemistry; others have gone on to occupy responsible positions in industry and public service.

Within the overall scheme the British contribution to this elite group is drawn from people of the requisite standard from the British Commonwealth, who are nominated by an Advisory Council consisting of Professors of Chemistry at UK universities.

Overseas Ramsay Fellows are nominated and their Fellowships financed by agencies in their countries of origin, although the Trust bestows the award of these Fellowships and handles the administration. Countries currently cooperating in awarding Ramsay Fellowships are Japan, the Netherlands and New Zealand, although past participants have also included Canada, Denmark, France, Greece, India, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA.

The British Ramsay Fellowships are financed out of the income from a Trust Fund set up by public subscription in 1922 and strengthened by donations from industry in 1953. The continuing fall in the purchasing value of the Trust’s income, however, has meant that the Trust has increasingly had to look to attracting financial support from outside sponsors and donors to ensure that it is able to maintain the level of award of British Fellowships each year. In 1988 a scheme was instituted whereby British Ramsay Fellowships could be co-sponsored by British industrial companies, and more recently this has been extended to include the host institutions and/or Chemistry Departments of British Ramsay Fellows.

For nearly one hundred years, The Ramsay Memorial Fellowships Trust has played a vital role in supporting young scientists at the start of their careers. Like Sir William, the Ramsay Fellows have made many important discoveries that have changed our world.

Fellowship Application Deadline: 15 November 2010

Further Fellowship Information and Application