Durham University Research Technical Professional Retraining Fellowship

Research Technical Professional retraining and reskilling opportunity with a Daphne Jackson RTP Fellowship hosted by Durham University 

The Daphne Jackson Trust has launched a new fellowship for Research Technical Professionals (RTP) who have taken a career break of at least two years for family, health or caring reasons and want to return to a technical role in research.  This fellowship offers a personalised retraining and reskilling programme for the successful applicant.  

Applications are now being invited for part-time flexible fellowships at Durham University. These could be either at one-year full time, 18-month part time at 0.75FTE or a two-year, part-time at 0.5FTE or another combination to suit the applicant. This opportunity is open to people looking to return to work within an area of technical expertise and will be based in Durham. 

Fellowship roles requiring a degree (undergraduate or postgraduate) or an equivalent level of experience 

• The Department of Archaeology could host a fellow within the North East Material Culture Analytical Suite, (NEMCAS) team focussing on thin-section production and microscopy.  Suitable for someone with a degree or postgraduate experience in Archaeological Science, Soil Science, Earth Science, or Materials Science, especially soil or sediment micromorphology, petrography, geoarchaeology, and/or thin-sectioning. The role will provide training on soil thin section production and analysis.
• The Department of Chemistry could host a fellow with postgraduate experience in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering with previous expertise in gas chromatography, reactor design and operation, and the safe handling of toxic, hazardous, and high-pressure gases.
• The Department of Geography could host fellows with a postgraduate qualifications or related experience in Physical Geography, Earth Sciences, Chemistry or Engineering to retrain in the areas of Organic Geochemistry/Biomarker analysis using GC systems or Geotechnical characterisation and testing.
• The GJ Russell Electron Microscopy Facility, Department of Physics could host a fellow with a background in materials science, geology, earth sciences (including structural geology, sedimentology, or mineralogy) who is keen to develop expertise in advanced electron microscopy and microanalytical techniques including Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy, (EELS). 

Fellowship roles not requiring degree level experience 

• The Department of Music could host a fellow with some existing experience in audio and/or video production and with any related qualification to retrain on the production of audiovisual media for teaching and research within the area of visual and performing arts in Music and Modern Languages and Cultures.
• The Department of Engineering could host a fellow within the Smart Soils Team who has experience at any level in analysis of environmental samples (soils, waters, microbes) using laboratory equipment. 

Further details about the roles can be found here 

For further information about these opportunities at Durham University or to discuss the potential for fellowships in other technical areas / disciplines please contact Steve Robertson (steven.robertson@durham.ac.uk) and Beth Upex (beth.upex@durham.ac.uk) who can answer general questions and put you in touch with the host teams. 

Details on how to apply can be found here. Please email your application via the 'Apply' button (e: djmft@surrey.ac.uk). 

To find out more about the Daphne Jackson Trust and other fellowship opportunities please visit www.daphnejackson.org 

Closing date for applications is Monday 14th September 2026 

Once eligibility has been confirmed and following shortlisting by the Daphne Jackson Trust, Durham University will undertake an internal selection process to identify the preferred candidates.

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