Downloadable forms:
Guidelines
(PDF, 530 kB)
Application Form (Word, 316 kB)
Referee Report Form (Word, 274 kB)
Declaration (Word, 259 kB)
On this page:
The Freemasons Roskill Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships are administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand on behalf of the Rutherford Foundation Trust with financial support for this Fellowship provided by the Northern Masonic Association Trust Board. The Northern Masonic Association Trust Board is heavily involved in supporting charity and in community service in New Zealand and wishes to support bio-medical scientific research generally. The Freemasons Roskill Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship will enable recipients to undertake a full-time research programme within New Zealand or in the United Kingdom on topics concerned with ameliorating the aging process.
Recipients of the Fellowships will carry the identity of the Rutherford Foundation. This award will be expected to play a strong part in the Fellow’s professional development.
The Freemasons Roskill Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship aims to support a postdoctoral Fellow who will participate in research relating to ageing. This Fellowship is concerned with advancing knowledge in areas that are related to ageing with an emphasis on understanding the biology of the ageing process and/or the discovery of potential new therapeutic targets; however, the focus remains broad-based and also supports ageing-related research in more applied or basic areas. Any research programme with potential to benefit the quality of life for our ageing New Zealand citizens will be considered.
The Rutherford Foundation is offering one Freemasons Roskill Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship to an outstanding recent PhD graduate.
The Fellowships are offered annually, with a closing date for applications on 01 August 2012.
The Freemasons Roskill Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships are offered for two years.
For successful awardees undertaking research in New Zealand, each year the Fellow will receive a stipend of NZ$65,000. In addition a GST-inclusive fund is paid each year of NZ$10,000 to support direct and indirect research costs of which up to NZ$2,500 can be used to support conference travel.
For successful awardees undertaking research in the United Kingdom, each year the Fellow will receive a stipend of between £28-32,000 (depending on experience). This will be supplemented with employer contributions to National Health Insurance and United Kingdom superannuation if required. In addition, the Fellowship pays research costs of £10,000 p.a., and conference travel of £5,000 p.a. For those Fellows in the United Kingdom annual return airfares to New Zealand over the two year award are provided to enable the fellow to maintain contact with New Zealand colleagues and family, with the intention that the fellow will return and contribute to research in New Zealand.
- Applicants are required to have had their PhD conferred no more than three years before the application closing date.
- An exemption to this clause can be sought to allow applicants to demonstrate that their PhD has been submitted and can be examined by the date of short-listing. This requires prior approval from the Trustees of the Foundation.
- A further exemption can be sought to demonstrate a reasonable absence from a research career, for instance to take parental leave or for extended sickness leave.
- An applicant must have had no more than two previous positions as a postdoctoral researcher.
- Applicants must be either New Zealand citizens or have continuously resided in New Zealand for at least two years immediately prior to their application and hold, or are deemed to hold, a New Zealand resident visa.
- Eligible host institutions include Crown Research Institutes, universities, research associations and businesses whose prime purpose is research and development. Co-hosting arrangements are possible between one of the above and another host, with the permission of the Trustees.
The selection is based on an applicant’s demonstration of academic excellence, the ability to articulate verbally and in writing the research to be undertaken and its overall benefits, including how it contributes to knowledge that supports issues related to ageing; and any additional contributions the applicant has made to the science community, the elderly or the public understanding of science.
Proposals are assessed on the information provided in the application, the accompanying forms and referee reports.
- Applicants who are offered a Fellowship but have not completed their PhD before the application closing date will be required to demonstrate PhD completion requirements by a date specified by the Trustees.
- The Fellowship must be taken up within a reasonable time frame of being offered (e.g. half a year).
- Applicants may only make one application per funding round.
- Applicants must be prepared to take part in promoting the Rutherford Foundation and to support other Rutherford Foundation scholars.
Applicants will contact potential supervisors at an eligible host institution to discuss the proposed research project. For those applicants intending to submit an application to a United Kingdom host, a letter of support from the supervisor will be required.
Applications will be considered for short listing by a panel that includes the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Rutherford Foundation and a representative from Freemasons Roskill Foundation, or their nominee, with support from the Executive Officer of the Rutherford Foundation. Short listed applicants will be interviewed by members of the Trustees, and co-opted discipline-based experts where required.
Closing date:
Applications and supporting information must reach the Royal Society of New Zealand by the closing date of 1 August 2012.
Submitting your application:
Please email one electronic copy of your application to:
Rutherford.Foundation@royalsociety.org.nz.
Supporting information:
In addition to the completed electronic version of your application, applicants must supply electronic copies of the following documents (scanned jpeg or PDF preferred):
- Proof of New Zealand citizenship or residency.
- Academic transcript(s) including undergraduate and PhD studies.
Note: Original or certified copies of the above two documents will only be required if you are invited to interview.
Prior to the closing date, you are also required to supply one hard copy of a signed declaration form confirming that the proposed host institution and supervisor support the proposed application.
Please send this declaration to one of the following addresses:
Postal address:
Executive Officer, Rutherford Foundation
Royal Society of New Zealand, PO Box 598, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Courier address:
Executive Officer, Rutherford Foundation
Royal Society of New Zealand, 4 Halswell Street, Thorndon, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
Referees:
References are required from two academic and one personal referee. There is a referee template to guide academic referees, while the personal referee should respond in the form of a reference letter.
In addition, applicants must ensure their three referees independently email or send their referee reports to the Royal Society of New Zealand by the closing date.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to interview (at their own expense). If this should prove a hardship, then applicants may request to have the interview conducted by teleconference or videoconference.
Successful applicants will be notified by early October.
Further enquiries should be made by contacting the Rutherford Foundation by email:
Rutherford.Foundation@royalsociety.org.nz
Previous Awardee
- 2009 Freemasons Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr Nicola Jackson was awarded the inaugural Freemasons Fellowship to Cambridge, sponsored by the Freemasons Roskill Foundation.
