Find out more about the RMIT Vice-Chancellor's Research Fellowships Program application process.
Applications for RMIT's Vice-Chancellor's Research Fellowships are now closed.
All Vice-Chancellor's Research Fellows are hosted in one of RMIT's academic Schools within our three Colleges.
To address the under-representation of women, for the Professorial-, Principal-, Senior-, and Research Fellowships positions, there are some Schools where we will only accept applications from women, including those who identify as women or are gender diverse. This condition currently applies in the following Schools and academic levels:
Section 12 of the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 2010 permits the University to conduct female only recruitment in addressing the substantive imbalance of female representation at the academic levels and Schools listed above.
NOTE: these conditions do not apply to the Vice-Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellowships, which are open to all applicants across all Schools.
We live in a world that is undergoing great change and uncertainty. Over the next decade, we will live and work through the complex challenges in climate, security, inequality, health and wellbeing, technological revolutions, and emerging social movements. RMIT University is committed to work with our partners and stakeholders to find new solutions and apply transdisciplinary approaches to help society, the environment, and the economy, navigate through these complex challenges.
The RMIT Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellowships program enables some of the world’s best research talent to flourish and make a difference in areas that matter for our future. If you are ambitious and enjoy working in team environments to achieve impact from your excellent research, we invite you to apply to become an RMIT Vice Chancellor’s Research Fellow. Applications are now open at Academic levels A-E in three focused areas of priority as follows:
Going beyond ‘sustainable’ practices to restore, renew and revitalise social, economic, and environmental systems.
Revolutionising health outcomes and health expectations through innovation in medical technologies.
Advancing world-leading and multidisciplinary digital innovation research for a prosperous and secure digital future.
Regenerative futures goes beyond ‘sustainable’ practices to restore, renew and revitalise social, economic, and environmental systems. The RMIT approach to Regenerative Futures brings together disciplinary knowledge and expertise across a spectrum of disciplines – from social science and design to material science and engineering, health, and computing. We define regenerative futures research as that which integrates the needs of nature and society whilst also creating a positive impact on natural and social systems.
We are interested in advancing disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary approaches to accelerate the transition of the world’s economic system to be more regenerative and just.
We are seeking experts in regenerative practice in design, technology, business, science, engineering, built environment, humanities, arts, and communication, across the following 3 thematic areas:
Medical technologies are revolutionising health outcomes and health expectations. RMIT leads, and is investing heavily, in areas including better disease diagnosis via advances in imaging, biosensors and biomarkers, as well as harnessing state-of-the-art smart materials such as optoelectronics, new bioinformatics and digital health AI-enabled tools. We are also engaging nanotechnology for health in areas ranging from agriculture to cancer, supporting community health across the lifespan. In all these areas, RMIT has a deep commitment to ensuring medical technologies are designed to make a practical contribution to clinical outcomes and health providers, supported by our range of partnerships and co-location initiatives with major hospitals, health providers, and community organisations. RMIT also has its own supporting infrastructure including the Micro Nano Research Facility (MNRF), Advanced Manufacturing Precinct (including digital manufacturing), and The Victorian Medical Device Prototyping and Scale-Up Facility – Discovery to Device.
Across these diverse areas we need committed and innovative researchers to drive forward our research strategy for impact, and that build on collaborative initiatives with strategic research partners such as the Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery (ACMD), and Northern Health.
RMIT is seeking to build and enhance our research and innovation capability in MedTech in the following areas:
Digital innovation is pivotal to the future of our digital economy, for both organisations and individuals. Emerging digital technologies have created new businesses, pushed automation deep into economic administration and operations, and disrupted industries and ways of working. RMIT is deeply involved in shaping this digital future. We have national leadership in digital technologies for information retrieval, artificial intelligence, deep learning, quantum technologies, and cybersecurity, coupled with a focus on human behaviour, user interaction, design, critical technology studies, creative practices, and FATE (fairness, accountability, transparency, and ethics). In a future where businesses, governments, and citizens interact in previously unimagined ways, RMIT’s commitment is to advance world-leading and multidisciplinary digital innovation research for a prosperous and secure digital future.
As part of our research strategy for impact, RMIT is committed to build on our existing world class research capability in digital innovation, identifying established and emerging research leaders to deliver new digital technology outcomes and insights.
RMIT is seeking to build and enhance our research and innovation capability Digital innovation in the following areas:
The Vice-Chancellor's Professorial Research Fellowship is a senior academic appointment aligned with one or more of RMIT’s Strategic Research Priority Areas and will be an eminent researcher, contributing significantly to research outputs and translation, industry and public engagement, building capability of staff, promoting strong research performance, and above all, engaging in research which builds social, environmental and economic benefit and positive change in the world. You will have proven ability to provide research leadership, build teams, develop networks, and manage collaborative partnered research projects in a global environment.
If successful, you can expect:
At the end of the Fellowship, it is expected that Professorial Research Fellows will be offered a continuing position, conditional on performance criteria being met, in either a teaching and research academic, or a research only academic position, depending on the School’s needs.
Additional Eligibility specific to some Schools and academic levels
Section 12 of the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 2010 permits the University to conduct female only recruitment in addressing the substantive imbalance of female representation across the following Schools and academic levels:
To be suitable for a Vice-Chancellor's Principal Research Fellowship, it is expected that you will have an excellent track record and international recognition for undertaking high-quality research aligned with one or more of RMIT’s Strategic Research Priority Areas, contributing significantly to research outputs and translation, industry and public engagement, building capability of staff, promoting strong research performance, and above all, engaging in research which builds social, environmental and economic benefit and positive change in the world. You will have proven ability to provide research leadership, build teams, develop networks, and manage collaborative partnered research projects in a global environment.
If successful, you can expect:
At the end of the Fellowship, it is expected that Principal Research Fellows will be offered a continuing position, conditional on performance criteria being met, in either a teaching and research academic, or a research only academic position, depending on the School’s needs.
Additional Eligibility specific to some Schools and academic levels
Section 12 of the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 2010 permits the University to conduct female only recruitment in addressing the substantive imbalance of female representation across the following Schools and academic levels:
To be suitable for a Vice-Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellowship it is expected that you will have an excellent track record and international recognition for undertaking high-quality research aligned with one or more of RMIT’s Strategic Research Priority Areas, contributing significantly to research outputs and translation, industry and public engagement, building capability of staff, promoting strong research performance, and above all, engaging in research which builds social, environmental and economic benefit and positive change in the world. You will have proven ability to provide research leadership, develop networks and manage collaborative partnered research projects in a global environment.
If successful, you can expect:
At the end of the Fellowship, it is expected that Senior Research Fellows will be offered a continuing position, conditional on performance criteria being met, in either a teaching and research academic or a research only academic position, depending on the School’s needs.
Additional Eligibility specific to some Schools and academic levels
Section 12 of the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 2010 permits the University to conduct female only recruitment in addressing the substantive imbalance of female representation across the following Schools and academic levels:
To be suitable for a Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellowship, it is expected that you will have an emerging track record and a national reputation for undertaking high quality research aligned with one of RMIT’s Strategic Research Priority Areas. You will have proven capacity to plan and conduct high quality research, attract competitive funding, regularly disseminate outcomes, and have established national research networks.
If successful, you can expect:
At the end of the Fellowship, it is expected that Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellows will be offered a continuing position, conditional on performance criteria being met, in either a teaching and research academic, or a research only academic position, depending on the School’s needs.
Additional Eligibility specific to some Schools and academic levels
Section 12 of the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 2010 permits the University to conduct female only recruitment in addressing the substantive imbalance of female representation across the following Schools and academic levels:
Vice-Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellowships are open to applicants who have completed their PhD within the last five years (Since 28 November 2018, excluding career interruptions). If you do not hold a PhD at the time of application your PhD must be awarded prior to an offer being made (approximately April 2024).
To be suitable for a Postdoctoral Fellowship, it is expected that you make significant contributions to one or more of RMIT’s Strategic research Priority Areas by engaging in high-quality research projects and producing high-quality outputs. The position will carry out team-based research projects, which will make a significant impact in the area of their specialisation and be influential in expanding the knowledge of their relevant discipline.
If successful, you can expect:
NOTE: Female-only recruitment conditions do not apply to Postdoctoral Fellowships.
Key dates |
| Wednesday 1 November 2023 Applications OPEN. |
| Tuesday 28 November 2023 at 12 noon (AEDT) Applications CLOSE. |
| Application outcomes will be provided to all applicants by mid-February 2024. |
| Interviews will be held in March 2024. Please note, interviews will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams. |
| Successful applicants will be notified by the end of April 2024. |
Applications via our online, mobile friendly application portal, Vervoe, opens on 1 November 2023 and closes at 12 noon (AEDT) on 28 November 2023.
You will be asked:
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview which may include a presentation to the selection panel. It is anticipated that interviews will take place during March 2024.
Preferred candidates will be asked to provide details of two referees to our background checks verification partner, CVCheck, before a formal offer is made.
RMIT recruits with an emphasis on merit over quantity of output. Applicants will be invited to contribute a statement for consideration of achievement relative to research opportunity as part of the application process. The following are examples of significant career interruptions which may be considered in the Vice-Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship applications:
As part of your application for a fellowship, you will be asked to discuss career achievements relative to research opportunity.
Yes, you may apply, but your PhD must be awarded by the time offers will be extended to successful candidates (approximately April 2024). Successful candidates who are offered a position must be able to demonstrate they have met all the requirements for completion of their PhD program, be able to adopt the title of Doctor, and be able to produce a statement of academic completion upon request.
We are recruiting Professorial Research Fellows (Academic level E), Principal Research Fellows (Academic level D), Senior Research Fellows (Academic level C), Research Fellows (Academic level B), and Postdoctoral Research Fellows (Academic level A) whose experience and expertise align with one or more of RMIT’s Strategic Research Priority Areas and who meet the eligibility criteria.
To be eligible for a Postdoctoral Fellowship your PhD must have been awarded in the previous five years from the application closing date. This means have an award of PhD date on or after 28 November 2018. If you were awarded a PhD prior to 28 November 2018 but have experienced a period of career interruption that would be commensurate with an award of the PhD within the previous five years, you may still apply. If applicable, please provide your career interruption periods in the application form. This will enable us to assess your equivalent number of years since award of your PhD based on your career interruption.
Yes, you can apply for an RMIT Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellowship while you hold a research fellowship at another institution. Please ensure that any other fellowships you hold are listed in your CV as part of your application.
No, you cannot apply for more than one fellowship at a time. You should establish which Fellowship category is most suited to you, given the eligibility criteria in the position descriptions for each category, as well your skills and experience and apply for that fellowship.
RMIT staff members with an ongoing academic position are not eligible to apply for a Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellowship.
RMIT staff on Casual or Fixed-Term contracts who meet the Fellowship’s eligibility criteria are eligible to apply.
Yes, there is no limit on how many times you can apply for a Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellowship. If a previous application was unsuccessful and you have developed your academic track record and/or gained further experience since that application, RMIT encourages you to apply again.
Applications via our online, mobile friendly application portal, Vervoe, opens on 1 November 2023 and closes at 12 noon (AEDT) on 28 November 2023.
You will be asked:
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview which may include a presentation to the selection panel. It is anticipated that interviews will take place during March 2024.
Preferred candidates will be asked to provide details of two referees to our background checks verification partner, CVCheck, before a formal offer is made.
Assessors take into consideration:
Please refer to the selection criteria outlined in the position description for full details.
RMIT is committed to driving progression towards gender equality and ensuring the diversity in our organisation is balanced at every level.
RMIT has joined the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Athena SWAN Program to support gender equity and diversity in the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM) disciplines. This program promotes women’s career development in STEMM and provides support to encourage staff success.
As well as STEMM, to address the under-representation of women, for the Professorial-, Principal-, Senior-, and Research Fellowships positions, there are some Schools where we will only accept applications from women, including those who identify as women or are gender diverse. This condition currently applies in the following Schools and academic levels:
Section 12 of the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 2010 permits the University to conduct female only recruitment in addressing the substantive imbalance of female representation at the academic levels and Schools listed above.
NOTE: these conditions do not apply to the Vice-Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellowships, which are open to all applicants across all Schools.
You will be able to record your video directly within the question on Vervoe by simply clicking “Record Video”. You can also record your video on your mobile device and upload to Vervoe. Please note you will be able to record and re-record as many times as you like before submitting.
All RMIT staff are offered professional development opportunities as part of their employment.
RMIT wants to ensure our people have the flexibility to take care of their life just as they take care of work. The University supports flexible work arrangements and will also consider requests for part-time positions.
How to calculate your Full Time Equivalent (FTE) for the application form:
This example illustrates a year worked at various FTE’s:
0.8 FTE for 4 months = 0.8 x 4 = 3.2 months
0.6 FTE for 6 months = 0.6 x 6 = 3.6 months
1 FTE for 2 months = 1 x 2 = 2 months
TOTAL = 3.2 + 3.6 + 2 = 8.8 months
Yes, RMIT values the Privacy of every individual and is committed to the responsible handling of personal information, for further details, see our Privacy Statement via the RMIT privacy website.
Successful candidates will need to be located in Melbourne or within commutable distance from one of our Melbourne Campuses.
Include all funding where you were a named investigator (in any investigator role, not just as lead). You should not include funding where you were hired onto a project (e.g., as a research assistant), only include funding where you were part of the research team that received the funding.
Applications cannot be edited after submission. If you have made a significant error in your application, you will need to submit a new application in Vervoe and then email us at researchfellowships@rmit.edu.au to remove the incorrect application.
We are expecting successful candidates to commence their Fellowships during the second quarter of 2024.
You are welcome to reach out to relevant RMIT research leads or groups. However, there is no need to contact anyone or do anything outside of the application process.
Acknowledgement of Country
RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Luwaytini' by Mark Cleaver, Palawa.
Acknowledgement of Country
RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.
