Rutherford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship: Application FAQ's
Rutherford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship: Application FAQ's
My PhD is nearly completed but I have not yet graduated. Am I still eligible to apply for the Rutherford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships?
- If you have graduated and currently hold a PhD degree, you are eligible to apply if your degree was awarded on or after 01 January 2019
- If your PhD has been submitted before the application closing date, but has not been conferred yet, you need to email rutherford.foundation@royalsociety.org.nz to request an exemption. Please include in the email evidence to demonstrate that your degree will be examined by the date of short-listing (mid-September, 2023) and that you have met (or will meet by the short-listing date) all the university requirements for a PhD.
Additionally, you need to demonstrate that you will graduate within a reasonable time before (e.g. 31 December 2023). This is necessary because you must hold a PhD degree at the time of contracting if your proposal is successful.
I am applying from within New Zealand, but I am not sure if I am eligible because of my citizenship or visa status.
- You are eligible if you are a New Zealand citizen.
- If you hold either a New Zealand resident or permanent resident visa AND have continuously resided in New Zealand for at least two years immediately prior to application.
- Additionally, Australian citizens and permanent residents are deemed to hold a NZ residency visa automatically without having to submit a visa application. If this describes your situation AND you have continuously resided in New Zealand for at least two years immediately prior to application, you are eligible to apply.
What does "deemed to hold" a NZ residency visa mean?
- Some people are deemed to hold a visa. This means they have been granted entry permission where it is not possible or appropriate for them to apply for a visa. An example is Australian citizens and permanent residents, which are deemed to hold a NZ residency visa automatically without having to submit a visa application. If this describes your situation AND you have continuously resided in New Zealand for at least two years immediately prior to application, you are eligible to apply. For more information, please see the immigration New Zealand website.
- https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-a-visa/about-visa/australian-resident-visa
I am currently living outside of New Zealand. Am I still eligible to apply?
- New Zealand citizens can apply from overseas. Applicants with a New Zealand residence visa must have continuously resided in New Zealand for at least two years immediately prior to application. The Society may grant an exemption to the “immediately” rule under very special circumstances, e.g. if an applicant had to leave New Zealand to care for a family member but otherwise fulfils all other eligibility criteria and have demonstrated a commitment to New Zealand.
Eligibility extension for primary caregiver
- Eligibility may also be extended to take into account any career interruptions experienced due to being the primary caregiver for young children born in (or close to) an applicant’s eligibility period (0-4 years post-PhD conferment date). If the applicant is the primary caregiver of a dependent child, the applicant is able to extend the period of eligibility by two years per child. As an example, an applicant being the primary caregiver for a child born two years after their PhD conferment date, can apply for an additional two years of eligibility. On the other hand, an applicant that is the primary caregiver of a child born 5 years after their PhD conferment date (at a time when the applicant would not be eligible to apply for a fellowship) is not eligible for the extension.