Diversity and inclusion
Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund
A scholarship fund to support full or part-time graduates who wish to study towards a doctorate in physics and are from groups that are currently under-represented in physics.
About the fund
The IOP and leading physicist Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell launched the Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund to encourage greater diversity in physics. The fund is made possible thanks to Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell's generous donation of her £2.3m Breakthrough Prize.
Read the Physics World interview:
Jocelyn Bell Burnell reveals the motivations behind her new $3m graduate-student fund
The fund is administered and managed by the IOP and supported by a panel that reviews qualifying applicants and selects those to be funded. Find out more about how the fund is administered.
If you have any queries about the fund, please email bellburnellfund@iop.org.
If you have any feedback about the fund, please complete the feedback form.
If you are interested in contributing to the fund, please email fundraising@iop.org.
Download the guide to the Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund (PDF, 848KB) with the eligibility criteria and information for students and prospective host universities/institutions.
Visit our FAQ page for further details about the Fund.
Meet the 2020 awardees
We're delighted to reveal the four awardees of the 2020 Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund. They are:
- Kiri Newson, University of Hull – read our interview with Kiri
- Katarina Mamic, Lancaster University – read our interview with Katarina
- Joanna Sakowska, University of Surrey – read our interview with Joanna
- Tracy Garratt, University of Hertfordshire – read our interview with Tracy
How to apply
Applications are currently closed. Please email bellburnellfund@iop.org for further information on the next round of applications.
Update: Since going live in November 2019, the Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund has attracted 42 applications from 16 universities.
Register for updates
You can also register your interest in the fund to receive updates as they become available.
Register your interest in the Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund
Progress reports for studentships
As a part of the monitoring and evaluation of the Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund studentships, the IOP requires the student and their lead supervisor to submit a progress report at various intervals during the award.
- Student progress report (PDF, 150KB)
- Supervisory progress report (PDF, 141KB)
Hear how Dame Jocelyn aims to help 'physics thrive'
Hear the inspiring stories of these physics PhD students
Stephanie Merritt, 32, third year PhD at Queen’s University Belfast, astronomer specialising in the atmospheres of exoplanets, from Surrey.
Ozioma (Ozi) Kamalu, 24, fourth year undergrad at Edinburgh, studying astrophysics, originally from Bristol.
Selina Dhinsey, 24, second year PhD student at Liverpool studying the medical physics end of particle physics, from Wolverhampton.
