YTL Early Career Research Fellow

King's College London - Law School

About us

King's College London offers an intellectually stimulating environment, where staff are dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and learning, in the service of society. We are a multi-faculty institution, providing high-quality teaching, research and innovation across the sciences, humanities, medicine, law, dentistry, and social sciences.

The Yeoh Tiong Lay Early Career Fellow will be based at the Yeoh Tiong Lay Centre for Politics, Philosophy & Law (The YTL Centre), within The Dickson Poon School of Law, one of the oldest law schools in England and recognised globally. Established in 2013, the Centre holds a reputation as one of the world’s leading centres for the study of legal and political philosophy.

Our aim is to illuminate the most pressing questions of our time through the application of rigorous interdisciplinary thought, and to engage policymakers and the wider public in an ongoing conversation on how to create a better society. Our research ranges from more abstract questions, such as those concerning the foundations of freedom and equality, to more applied ones, concerning, for example, the impact of AI or the abuse of human rights.

About the role

The Yeoh Tiong Lay Centre for Politics, Philosophy and Law (YTL) invites applications for the YTL Early Career Fellowship, a 12-month appointment due to commence in September 2026. The Fellowship provides a development opportunity to an early career researcher with exceptional potential in legal or political philosophical research and scholarship. The successful applicant will have received their PhD in a relevant subject area within 5 years of the start date.

During the one-year appointment, the YTL Early Career Fellow will develop their research trajectory, with a view to producing a significant piece/body of high-quality publishable research, participate in academic peer-led events, as well as having the opportunity to develop their teaching experience, if desired

The YTL Early Career Fellowship is funded by a generous contribution from The YTL Group with the ambition to enable The YTL Centre at King’s to foster innovative education and research and to make a significant, positive, lasting impact in society. The Fellowship will offer a valuable development opportunity to an individual with exceptional potential in legal and/or political philosophical research and scholarship.

The objectives and key responsibilities of the posts are as follows:

Research and scholarship:

• During the one-year appointment, the YTL Early Career Fellow will:
  • develop their research objectives & trajectory, with a view to producing a significant piece/body of high-quality publishable research.
  • conduct individual and collaborative research and associated activities;
  • extend, transform and apply knowledge acquired from scholarship to research and appropriate media;
  • deliver presentations at conferences and participate in academic peer-led events.

Communication, liaison and networking:

• The YTL Early Career Fellow will be expected to:
  • collaborate actively within and outside the institution to develop research and advance thinking, contributing to the research environment and supporting the Centres aims and values;
  • participate in and develop internal & external networks, for example to identify sources of funding or build relationships for future activities;
  • be able to communicate complex and conceptual ideas to those with limited knowledge and understanding as well as to peers using high level skills and a range of media.

Initiative, problem solving and decision making:

• Develop ideas for application/dissemination of research outcomes;

This is a full-time (35 Hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed-term contract until 31/08/2027.