STFC Nucleus Public Engagement Funding Panel: member vacancies

• Closing date: 18 May 2025
• Number of positions: Up to six
• Length of term: Three years
• Time commitment: The Nucleus funding opportunity opens once per year, usually in autumn.

  Panel assessment takes place early in the following calendar year. Members recruited during 2025 will be called upon in late 2025 to early 2026.

• Remuneration: £170 per day
• Outcomes communicated: September to November 2025

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Nucleus Public Engagement Funding Panel assesses and provides funding recommendations to the STFC public engagement team. Nucleus is STFC’s large public engagement activity funding stream, providing a maximum of £125,000 per project.

Nucleus funding supports longer term or larger scale public engagement project funding. Engagement and engagement capacity-building projects are welcomed across all areas of STFC science. Priority is given to proposals working with Wonder audiences, who are those living in the 40% most socioeconomically deprived areas across the UK, particularly those aged eight to 14 and their families and carers.

We are particularly keen to receive panel membership applications from those with experience of public engagement who are teachers and educators, or work in:

• policy bodies
• professional societies
• non-STFC research laboratories and institutes

Who we're looking for

You should have extensive experience in developing and delivering public engagement projects or programmes and their evaluation. Applicants with experience of supporting others to do this, such as those in public engagement professional roles in universities or other contexts, are also encouraged.

Knowledge of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) engagement landscape is essential, and expertise in an area of STFC science would be advantageous. We welcome applications from individuals across all career stages, subject to demonstrating expertise proportionate to your career stage.

We also welcome public and private sector experience.

What you'll be doing

Members of the Nucleus Public Engagement Funding Panel will be asked to:

• assess, score and rank received proposals
• attend an assessment and ranking panel (held virtually)

They may also be asked to recommend appropriate expert peer reviewers.

Panel members will be expected to:

• meet the commitments and attendance requirements of the panel
• be able to assess public engagement plans across research disciplines and separate from personal biases
• adhere to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and STFC’s equality, diversity and inclusion policy and procedures

Our handbook for members of STFC’s advisory bodies will help you to understand our expectations of a panel member. The handbook also includes useful information on other topics, such as:

• equality and diversity
• conflicts of interest
• confidentiality
• our policy on travel, subsistence and remunerated meeting fees

How to apply

Check the specific details for the panel, committee and board vacancies before deciding which to apply for.

Read the application guidance documents, which include:

• a preview of the application form
• questions and answers from a webinar we held in 2021
• testimonies from members of STFC panels, boards and committees

Apply using the online form on the UKRI Engagement Hub

How we'll assess your application

Demonstrate in your application how you meet at least one of the following criteria:

• expertise in the planning, delivery and evaluation of a range of public engagement programmes
• expertise in supporting public engagement delivery in academic or public-facing contexts or both (for example, those in public engagement professional roles)
• expertise in the planning, delivery, participation and evaluation of a range of community or youth engagement programmes, or both

In addition, also demonstrate in your application how you meet at least three of the following criteria:

• wide-ranging knowledge of the public engagement and STEM inspiration landscape in the UK (essential) and beyond (desirable)
• knowledge of the STFC public engagement strategy and wider STFC strategies and priorities
• knowledge of one or more areas of STFC-funded science
• appreciation of the range of STFC activity

Further information

Contact Jenni Chambers with any questions.
Email: jenni.chambers@stfc.ukri.org

See details about the current membership

We are committed to the principles of fair and transparent decision-making, promoting equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). In addition to UKRI principles on EDI, STFC continues to develop a range of measures and objectives around EDI. We have undertaken an equality, diversity and inclusion impact assessment for this opportunity. See the application guidance documents.

Appointments to this panel are made on merit. However, we are keen to maintain diversity in its membership. Applications from women, those with a disability or members of minority ethnic groups are therefore especially welcome.

We will use diversity of membership as part of our selection criteria where we have two or more equally qualified or appointable candidates.

Last updated: 11 April 2025