Forrest Research Foundation Fellowships 2026 (Australia Postdoctoral Fellowship Round)
Historical reference for the Forrest Research Foundation’s 2026 postdoctoral fellowship round in Perth, Western Australia. The official application page closed submissions on 30 June 2026, and no later postdoctoral round is announced on the Foundation’s current fellowship pages.
Forrest Research Foundation Fellowships 2026 (Australia)
This is a historical reference for the Forrest Research Foundation’s 2026 postdoctoral fellowship round. The Foundation’s official application page identifies the round as the 2026 Forrest Fellowship round and gives 30 June 2026 as the submission deadline. Applications for that round are closed. The Foundation’s fellowship information page still carries a notice saying “Applications closed - next application round May 2026”; because that notice points to a date that has already passed and does not publish a later postdoctoral deadline, this page does not invent a future date. Check the official fellowship page before preparing a new application.
The opportunity is a salaried postdoctoral appointment connected to a Western Australian university and the Forrest Research Foundation community. It is aimed at early-stage postdoctoral researchers with strong academic records, a record of personal research contribution, and the ability to communicate the importance of their work beyond a narrow specialist audience. The Foundation describes the fellow profile in terms of intellectual curiosity, independence, collaboration, public engagement, and a willingness to contribute to the community around Forrest Hall.
The closed round should not be treated as an open listing. Its deadline remains in the metadata because the site needs the real date for archive purposes, while historicalReference = true signals that readers should not mistake the record for a live call. There is no basis in the official material checked for replacing the closed date with an unannounced future deadline.
Quick details
| Field | Verified historical detail |
|---|---|
| Programme | Forrest Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship |
| Archived round | 2026 Forrest Fellowship round |
| Status | Closed; historical reference |
| Official closing date | 30 June 2026 |
| Host setting | One of five Western Australian universities, with the fellowship community based in Perth |
| Applicant profile | Final-year PhD candidates or researchers within two years of PhD conferral |
| Nationality | Domestic and international applicants are eligible |
| Disciplines | All disciplines; the Foundation says there are no pre-existing research themes |
| Submission route | Online Forrest Research Foundation application portal when a round is open |
| Referees | Three referee contacts, with at least two academic referees |
| Current archive note | The official page does not announce a later postdoctoral deadline |
What the fellowship provides
The official fellowship information page describes a package rather than a single unrestricted grant. It lists a salary consistent with a Level A Step 8 appointment. As a reference, the page gives a University of Western Australia salary of AUD $108,362 in 2025, plus 17% superannuation. The exact salary is tied to the employing university’s appointment framework, and the page notes that appointments at Level B may be considered when supported by the employing university.
The published accommodation figure is AUD $25,116 per annum in 2025, subject to the marginal tax rate. The Foundation also lists a once-off AUD $12,000 research and travel allowance for approved research-related expenses, overseas research, and conference travel. Interstate and international Fellows may apply for relocation support, including an economy airfare to Perth; the Foundation says this can be discussed with the Director if an applicant is successful.
These figures should be read as the official page’s published reference amounts, not as a promise that a future round will use identical rates. A later call may update the salary scale or accommodation allowance. Since no later postdoctoral round is announced on the source pages checked, this archive retains the benefit information that the Foundation currently publishes alongside its fellowship description and does not present it as a current offer.
The package also has a residential and community dimension. The Foundation’s guidelines state that a Fellow is expected to reside at Forrest Hall for the duration of the Fellowship, although the Governors may consider exemptions. The successful applicant must accept an employment contract at a Western Australian university, receive PhD conferral before taking up the appointment, and begin the Fellowship within the period specified by the Foundation’s conditions. Fellows are expected to report progress and participate in the wider Foundation community.
Who was eligible for the archived round
The main eligibility rule is simple but important: an applicant had to be in the final year of a PhD or no more than two years after PhD conferral. The official application page gives the more specific rule for the round that commenced in 2026: the PhD had to be conferred on or after 1 January 2023, or the applicant had to complete all requirements for the PhD by 31 December 2025. Those are the dates attached to the closed round and should not be copied into a future application without checking the next official guidelines.
The Foundation accepts applicants from any country and does not restrict the postdoctoral Fellowship to a particular academic discipline. The proposed research does, however, need a credible Western Australian setting. Applicants were expected to select a host university and a mentor or supervisor from the Foundation’s partner universities: Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University, The University of Notre Dame Australia, or The University of Western Australia.
Contact with the proposed mentor was a requirement, not a decorative addition to the form. The Foundation says an applicant must discuss the Fellowship application with the proposed mentor and confirm that the person is willing to mentor them. Applicants without a nominated mentor, or without evidence that they had contacted that mentor, were not to be considered. The mentor should be relevant to the proposed research and able to comment on the suitability of the host environment.
The Foundation also follows the Australian Research Council’s approach to career interruptions. Applicants affected by a career interruption could provide a supplementary explanation under the relevant statement. That provision does not erase the need to meet the Foundation’s own two-year post-PhD rule; it gives the selection process context for a research record affected by interruption.
What the application required
The Foundation’s official application process lists five core components:
- A completed application form submitted through the online Forrest Research Foundation portal.
- A curriculum vitae of no more than four pages.
- A publications list.
- A grants and awards list.
- Contact details for three referees, at least two of whom should be academic.
The form also asks applicants to explain their proposed research in plain English, describe the expected impact, and explain why the work should take place in Western Australia. Applicants are asked to identify a supportive mentor or supervisor, describe how they would contribute to the Forrest Research Foundation community, and provide information about non-academic interests. The Foundation’s advice is to make early contact with prospective mentors because a meaningful discussion takes time and the mentor’s view is relevant to later selection.
The portal is available only while the Foundation is accepting applications. During an open round, an applicant should first confirm that the page is showing the correct cycle and deadline, then download or complete the official form as instructed. The applicant should prepare the research proposal and supporting lists, check that the CV stays within the four-page limit, enter three referee contacts, and submit the completed form online before the published closing time. The official application page warns that applications without the completed application form will not be considered.
The Foundation’s application page also displays file-upload guidance for the portal, including a passport-style photograph in JPG or PNG format and PDF uploads for the form and CV. Those portal instructions may be reused only after confirming them on the live round page, because the Foundation can change document requirements between rounds. The closed 2026 record should therefore be used to understand the structure of the application, not as a substitute for the next form.
How selection was framed
The Foundation does not describe a formula for winning. Its published advice points applicants toward academic excellence, exceptional ability, resourcefulness, resilience, a desire to use research for positive impact, and a willingness to engage with the public. A strong application needs to connect those points rather than treating them as separate headings.
Academic quality still matters: the applicant must show a strong record and a meaningful personal contribution. The proposal should then make clear what the applicant will lead, how the work extends beyond the doctoral project, and why the host environment in Western Australia is important. A technically impressive project that could be placed at any institution may be less convincing than a project with a specific reason for the proposed university, mentor, facilities, collaborators, or community setting.
The Foundation also expects Fellows to contribute outside their own research. The official description refers to mentoring, ambassadorial and leadership activities involving Forrest Scholars, Forrest Hall, and the Foundation. Applicants should be ready to explain how they communicate with people outside their discipline, support a cross-disciplinary community, and take part in public-facing or collaborative work.
Referees should be chosen for evidence, not status alone. At least two must be academic, and the Foundation encourages applicants to use people who know both the research record and the applicant’s broader engagement. Referees from different organisations may provide a more useful picture when they can speak directly to independence, collaboration, communication, and professional attributes.
Preparing for a future round
The Foundation says postdoctoral Fellowship applications typically open in mid to late May and close in June, but it also says the timing varies annually. That pattern is useful for preparation only; it is not an announced deadline. Subscribe to the Foundation’s updates and revisit the official fellowship page before relying on any schedule.
Before a future portal opens, identify possible mentors at the five partner universities and read their current research profiles. Draft a plain-English account of the problem, the proposed contribution, and the reason the work belongs in Western Australia. Gather the CV, publications, grants and awards information, and referee contacts early. Decide how the research could support the Forrest community through mentoring, public communication, or cross-disciplinary exchange.
When the next call is published, replace the archived eligibility dates and benefit figures with the new official wording. Confirm the new closing date, the required form, file types, page limits, and any changes to the salary or accommodation package. If the Foundation does not open a new round, this page should remain an archive rather than being given a speculative deadline.
Official source
The current official application page is Forrest Research Foundation Fellowships application. The programme description and eligibility information are on the Foundation’s Fellowships page, and the detailed conditions are in the Fellowship Guidelines. Those pages are the authority for any future round. The application page, not this historical record, should be checked for whether submissions have reopened and for the next valid deadline.