Frequently Asked Questions

L’Oréal Australia For Women in Science Fellowships: Frequently Asked Questions

Applying for a L’Oréal Australia For Women In Science Fellowship? The following questions and answers may help. If you still have questions, please email loreal@scienceinpublic.com.au

For general questions about the awards and eligibility criteria please go here.
For questions regarding the application form please go here.

We can’t write criteria that cover every eventuality. If you feel that your particular circumstances merit consideration even though they don’t precisely meet the criteria you are invited to nominate and to explain your particular circumstances in the ‘personal statement section’.

If for example you received your PhD five years and two months ago, your PhD is in the mail, your citizenship is in the mail, you are working part time, you are working at multiple institutions, please include relevant information in your personal statement. The judges will take it all into account when they make their decisions.

Two Stage Application Process

We have introduced a 2-stage application process as follows:

Stage 1: all applicants complete online application;
Stage 2: a shortlist of applicants selected by the jury panel will be chosen. They will be asked to send in a comprehensive CV and closed letters of reference will be requested from their mentors and referees.

General questions and eligibility

Q. I received my PhD more than five years ago, but I have less than five years post-doctoral experience. May I still apply?

A. We are looking for early career scientists, with five years or less post-doctoral experience. If you have taken time off for maternity leave or worked part-time for some of this time, indicate this on your application form and it will be taken into account. You must have received notice of approval of your PhD after 2 May 2006 to be eligible if you do not have special circumstances such as maternity leave.

Q. I have not yet completed my PhD, am I eligible for the Fellowship?

A. No, the award is for post-doctoral researchers only. But if you are expecting that your PhD will be granted between now and the close of nominations, then at the discretion of the judges, you may be eligible. However, unless your application was exceptional, it’s likely that the winners of the Fellowships will be a year or two into their post-doctoral career, so you may prefer to wait until next year.

Q. I have finished my post-doc and started my own research group but I am less than five years out from my PhD, am I eligible for the Fellowship?

A. Yes, the Fellowships are for any researchers with five years or less post-doctoral experience. So as long as you meet that requirement you are eligible.

Q. I am not an Australian citizen; may I apply for a Fellowship?

A. The Fellowships are intended to support Australian citizens and Australian permanent residents who are carrying out research at Australian research institutions.

Q. I am in the process of applying for permanent residency but it won’t be granted for some time; am I eligible?

A. Indicate your circumstances on the form and the judges will take it into account.

Q. My mentor is not my current supervisor as I am moving institutions.

A. That’s OK; just explain the relationship so we know why.

Q. Do I need to be employed by a university or a research institution to be eligible for this Fellowship?

A. You must be employed as a researcher, but you may have associations with more than one employer.

Q. I am currently working part-time; am I still eligible?

A. Yes. Indicate your circumstances and it will be taken into account by the judges.

Q. I don’t meet the eligibility criteria to the letter; can I still apply?

A. Yes you can still apply. Make note of why you believe your application should still be considered in your candidate’s statement and the judges will take it into account.

Q. Can I apply for the Fellowship to do research overseas?

A. No, the Fellowship is intended to support scientists carrying out research in Australia. However, part of your Fellowship may be used to support overseas travel directly related to your research, for example for training courses or conferences or visits to collaborators. The L’Oréal-UNESCO International Fellowship is available for women researchers working overseas.

Q. What kind of expenses can the Fellowship budget support?

A. It can be used to pay for equipment, reagents and consumables, and other materials required for your research. It may be used to pay for page charges for publishing academic papers in peer-reviewed journals.

It may be used to pay part or all of the salary of a research assistant, although it may not, as a rule, be used to pay or supplement your own salary.

It can be used to cover the costs associated with attending relevant conferences or training courses including registration costs, travel and accommodation expenses. It can be used to cover the costs associated with travel interstate or overseas including airfares and accommodation.

It may be used to pay for child care expenses, but not for other personal expenses including mortgages, health care and so on.

Q. Can I use the Fellowship funds to attend overseas conferences or training courses?

A. Yes you can.

Q. Can I use the Fellowship to pay my salary?

A. The Fellowship is not intended to provide salary support to the recipient, although it may be used to support a research assistant’s salary.

Q. Can I use the Fellowship to pay institutional overheads?

A. The Fellowship is a personal prize, paid directly to the awardees, and may not be used to pay institutional overheads.

Q. Am I allowed to have other Fellowships or grants at the same time as this one?

A. Yes, as long as the terms of the other Fellowships don’t preclude you from holding this one.

Q. How long is the Fellowship? When does it start and end?

A. The Fellowship is for 12 months, from 23 August 2011 until 23 August 2012. It may not be deferred or renewed.

Filling in the form

Q. Should I include my work or home address on the application form?

A. Use the address you are happy to receive mail at.

Q. My area of research straddles two fields, what should I list it under?

A. The list of research fields listed on the application form has been expanded to better describe the scientific disciplines eligible for the Fellowships. Please list your research field under the most appropriate category (for example, if you are studying biostatistics in the mathematics department, choose Mathematics, but if you are a biostatistician working in the genetics department it may make more sense to choose the Life Sciences category), and make note of it in your personal statement.

Q. Does the life sciences research field include medical or health research?

A. We have listed life sciences and clinical/health sciences as separate fields on the application form. Choose the category that best fits your research. The category of life sciences includes the more laboratory-focused biomedical sciences, as well as zoology, botany and microbiology. Clinical and health sciences include more clinically-oriented fields of research as well as psychology, public health and similar areas of research. Note that the category of research you choose will not affect your chance of success in gaining a fellowship.

Q. What is the difference between the question on my current and/or past research (question 20) and the question on my Fellowship project (question 22)?

A. Question 22 should give us an overview of your research, such as what you have already achieved in the past if it is relevant, and what you are trying to achieve with your current research program. Question 24 deals specifically with the details of the Fellowship project, which will be supported by your Fellowship funds. There may be some overlap, but the details of your Fellowship project should be more specific.

Q. Should I include references to journal articles, whether my own or others, to support the information I have provided in questions 20 and 22?

A. You can provide some references if you wish, but be mindful of the length of your answers to the questions.

Q. Can I include figures or images in my answers?

A. No, the online application form does not support the use of images.

Q. How do I enter the budget into the online application form?

A. Due to the nature of the online form, you have to enter your budget in two parts. First make a list of each budget item (you can have up to ten, so group them if necessary) and enter them into the appropriate space on the form (question 24). Secondly, enter the cost for each budget item and the total budget (question 25).

Further details or explanations can be entered into the comment box (question 26) if required. Note that numbers should be rounded to the nearest dollar and no commas or spaces should be used, for example 10000 not 10 000 or 10,000.

Q. I only have one referee available, is that OK?

A. While our judges prefer that you have three referees including your mentor plus two others, we appreciate that this is not always possible. However, in order for your application to be valid, we expect you to include at least one referee in addition to your mentor.

Q. Will I get a confirmation email after submitting the online form?

A. No, the online application does not generate an email confirmation. But we will email all applicants once the application period has closed to inform them that an application has been received.

Shortlisted applicants

Q. What format should I use for email attachments?

A. You can attach your CV as Word documents, rich text documents or PDF files. They should be named using the format “lastname_firstname_CV.file extension” for example Smith_Jane_CV.doc or Smith_Jane_CV.pdf. Please let your referees know that letters of reference sent as attachments should be named using the format “applicantlastname_firstname_refereelastname.file extension” (e.g. Smith_Jane_Peters.pdf).