Post-doctoral Researchers

Donations to Emma enables have allowed us to lead the way in collegiate Cambridge by establishing a new community of post-doctoral researchers (post-docs) here at Emma. This is a significant and exciting addition to our intellectual community. These early career academics, who make up more than 35% of the university’s staff, drive forward much of the university’s world-leading research. However, post-docs lead a precarious existence, with most dependent on short-term project funding and 80% of them having no college affiliation.

With college membership, post-docs now have somewhere to meet and exchange ideas with those in other disciplines, opportunities to gain teaching experience, and a chance to be assisted by senior academics. In turn, they’ll bring impactful research to the college and enrich the learning environment of our students. The first cohort joined us in October 2023, from academic disciplines ranging from Zoology to medical science. The focus for our first group was sustainability, so 12 are researching issues around climate change and conservation. We’re aiming to have around 100 post-docs by 2025.

Your donations are enhancing the lives of post-docs, enriching our intellectual community, and supporting research that will contribute positively to the world we all inhabit.