DEADLINE: Friday, 27 March 2026
The Centre for Army Leadership (CAL) is delighted to invite applications to become a new CAL Research Fellow. We look forward to appointing five new Fellows in 2026.
The CAL Research Fellows are Service Personnel, Reservists and civilians working in a variety of sectors from education, academia, sport, the medical professions and the arts. They have an interest in leader and leadership development and support the work of the Centre for Army Leadership in a variety of ways You can find a list of our current Fellows here.
The Fellows are part of the CAL Research Institute, which consists of a network of partner institutions, organisations and individuals with which the CAL shares best practice, exchanges ideas, undertakes collaborative projects and produces academic research. Each Fellow brings something unique to the CAL and each one supports the CAL in different ways depending on their experience and expertise. This may include writing Leadership Insights or Research Papers, carrying out research, offering feedback on ongoing projects, recording podcast episodes, contributing to the CAL outreach activities, and using their network to support the CAL’s initiatives.
WHAT KIND OF CAL FELLOWSHIPS ARE THERE?
There are two kinds of Fellowship:
Honorary Fellowship: Awarded for outstanding service to leadership (as a theoretician or practitioner) over a protracted period of time and recognised internationally. Nominations for Honorary Fellowship are submitted by the CAL Team to Director Leadership. The CAL does not accept external applications for Honorary Fellowships.
Senior Research Fellowship: Awarded for recognised contributions to the field of leader and leadership development at national level. Senior Research Fellows must hold relevant qualifications and/or professional experience.
HOW ARE THE FELLOWS APPOINTED?
There are two ways to appoint Senior Research Fellows. Via nomination or via an open call.
Nomination: The CAL Research Team reserve the right to appoint individuals to the position of Senior Research Fellows if they identify a specific research need. The appointment is entirely at their discretion of Director Leadership, in consultation with the CAL Director of Research.
Election via Open Call: Every two years, the CAL Research Team holds an Open Call for applications. The Open Call is open to all experts and practitioners in the field of leader and leadership development, both military and civilians, national and international.
HOW LONG DO FELLOWSHIPS LAST?
Honorary Fellowships are awarded for life. Senior Research Fellowships are awarded for a 24-month term, with the option of extension by 12-month increments by mutual agreement for a maximum of four years in total.
ARE CAL FELLOWSHIPS PAID?
No, all fellowships are unpaid.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BEING A CAL FELLOW?
Fellows receive invitations to the CAL annual conference and all CAL events. They can use the Fellowship position on social media, in their Curriculum Vitae, and on professional platforms. Fellows are involved in the CAL’s cutting-edge work on Army leadership and have the opportunity to be involved in a variety of engagement and outreach activities across Defence.
HOW MUCH COMMITMENT DOES A FELLOWSHIP ENTAIL?
Fellows are encouraged to share best practice, exchange ideas, and offer feedback on ongoing projects, as appropriate. During their tenure, Fellows are expected to discuss the possibility of publishing a CAL Leadership Insight or Research Paper, to support one or more CAL academic events (for example by presenting a paper or by moderating a panel), to consider leading outreach and engagement activities on behalf of the CAL, and to explore the possibility of recording a podcast episode. Fellows should be proactive in identifying ways in which they can support the CAL team and in bringing to their attention any event, initiative or publication that may be relevant for any aspect of the CAL’s work.
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR SPECIFIC AREAS OF EXPERTISE?
The appointment of new Fellows offers the CAL an opportunity to fill gaps in our expertise and existing network. The aim is to create a wide range pool of expertise, characterised by diversity of thought and approaches, and to build a rich network that reaches across sectors and fields of expertise. The Senior Research Fellows are expected to contribute to the research agenda of the CAL and of its Research Institute. Over the next few years, the CAL is expected to work on the rewriting of the Army Leadership Doctrine and on the development of a model for the measure of leadership effectiveness. Applications that demonstrate expertise in these research fields will score more highly.
WHO CAN APPLY?
Everyone is welcome to apply: Serving Personnel, reservists and civilians, national and international. If you can prove a genuine interest in leadership and leadership development and if you can show us that you know how you can support our work, we want to hear from you. Any field or sector is eligible.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE OF WHICH I SHOULD BE AWARE?
Being a CAL Fellow does not automatically give access to any Army or Ministry of Defence sites unless already entitled to do so. Access to the grounds of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst is granted only via the CAL Team upon request. Fellows do not have the right to use any official British Army badges and logos for projects that are not sponsored by the CAL. This includes but is not limited to the badges of the British Army, the Leadership Education Development Group (LEDG), the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and the Centre for Army Leadership. The CAL Team retains the right of terminating any Fellowship at any time for acts of misrepresentation, intellectual dishonesty and/or analogous acts.
DO ANY EXCLUSIONS APPLY?
The purpose of the CAL Fellowships is to allow the CAL to fill gaps in their current expertise. For this reason, current members of the CAL Team and permanent members of staff of the Leadership Education Development Group are not allowed to apply.
HOW DO I APPLY?
Please submit an application form by 23:55 on Friday, 27 March 2026. You can find the application form here:
Application FormNOTE: AS PART OF THE APPLICATION YOU MUST SEND YOUR CV TO [email protected] OR YOUR APPLICATION WILL NOT BE COUNTED.
The Selection Board retains the right to contact the candidate to ask for additional information or evidence.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
The CAL Research Team will carry out a preliminary suitability sift. The remaining applications will then be evaluated by a Board which will include the CAL Director of Research, CAL Senior Researcher, SO1 Leadership, and SO2 Leadership. They will rank the applications using four criteria: qualifications and professional experience; diversity of thought and experience; network value; personal and professional development of the candidate. A discretionary score may be added in recognition of any unique or noteworthy characteristics, experience or contributions. The Board will then send the ranked applications to Head LEDG and Director Leadership for approval.
WHEN WILL THE RESULTS BE ANNOUNCED?
The results will be announced on Tuesday, 12 May 2026 on all our social media platforms. Non-successful candidates will not be notified directly.
WILL YOU OFFER ANY FEEDBACK TO NON-SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES?
Due to the high volume of applications, the CAL Team will not be able to provide feedback to non-successful applicants.
CAN I APPEAL?
No, the decision of the Board is final.
HOW MANY APPLICATIONS DO YOU EXPECT TO RECEIVE?
In 2023, we received 97 applications for 5 fellowship positions. Given the growing profile of the CAL and of the CAL Fellows, we expect to receive more applications in 2026.
WHOM CAN I CONTACT IF I HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?
If your question has not yet been answered above, please write to [email protected] and a member of the CAL team will get back to you.
