UKRI policy fellow

About the Fellowship

TASO is seeking a UKRI policy fellow to work with our Research and Evaluation team to explore contextualised admissions in higher education. This high-impact, 18-month fellowship is part of the 2025 UKRI policy fellowships scheme.

As the fellow, you’ll investigate how contextual admissions are used to widen access to higher education for disadvantaged students and help shape how these practices are designed, evaluated, and scaled across the UK.

Fellowship aims and focus

Contextualised admissions offer a more equitable route into higher education by taking students’ backgrounds into account, yet the evidence base remains limited. This fellowship will help change that.

Key research questions include:

• How are contextualised admissions currently applied in higher education? What are the criteria, how are they applied, and how are they communicated?
• What is the current policy and public debate on contextualised admissions?
• How should we measure the effectiveness of contextualised admissions, and what data or other infrastructure is required to do so?

You’ll produce high-impact outputs at each stage (academic publications, policy briefings, and pilot evaluations) all geared toward influencing admissions practices, regulatory approaches, and sector standards.

Fellowship structure

Duration: 18 months, starting February 2026

• Inception phase (3 months, 0.4 FTE): Scoping research questions, stakeholder meetings, and initial outputs
• Main placement (12 months, 0.6–1 FTE): Research design, data analysis, policy engagement
• Knowledge exchange phase (3 months, 0.4 FTE): Dissemination of findings, impact activities, sector briefings

Location and work arrangements

TASO is based in London (Blackfriars area). We prefer the fellow to attend in person one day per week, with flexibility to join hybrid meetings and monthly in-office days. Travel and subsistence costs are covered by the grant.

What we’re looking for

Essential

• Academic expertise in education, public policy, economics, sociology or related fields
• Strong understanding of UK higher education and Equality of Opportunity regulation
• Ability to analyse large volumes of qualitative and quantitative data from higher education providers
• Experience managing research projects, from scoping to delivery
• Confident synthesising policy literature and engaging multiple stakeholders

Essential

• Experience analysing large-scale institutional data
• Knowledge of impact evaluation methods (e.g. experimental or quasi-experimental design)
• Track record of convening diverse higher education stakeholders
• Commitment to tackling equality gaps through evidence-based policy

How to apply

Applications must be submitted through the UKRI website.

Please do not contact TASO directly to endorse your application.