Equator Alumni Fund

Have you previously participated in Equator interventions (Research School or Mentoring Networks between 2022 and 2026)?

If so, you are eligible to apply for our 2026 Equator Alumni Fund, which is now open for applications.

The fund

• The Equator Alumni Fund will support up to 20 activities for research career development in Autumn/Winter 2026.
• This opportunity is open to applications from previous Equator participants. Awards of up to £500 will be given from a pot of £10000.
• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all funding is spent.
• Activities must take place before 31st December 2026. We can also consider supporting activities that have recently taken place without external funding support, if evidence can be provided.

How to apply

To apply, please send us an email at EquatorResearchGroup@gmail.com. Please include:

• Your previous participation in Equator (the year and activity you took part) and a brief statement of why you are applying to our alumni fund (100 words max).
• A paragraph explaining the activity you would like to use the funding for, and how it will support your research career development (~300 words).
• A breakdown of how you will spend the money, up to a limit of £500
• The total cost of the activity that this funding will contribute towards (if greater than the amount requested)

Example Activities

Examples of activities that the fund could support include (but are not limited to):

• An in-person meeting with an Equator connection (mentor or other previous participant from your network) for professional support and networking
• An in-person meeting to develop a research idea or proposal
• Attendance at a professional development event, such as a training course or conference, related to your research career
• Small items of fieldwork or research equipment that may support your research career or studies

Successful applicants will be asked to send the team a brief summary of how the activity went, to be shared on our website and in future Equator reports.

Testimonials from the 2025 Equator Alumni Fund

“I was funded by the Equator Alumni fund to support my attendance of the Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM) in Glasgow in February 2026. My abstract had been accepted as an e-lightning talk as part of the blue carbon session. As a result of this support this was possible to present my research findings from Southeast Asia to the broader community of blue carbon researchers. I had also organised a workshop for the Monday lunchtime, being an Executive Committee member of an international network called Women in Coastal Geoscience and Engineering (WICGE). We organised a round table discussion on Inclusivity to Diversity- How to Shatter the Glass Ceiling, which was very well attended with a full house. I wrote a newsletter and blog post following this research dissemination. All these activities strongly support my research career development as a marine scientist approaching mid-career level. The OSM is the flagship meeting in ocean science and the presentations made were a tremendous opportunity to network with potential employers and collaborators.”

Equator Alumnus

“In February, I had the privilege of attending ‘The Observer Book Club with Afua Hirsch’, thanks to generous assistance from the Equator Fund. Whilst there, Hirsch shared insight from her book ‘Decolonising My Body’, touching on themes such as race, coloniality, the patriarchy and gender. At the time, I was writing my dissertation which explored such themes and centred on my Kenyan mother’s twenty-four year journey to becoming a British citizen. Hirsch, as one of few authors writing on similar themes, was heavily cited in this work. I am grateful to the Equator Fund to have heard Hirsch speak live, and for the community that I was able to be a part of that evening. I hope that the Equator Fund can continue to support others wanting to build upon their research long into the future!”

Equator Alumnus

“Thanks to the Equator Alumni Fund, I was able to attend the International Conference on Calcium Aluminates 2026 in Lausanne, Switzerland. At the conference, I presented my PhD research on specialty cementitious binders and their performance in aggressive infrastructure settings, particularly in the context of sewer corrosion. My work supports sustainability and environmental goals by looking at durable, low-carbon cement materials and ways to reuse waste resources for stronger infrastructure. With this support, I connected with researchers, industry professionals, and experts in cement chemistry, and sustainable building materials from around the world. The conference gave me helpful feedback on my work, helped me grow my research network, and showed how my PhD research fits into global efforts to lower the environmental impact of infrastructure. It also boosted my confidence in sharing technical research with an international audience. I am truly grateful to the Equator Alumni Fund for making this important academic and professional experience possible.”

Equator Alumnus

“The money was used to partially fund my attendance at Arctic Science Summit Week 2026 in Aarhus, Denmark. This is the largest annual gathering of Arctic scientists and Arctic Indigenous knowledge holders and community members globally across a range of different themes. This conference benefitted me significantly as I was able to provide input into the Terrestrial Working Group discussions on their strategic priorities and one of my proposed idea’s has made it into the final document promoting ECR development. I also strengthened links with Indigenous community members I had met at previous ASSW’s and met with other ECR’s. Finally, it was really nice to reunite in person with various Arctic vegetation scientists I already know and continue pushing forward the work of the Arctic Vegetation Early Career Scientists (AVECS).”

Equator Alumnus

“The Equator Alumni fund aided me in continuing my academic career at one of the most uncertain periods during the whole PhD process: after the submission of thesis and before corrections and graduation. During this period, funding is often not available, and the next steps including jobs within academic or industry can be very uncertain without the PhD being completed. The fund allowed me to attend a
conference, where I was able to present my interdisciplinary research, resulting in 2 new very active and beneficial collaborators. We are currently working on 3 projects, trialling new interdisciplinary methods by combining our respective sub-fields and even preparing manuscripts for publications. The conference also provided me invaluable feedback from senior members within my field, as I am applying new methods to my field within palaeontology. Additionally, I meet other ECRs from under-represented backgrounds including other ethnic minorities which is slowly increasing in Palaeontology, even though it is still the second least diversity field (i.e. the Geosciences) in the UK. We were able to produce a mini network where we support, uplift and encourage each other, and it is very refreshing to see others like us within our field.”

Equator Alumnus

Funding Notes:

The 2026 Equator Alumni Fund is funded by our network of Doctoral Landscape Award sponsors, and administered by Sheffield Hallam University. Eligible costs include travel, accommodation, subsistence, course registration fees and small items of equipment, in line with Sheffield Hallam expenses policy. To double check eligibility of costs, please feel free to email us before you submit your application.

Remuneration will be paid via an expense claim form, which will be emailed to you once confirmation of funding has been given and the activity has taken placed. Expense claims must be supported by receipts to evidence expenditure. Screenshots of bank statements will not be sufficient. The claim form should be submitted within two weeks of the expense being incurred, and no later than December 31st 2026.