Cecil King Travel Scholarships

• Eligibility Criteria and How to Apply
• Online Application Form 2025 
• Interview
• Queries
• Previous Scholarship Holders
• Testimonials from previous Scholars 

The London Mathematical Society administers two £6,000 travel awards funded by the Cecil King Memorial Foundation for early career mathematicians, to support a period of study or research abroad, typically for a period of three months. One Scholarship will be awarded to a mathematician in any area of mathematics and one to a mathematician whose research is applied in a discipline other than mathematics. 

Eligibility Criteria and How to Apply

Applicants should be mathematicians in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland who are registered for a doctoral degree or have completed one within 12 months of the closing date for applications. The LMS encourages applications from groups under-represented in UK mathematics, including from women, disabled, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates mathematicians.

To apply, please complete the application form and include a written proposal describing the intended programme of study or research abroad, and the benefits to be gained from such a visit.

• Application Form

The application deadline will be 15 November 2025.

On the application form the applicants are asked to provide details of two academic reference. These should be from people who are able to comment directly on your mathematical work to date. References should be sent directly by your referees to fellowships@lms.ac.uk by the closing date. There is no standard format for the reference, though it would be usual for the reference to be no longer than one side of A4.

Interview

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an online interview in early December 2025 during which they will be expected to make a short (10-15 minute) presentation on their proposal, followed by 15-20 minutes for questions. 

Queries

Queries may be addressed to Fellowships@lms.ac.uk

Previous Scholarship Holders

Testimonials from previous Scholars

Valentin Kunz (University of Manchester) visited Harvard University, USA

The Cecil King Travel Scholarship was a great opportunity to conduct research of my own instigation. It provided an invaluable opportunity to work more intensively on topics I had thus far only pursued as a 'side project' during my PhD, and it was incredibly rewarding to conduct such independent research full-time.

Not only did the resulting three-month visit to Harvard University strengthen my collaborative network, but it gave me confidence in my abilities as an academic and that I can 'make it' in academia.

To summarise, the Cecil King Travel Scholarship is an amazing scheme that gives (very) early career researchers the opportunity to establish independence and gain their possibly first taste of life beyond one's PhD. I am extremely grateful to the LMS and the Cecil King Memorial foundation for providing such an opportunity.

Matthew Colbrook  (University of Cambridge) visited Cornell University, USA

First, I would like to thank both the Cecil King Foundation and the London Mathematical Society for a Cecil King Travel Scholarship. It was a fantastic experience which was extremely useful for my career trajectory! I spent several weeks at Cornell and also spent part of the trip visiting other US institutions to build up a wider collaborative network and disseminate my research. This has led to several new ongoing projects and a broader set of contacts which I will use over the next few years. In an increasingly global community, it is essential for early career mathematicians to build international connections – I highly recommend the scholarship for those considering applying!