The University of Sydney has a new “tenure track” scheme designed “to retain our best postdoc talent.” Ten annually awarded Robinson Fellowships will “create a pathway towards continuing teaching and research positions at the university,” providing four year’s salary and “up to $150 000 each year for research costs and mentoring support.”

“We know it can be extremely difficult to get a break as a young academic, no matter how good you are. The Robinson Fellowships are part of a series of programs … to recruit, retain, recognise and develop outstanding young scholarly talent, giving them a future at Sydney,” DVC R Duncan Ivison told staff Friday.

UniSydney staff with an externally or internally funded fellowship expiring in the next two years and who took their PhD 12 years ago or less qualify to apply. Professor Ivison has committed the university to an equal allocation by gender across the life of the scheme.

The scheme is named for Nobel Prize winning chemist Robert Robison who was a UniSydney professor of chemistry 1912-1915.