Fellow membership
Fellow membership is a high-level designation which is awarded to long-standing members to acknowledge their invaluable experience, extensive knowledge, expertise, and commitment to the discipline.
In recent years, the Society has strengthened its application process. It is therefore critical that each applicant be confident they are at the right juncture in their career to apply and have the time to provide the committee with robust evidence.
Application requirements: who can apply?
Applicants must:
- Possess Full Member status for at least ten consecutive years postdoctoral prior to the year of nomination
- Obtain two letters of support from referees who are both full Society members. One must be a Fellow member and one must be outside the applicant’s institution. See further information below
- Provide a high standard of evidence they have met three of the six criteria. See further information below
What are the benefits?
- Full voting rights
- Eligibility to apply to the Board of Trustees*
- Entitlement to use the designation of FTPS to represent outstanding achievement
- Fellow lapel pin and certificate
- Recognition by the Society at the Member Forum
- Tier1** – discounted registration rates at most Society events
- Eligible to apply for Society grants
- Free online access to The Journal of Physiology
- 10% APC discount for Open Access title Experimental Physiology
- 20% APC discount for Open Access titles The Journal of Precision Medicine: Health and Disease and The Journal of Nutritional Physiology
- Access to the latest edition of our member magazine, Physiology News
- Access to the Training Hub
- Access to the Physiology Grants Directory
- 50% reduced rate on membership of the Royal Society of Biology for the first two years
*Trustees are eligible to chair either the Governance Committees (Finance, Nominations, Remunerations) or Advisory Committees (Publications, Scientific Conferences, EDI, Policy).
**Tier 1 discount offers the highest level of savings for attendance at our events
How do I apply?
- You will need to provide an up-to-date CV (a maximum of three pages), three statements of suitability (no more than 2000 words each) against each of your chosen criteria, and the names of two referees along with their short (less than 500 words) letters of support
- Membership Code of Professional Conduct: All Members must abide by our Code of Conduct
Fellowship criteria
- Prospective applicants must choose only three of six criteria (see below) to be judged and provide a high standard of evidence for each
- Where more than one bullet is listed under a criterion only one must be successfully achieved
Who qualifies as a referee?
- Applicants must obtain two letters of support from referees who are both full Society members
- One must be a Fellow member and one must be outside the applicant’s institution to ensure independence of opinion
- Referees should hold a senior level position: e.g. Professor, Senior Research Scientist
- Please direct your referees to this page, where they will need to complete and submit the form.
Letters of support
- Fellowship applications require short letters of support (less than 500 words each) from two referees who are members of the Society
- It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure their named referee is willing to act prior to application and referees will be contacted directly by the Society for verification of their support
- Both referees must be well acquainted with the candidate’s professional activities and volunteer involvement
- Prior to submitting your application, please direct your referees to this page and ask them to complete the short form
How much does it cost?
- Fellow membership is £5.92 per month if paying by Direct Debit, or £71 per annum
How do I pay?
We accept the following payment methods:
- Credit or debit card
- Direct Debit for UK Account Holders. Download the direct debit instructions for your bank which must be posted to us. We will not accept electronic or faxed instructions
Download the Membership Direct Debit Payment Terms and Conditions.
If you have any questions regarding membership, please contact membership@physoc.org
Retired Membership
- Current Fellow Members can let us know when they want to move to a retired membership
- Retired Members can access all the usual benefits of membership and attend Society meetings at a reduced Tier 1 cost
Fellowship Criteria (Choose 3):
| Service to The Society |
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| Research |
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| Publishing |
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| Policy and public service |
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| Education and teaching |
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| Administration |
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Important Links:
- Guidance for Fellow applicants (download a checklist)
- Mandatory form your referees must complete
- Hear from recent Fellows (learn about their experience applying)
Tax relief
If you pay your own Society membership subscription and are a UK taxpayer, you can claim the tax back on your annual membership fee. Further details can be found online.