The fellowships are the first of their kind in Australia, and include paid teacher training and mentoring, teaching and administrative experience, and an “open invitation into the intellectual life of the Law School”.

The Dean of Melbourne Law School, Professor James Hathaway, said the fellowships would provide a range of teaching experiences allowing fellows to develop skills over the period of their candidature.

“Up to five fellows will receive mentoring and training as well as an additional source of income, and they will develop a teaching portfolio that will be recognised by universities as evidence of a fellow’s credentials as having both a theoretical understanding and practical experience of teaching,” he said.

“The Law School will also benefit by nurturing academia’s future leaders, ensuring that outstanding intellectuals are supported in the early phase of their academic career.”