The Daiches-Manning Memorial Fellowship in 18th-Century Scottish Studies

The Daiches-Manning Memorial Fellowship in 18th-Century Scottish Studies is co-sponsored by the Eighteenth-Century Scottish Studies Society (ECSSS), the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS), and the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Edinburgh (IASH). The Fellowship is for two to six months and may be taken at any time of the year.

The Daiches-Manning Memorial Fellowship honours two outstanding scholars of eighteenth-century Scottish literature and culture, Professor David Daiches (1912–2005) and Professor Susan Manning (1953–2013). David Daiches was the second Director of IASH, 1980–1986, and was the first recipient of ECSSS’s Lifetime Achievement Award, presented at the Society’s first annual conference in 1987. Susan Manning served as Director of IASH from 2005 until her death in 2013. She was President of ECSSS from 1994 to 1996, and continuously as a member of the ECSSS Executive Board from 1994 to 2013. She was awarded the ECSSS Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in May 2013. Although both David Daiches and Susan Manning had broad intellectual interests and expertise, each made a particularly important contribution to eighteenth-century Scottish studies as an interdisciplinary and international research field.

The fellowship provides a bursary of £1,500 per month, for a minimum of 2 months and a maximum of 3 months, i.e., a maximum award of £4,500. Fellows who are in residence at IASH between 2 and 3 months receive a prorated stipend. Fellows may be in residence at IASH for up to 6 months but do not receive funding beyond the maximum stated above.

The Fellowship is open to postdoctoral scholars of all nationalities, in all disciplines, and at all career levels. Fellows must be members of ASECS and ECSSS at the time the funds are awarded. Fellows are expected to be resident in Edinburgh for the duration of their Fellowship, except by special agreement with both IASH and ECSSS.

IASH is housed in a nineteenth-century courtyard close to the Edinburgh University Library, and about twenty-five scholars are in residence at any time. Fellows are allocated a private office in the Institute with all the usual research facilities. They are also encouraged to develop contacts with colleagues within the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. They give at least one seminar on their current research work during their tenure.

A webinar on Monday 9 December at 13:00 GMT is available for postdoctoral scholars interested in applying for IASH Fellowships for academic year 2025-26. The deadline for most applications is 25 April 2025, so this session allows time to ask questions and prepare an application.

Representatives from some of our partners will speak about the programmes, and IASH staff will give insights into the facilities and funding available, as well as hints and tips for crafting a successful application.

Register here to receive the webinar link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/webinar-applying-for-an-iash-postdoctoral-fellowship-in-2025-tickets-1062266901899

The webinar will be recorded, so please register even if you cannot attend, in order that we can send you a link to the recording afterwards.

Donations

To ensure the fellowship continues, donations to the Daiches-Manning Memorial Fellowship fund are actively sought and appreciated.

Single donations can be made here.

Application procedure

Closing date

 Applications for the 2025-26 round will close at 17:00 UK time on 28 February 2025. Applications received after that date will not be considered. Successful candidates will be notified by email by the end of April, with a formal letter of confirmation to follow; please ensure that you supply a valid email address so that you can be contacted quickly after decisions are made.

The application form

The application portal will open in January 2025, allowing around 8 weeks to make your application.

References

• A minimum of two and a maximum of three confidential references are required.
• Applicants should ask their referees to email their reference to iash@ed.ac.uk by the application deadline.
• At least one referee should come from outside the institution of the applicant.
• Referees should comment on the nature and quality of the research proposal, as well as on the qualifications of the applicant.

Notes for guidance

• IASH was established in 1969 to promote enquiry of the highest standards in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Inter-departmental and interdisciplinary study is encouraged.
• Candidates will hold a doctorate or equivalent professional qualification. Consideration will be given to the academic record and the publications of all applicants and their capacity to disseminate their views among a community of like-minded people. Candidates should give evidence of any contact they have made with researchers at the University of Edinburgh, and of proposed collaboration during their visit to Edinburgh; those who do make such contact before submitting their applications will be at an advantage. Competition for Fellowships is intense and preference may be given to applicants who have not previously held an IASH Fellowship.
• Fellows are expected to be resident in Edinburgh throughout the tenure of their Fellowship and to play a full part in IASH activities. The Institute will be pleased to help with finding suitable accommodation in Edinburgh but is unable to pay accommodation costs. The minimum tenure for a Fellowship is two months; applications for less than two months will not be considered.
• No regular teaching is required but Fellows will give at least one seminar at IASH on their current research work and may be asked to speak to an appropriate subject group within the College of Humanities and Social Science.
• IASH is close to the University Library and within easy reach of the National Library of Scotland, the Central City Library, the National Galleries and Museums, the Library of the Society of Antiquaries in Scotland, the library of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and the National Archives of Scotland. Access to both the extensive archival and online resources of all of these collections can be arranged for Fellows as appropriate.
• Only fully completed applications will be considered. It is the responsibility of each applicant to ensure that all documentation is complete, and that referees submit their reports to the committee by the closing date.