IASH-National Museums Scotland Fellowship

Applications are invited for the IASH-National Museums Scotland Fellowship from postdoctoral scholars in any area of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, to carry out research based on collections held at the National Museum of Scotland.

National Museums Scotland (NMS) is an Independent Research Organisation (IRO) holding one of the largest and most diverse national heritage collections in the UK. Our collection comprises over 12.4 million objects across four collecting areas – Global Arts, Cultures & Design; Science & Technology; Scottish History & Archaeology; and Natural Sciences. NMS has four display sites - the National Museum of Scotland, the National Museum of Rural Life, the National Museum of Flight and the National War Museum. Our fifth site, the National Museums Collection Centre (NMCC), holds collections of national and international significance. Located in Granton, Edinburgh, NMCC is the heart of NMS' collections research and care with 99.8% of the estimated 12.6 million items held, accessed, cared for and researched at this site. One of NMS’s core functions, as defined by the National Heritage (Scotland) Act 1985, is to “preserve, interpret and make accessible for all, the past and present of Scotland, other nations and cultures, and the natural world”. This is realised through the creation of research partnerships, including collaborative doctoral projects, as part of NMS’s Collections Research Strategy and its Independent Research Organisation status.

IASH provides an enviable location in one of the world’s most intellectually inspiring cities, together with a dynamic network of international connections. Home to the Scottish Enlightenment, Edinburgh has a rich cultural heritage of scholarship and creativity that continues to the present day. In this haven of libraries and archives, galleries and music venues – all set amid iconic architecture – IASH helps scholars to take the humanities beyond campus to engage the public and work with organisations in a variety of sectors.

The Institute welcomes visiting researchers from across the world. Since 1970, over 1,500 Fellows have stepped through our doors. Up to 28 researchers are in residence at any one time in our amazing – and eclectic – nineteenth-century building just on the edge of the University’s central campus, boasting views of the Meadows. From more than 70 countries, IASH Fellows form a global alumni community, and many career-long connections begin at the Institute.

A webinar was offered on Monday 9 December 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 allowed time to ask questions and prepare an application.

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

The webinar recording is available here.

The collections

At this time, we encourage applications focused on the following:

Materialising the Scottish in Northern Europe, 1500-1750: mobilities, communities and material culture

Focusing on the Netherlands, Scandinavia or Poland, this project will investigate sizeable Scottish communities in early modern northern Europe, and the material evidence for them. Drawing on a variety of sources in Scotland and northern Europe for one or more of these communities, the project seeks to trace Scottish mobilities and communities through the imprint of their material culture on the continent. Evidence of these connections exists in multiple archives, archaeology and architecture, but its material form is currently underrepresented in the museum’s collections. The project will assess the potentials for museum-based narratives for such historical networks, and may consider their current impacts or resonances. Sources for related material culture in Scotland and northern Europe include:

• heritage collections beyond NMS, in museums, galleries and private ownership
• archival sources, household, notarial and commercial inventories and correspondence
• the architecture and archaeology of continental Scottish houses, churches and commerce
• maritime archaeology e.g. shipwrecks
• reviewing NMS's collections

The project benefits from existing work at National Museums Scotland centred on the Scottish staple port of Veere, as well as Middelburg, Amsterdam and Rotterdam (the Netherlands), and Gdansk and Krosno (Poland); and established relationships with scholars working in related areas, in Scotland and abroad, and with museums and archives in the Baltic region and the Netherlands. It will also benefit from curatorial expertise within the museum in European decorative arts.

Suiting a post-doctoral researcher with a background in British and/or European history, the project will contribute to a methodology for investigating the web of connections that linked Scotland to continental Europe physically, culturally and economically, where the material evidence may be difficult to trace, and the historical linguistic complexity is challenging. It will identify ways in which to enhance the museum’s collections in anticipation of new display narratives, and foreground northern European connections established in the period prior to 1750, on which the cultural exchange evidenced by NMS’s post-1750 collections draw.

Contact: Anna Groundwater

What does the IASH-National Museums Scotland Fellowship offer?

IASH hosts a lively scholarly community of visiting fellows. It is a supportive environment for postdoctoral researchers, while also offering networking opportunities with successful mid-career and eminent senior scholars. The Institute occupies a historic building with private courtyard and leafy views – perfect for uninterrupted thinking, reading and writing. Yet there is also plenty of opportunity to socialise and share ideas.

In short, a 2025-2026 IASH-National Museums Scotland Fellowship provides:

• Research visit at the University of Edinburgh for three to ten months
• Bursary of £2,000 per month
• Travel allowance of up to £500
• Dedicated office space at IASH, University e-mail and library access
• Library workspace with privileged access to collections, support from curatorial and technical staff, and access to the facilities of the Digital Scholarship Centre
• An allocated University mentor from a relevant School within the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• Curatorial support from NMS staff
• Weekly Fellows’ Lunch to build community
• Collegial work-in-progress seminar series for testing new ideas
• Calendar of engaging events at the Institute and College

Who can apply?

We warmly welcome applications from independent researchers, employees of universities and other organisations engaged in research from around the world. Selection will be subject to the immigration rules governing the UK. Applicants should be employed for purposes including investigative research (or be an independent researcher) and have a suitable project or study to undertake using a specific collection.

Applicants must have been awarded a doctorate at the time of application, and normally within the last three years; if you have not yet graduated, you must be able to produce a transcript, testamur, or a letter of completion/eligibility to graduate as part of your application. You should not have held a previous Fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities. Those who have held temporary and/or short-term appointments are eligible to apply.

Application procedure

The closing date

The closing date for the receipt of the next round of applications (for visits from August 2025 to July 2026) is 17:00 GMT on 25 April 2025. Applications received after that date will not be considered. Decisions will be communicated in July. 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 is now open - apply here.
Any additional supporting documents connected with an application should be emailed to iash@ed.ac.uk.

References and supporting documents

• In addition to the application form, two confidential references are required.
• Applicants should ask their referees to email their reference to the Director at iash@ed.ac.uk by 25 April 2025.
• Referees should comment on the nature and quality of the research proposal, as well as on the qualifications of the applicant. One referee should certify the successful viva (defence) and final examination of the candidate’s PhD thesis.
• A letter of support from the NMS staff member listed as the collections contact above must also be included. Applications without letters of support or references cannot be considered.

Notes

• 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. As well as providing evidence of contact with NMS staff, candidates must give evidence of any contact they have made with researchers at the University of Edinburgh, are required to make such contact before submitting their applications, and those who can evidence the relevance of their proposed project to the University of Edinburgh research community will be regarded favourably.  Particular weight will be placed on the quality and timeliness of the project proposed, and we encourage innovative and interdisciplinary topics and approaches.
• Applications must detail the specific collection with which they plan to engage while at IASH. Fellows are expected to contribute to NMS collections information, and potentially activities such as seminars.
• Only fully completed formal 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 IASH by the closing date. Candidates may like to submit a copy of any one article or publication that is thought to be especially relevant to the research proposal and Fellowship submission. It must be emphasised, however, that no such submitted publication will be returned to the candidate.
• The Institute was established in 1969 by the then Faculty of Arts to promote enquiry of the highest standards in the Humanities, broadly conceived. It began to receive Fellows in 1970, and is now located as an independent institute within the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science. Inter-departmental and inter-disciplinary study has always been encouraged.
• Fellows must make the Institute their main place of work for the duration of the Fellowship on a 0.6FTE basis (3 days per week minimum).  It is expected that Fellows will be in residence throughout the tenure of their Fellowship and will contribute fully to the life of the Institute during that time. Fellows give at least one seminar presentation during their tenure, and submit a report on their research at the end of their Fellowship. No regular teaching is required.
• For information about the scope of work undertaken at the University of Edinburgh, see Edinburgh Research Explorer, or browse through the staff pages of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
• Applicants looking for suitable accommodation in Edinburgh may find these links useful.

In order to take full advantage of the seminars and lectures which take place during the semesters and to meet with staff in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, applicants are encouraged to apply for periods that will include at least part of one of the semesters.