IASH Senior Anniversary Fellowship

“Bridge-building is my vocation.” – Prof. David Daiches, IASH Director 1980-86

IASH was founded in 1969 with the pursuit of intellectual understanding as its highest priority. Interdisciplinarity and creativity have defined its history ever since. In our 50th anniversary year, we have created new Fellowships for the most promising scholars in the arts, humanities and social sciences. A Senior Anniversary Fellowship is available to established scholars with more than 10 years’ experience in higher education.

For 2020-21, we are seeking applications centred on the place of the humanities in the 21st century. As IASH is located in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science, a key role for the Anniversary Fellows is to take forward inquiry in a cross-disciplinary way, perhaps at the outermost disciplinary boundaries of the humanities, arts and social sciences.

This might involve the Fellows working in one of IASH’s existing thematic areas. In the environmental humanities or medical/health humanities or gender and sexuality studies, intellectual advance will inevitably draw on both the humanities (broadly understood) and other more-distant disciplines such as ecology or biomedicine. Alternatively, Fellows may wish to undertake work in the digital humanities, applying analytical and visualising tools from digital methods to their humanities topics or using crowd-sourced approaches in inventive ways. Applicants may also present their own distinctive rationale for genuinely innovative work at the boundaries of the humanities.

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 takes the humanities beyond campus to engage the public and work with organisations in a variety of different sectors. The Institute welcomes visiting researchers from across the world. Since 1970, over 1,250 Fellows have stepped through our doors. Up to 30 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 upwards of 65 countries, IASH Fellows form a global alumni community, and many career-long connections begin at the Institute.

What does an IASH Anniversary 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, the 2020-2021 IASH Senior Anniversary Fellowship provides:

• Research visit at the University of Edinburgh for three months
• Bursary of £10,500, plus travel grants
• Dedicated office space, University e-mail and library access
• An allocated University mentor from an area relevant to the Fellows’ research interests
• 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
• Opportunities to participate in and design funded workshops, colloquia, etc. at the Institute

Application procedure

Closing date

The closing date for the receipt of the next round of applications is 25 February 2022.

Applications received after that date will not be considered. Successful candidates will be notified by email by the end of April 2020 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

You can find our application form here.

References

1. A minimum of two and a maximum of three confidential references are required. 
2. At least one referee should come from outside the institution of the applicant.
3. Referees should comment on the nature and quality of the research proposal, as well as on the qualifications of the applicant.

Applicants should ask their referees to send their references by email to the Institute Director at iash@ed.ac.uk by 25 February 2022.

Notes for guidance

• Candidates for Senior Anniversary Fellowships will have more than 10 years’ experience in higher education. 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 and beyond their visit to Edinburgh; those who 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 a Fellowship at the Institute or an equivalent institution.
• The Institute was established in 1969 to promote enquiry of the highest standards in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Inter-departmental and interdisciplinary study is encouraged.
• Fellows are expected to be resident in Edinburgh throughout the tenure of their Fellowship and to play a full part in the activities of the Institute. 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 Senior Fellowship is three months; applications for less than three 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 Arts, Humanities and Social Science.
• The Institute 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 Institute by the closing date. Applications may include a copy of any one article or publication that is thought to be specially relevant to the research proposal and Fellowship submission.

Related links

• College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences