IASH-Alwaleed Research Fellowship

The IASH-Alwaleed Research Fellowship is intended to encourage outstanding interdisciplinary research, international scholarly collaboration, and networking activities of visiting Research Fellows together with academics in the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World: www.alwaleed.ed.ac.uk. Fellows will be expected to work in collaboration with one or more members of existing University academic staff in the Alwaleed Centre, and to take an active part in both IASH interdisciplinary and Alwaleed Centre events. Where possible, visits should take place within the academic year 2025-26 (from 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026), and ideally within one of our two semesters, to ensure colleagues are available for discussions.

The Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities is housed in a nineteenth-century courtyard close to the University Library and about 30 scholars are in residence at any time. Fellows are allocated a private office in the Institute with all the usual research facilities. During the course of their stay in Edinburgh, IASH-Alwaleed Research Fellows will be expected to make two seminar presentations on their research – one at IASH and one in the Alwaleed Centre – and to take part in IASH work-in-progress sessions and relevant workshops and seminars in the Alwaleed Centre.

Fellows are expected to become involved in the Alwaleed Centre and contribute through the provision of a workshop, seminar or online learning resources such as a series of blog posts. This will form part of the evaluation of candidates. Funds are available in support of travel and accommodation costs.

Application procedure

Closing date

Applications for the 2024-25 round have now closed. Applications for the 2025-26 round will close on 28 February 2025.

Applications received after that date will not be considered. Successful candidates will be notified by email 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.

Supporting statements

• A minimum of two and a maximum of three supporting statements are required.
• One of the supporting statements must be from the member of Alwaleed Centre staff with whom the applicant wishes to collaborate.
• Applicants should ask their referees to write in confidence directly to the Institute Director by email to iash@ed.ac.uk by the closing date.
• Referees should comment on the nature and quality of the research proposal, as well as on the qualifications of the applicant.

Notes for guidance

• Candidates for Fellowships 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.
• For information about the scope of work undertaken at the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World, see their website or browse through the staff pages of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
• Candidates will be expected to have been in communication with the member of Alwaleed Centre staff with whom they intend to collaborate before applying, and to name the Alwaleed Centre collaborator/mentor in their application. The collaborator should also provide one of the necessary supporting statements for the Fellowship.
• Fellows are expected to be resident in Edinburgh throughout the tenure of their Fellowship and to play a full part in the activities of IASH and the Alwaleed Centre. The Institute may be able to help with finding suitable accommodation in Edinburgh. These fellowships are usually for a duration of one semester (3-4 months), and not less than 2 months, and are usually funded at approximately £2,000-£3,500 as a contribution towards additional living costs, and/or travel grants of up to £500. Applications for less than two months will not be considered.
• No regular teaching is required, but Fellows are expected to become involved in the Alwaleed Centre and contribute through the provision of a workshop, seminar or online learning resources such as a series of blog posts. Fellows will give at least one seminar at IASH and one seminar / workshop in the Alwaleed Centre on their current research work.
• The Edinburgh Alwaleed Centre is committed to encouraging a better understanding of Islam and the globalized Muslim world through world-leading research and innovative outreach projects. Founded in 2010 thanks to a generous endowment from Alwaleed Philanthropies, the Edinburgh Centre is one of six academic centres based at leading universities in the UK (the universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge), the United States (the universities of Harvard and Georgetown) and the Middle East (the American universities of Beirut and Cairo). Based in the University of Edinburgh's School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures and affiliated to the Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, the Centre is interdisciplinary, connecting different schools and departments across the University of Edinburgh through its focus on contemporary Islam.
• 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 especially relevant to the research proposal and Fellowship submission.