Digital Research Postdoctoral Fellowships and Bursaries

Digital Research Postdoctoral Fellowships and Bursaries 2024-25

Applications are invited for postdoctoral bursaries from candidates in Digital Arts, Digital Humanities, Digital Education, Digital Design and Digital Social Sciences, as well as those employing data-led and/or computational methods. Fellows will become involved in the College’s Digital Scholarship programme.

IASH provides an enviable location in one of the world’s most intellectually inspiring cities, together with a dynamic network of international connections.

Fellows will be expected to contribute to the community surrounding the Centre for Data, Culture & Society (CDCS), to explore where possible collaborations with academic staff associated with the Centre, and to take an active part in IASH interdisciplinary events. Applicants may wish to visit the website for the Centre for Data, Culture and Society.

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 Postdoctoral 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 2024-2025 Digital Research Postdoctoral Fellowship provides:

• Research visit at the University of Edinburgh for three to six months
• Bursary* of up to a maximum of £9,000
• 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

*) The bursary may be used to top up an existing postdoctoral Fellowship (e.g. British Academy), or as a contribution towards living expenses. Applicants are asked to indicate other sources of support for which they have applied and the expected date of outcome. No teaching is required, but successful applicants may be able to supplement the bursary by individually arranging their own concurrent teaching, though the Institute expects that a maximum commitment of 0.4 of a full time position will be dedicated to work other than the Postdoctoral Fellow’s individual research project.

Who can apply?

We warmly welcome applications from both within and beyond the University of Edinburgh. Applicants must have been awarded a doctorate at the time of application, and normally within the last three years (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 permanent position at a university, or a previous Fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Studies. 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 2024 to July 2025) is 17:00 GMT on 26 April 2024. 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

Please complete the online application form here. Applicants must provide a paragraph in their research proposal outlining their engagement with data-led, digital and/or computational methods.

Any additional supporting documents connected with an application should be emailed to iash@ed.ac.uk.

References

In addition to the application form, a minimum of two and a maximum of three confidential references are required.

Applicants should ask their referees to email their reference to the Director at iash@ed.ac.uk by 26 April 2024. Failure to provide references by this date will mean your application is ineligible.

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.

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. 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.
• 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.
• 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.  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 will give at least one seminar presentation during their tenure as part of the College Digital Scholarship programme, and submit a series of blog posts or report on their research at the end of their Fellowship. No regular teaching is required.
• Applicants looking for suitable accommodation in Edinburgh may find the links on this page 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.