IASH-HCA Postdoctoral Fellowship

The 10-month IASH-HCA Postdoctoral Fellowship is intended to encourage outstanding interdisciplinary research, international scholarly collaboration, and networking activities of visiting Research Fellows together with academics in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology (HCA). Fellows will be expected to work in collaboration with one or more members of HCA academic staff, and to take an active part in IASH interdisciplinary events. The Fellowship will cycle through the three subject areas within HCA in the following order: History (2024/25), Archaeology (2025/26), Classics (2026/27).

For 2024-25, History is therefore the focus of the Fellowship, and applicants should show evidence of contact with colleagues within that department. Applicants in Archaeology or Classics can apply next year for a visit in 2025-26, or may wish to apply for a standard Postdoctoral Fellowship for this year, as that scheme is open to applicants in any area of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

The Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities is housed in a 19th-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-HCA Postdoctoral Fellows will be expected to make two seminar presentations on their research – one at IASH and one in HCA – and to take part in IASH work-in-progress sessions and relevant workshops and seminars in HCA.

Expected outcomes from Postdoctoral Fellowships will be joint publications, and/or joint applications for research funding, and/or a collaborative research seminar series or workshop event involving their HCA academic partner. Funds are available in support of travel and accommodation costs at £1,500 per month for up to 10 months; IASH will also cover all visa fees.

Application procedure

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.

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 HCA staff with whom the applicant wishes to collaborate.
• Applicants should ask their referees to write in confidence directly to the Institute Director at 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

• Eligibility: Candidates for the IASH-HCA Postdoctoral Fellowship should have been successfully awarded a PhD by the time they apply and must be within 3 years of PhD completion (with allowance made for career interruptions due to maternity leave, family commitments, illness, or other accepted exceptional circumstances).  For 2024-25, this means submission of a final version of the thesis with all corrections was made after April 2021 and before May 2024. 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. Applicants may also have published work of doctoral character and quality but not received a PhD. PhD candidates who have not yet completed their viva and submitted a corrected thesis for final approval are not eligible to apply.
• Mentor: Candidates will be expected to have been in communication with the member of HCA staff with whom they intend to collaborate before applying, and to name the HCA collaborator/mentor in their application. The collaborator should also provide one of the necessary supporting statements for the Fellowship.
• Residence: 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 HCA. The Institute may be able to help with finding suitable accommodation in Edinburgh. These fellowships are for a duration of up to 10 months and not less than 2 months, and are funded at £1,500 per month 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. 
• Teaching: No regular teaching is required, but Fellows are expected to become involved in the School 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 HCA on their current research work.
• Facilities: The Institute is close to the University Library and HCA, 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.
• Application process: 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.
• Contact. For further details about the History subject area and for help with identifying a research mentor, applicants can contact Professor Diana Paton (Diana.Paton@ed.ac.uk).