The Queen’s College, University of Oxford, is offering a fixed-term (non-renewable) Junior Research Fellowship in Manuscript and Text for candidates who hold, or are close to completing, a doctorate in history, literature, language or a related field specialising in the ancient and early medieval Near and Middle East, the ancient and early medieval Mediterranean, the ancient and early medieval East, South, and South-East Asia, or early medieval Europe. Candidates’ research should reflect the methods and concerns of the Centre for Manuscript and Text Cultures, i.e., candidates should have a research agenda examining material aspects of writing and text-production, as well as transmission and the interface between the oral and the written, before the widespread adoption of printed texts and across the literate societies within their area of expertise. Candidates researching areas that are underrepresented in UK universities are particularly welcome to apply, as are those combining traditional humanities research with innovative use of information technology or AI, and those who seek to enhance their research by collaboration with colleagues from other disciplines.
As well as engaging in their own research, the Junior Research Fellow will be expected to take an active role in the interdisciplinary research Centre on Manuscript and Text Cultures (CMTC) at the College, a platform for international specialists and research students to engage in close dialogue across areas of expertise and inform each other about different approaches and theories of knowledge-production and text-transmission in pre-modern manuscript cultures. It is further expected that between the second and third year of their fellowship the Fellow will play a major role in convening an international interdisciplinary conference relevant to the activities of CMTC, and contribute to the subsequent scholarly publication.
The Fellowship offers early career researchers the opportunity to develop their research within one of the world’s leading universities and so strengthen their future position in the academic job market. Many previous Junior Research Fellows have moved on to permanent faculty positions at leading world universities. The Junior Research Fellowship is tenable for a fixed term of three years and it is expected that the successful candidate will take up the post no later than 1st October 2025. Eligible candidates should have no more than two years of post-doctoral research experience by 1st October 2025.
We are committed to fostering equality, diversity, and inclusiveness. We particularly encourage applications from women, disabled people and people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, as these groups are currently under-represented in the College’s academic staff.
Salary and Allowances
The annual salary for this post is £37,174 plus a discretionary pensionable £1,500 per annum Queen’s Weighting payment which will be paid in monthly instalments. A personal academic allowance of £1,959 per annum is provided by the College for academic activities such as conference attendance, research assistance, and the purchase of books and IT equipment.
The College will provide a non-residential study room on the main site in central Oxford. The Junior Research Fellow will be a member of the Senior Common Room at The Queen’s College, and entitled to free meals. The appointee will be nominated for membership of the Faculty or Department of their relevant area of expertise.
There are no teaching responsibilities associated with the post. However, the Junior Research Fellow may engage in paid teaching up to a maximum of six hours weekly and, if teaching undergraduates, would normally be expected to give priority to the College’s own undergraduate teaching needs.
Please download the Further Particulars for more details.
Closing Date: Midday 17th February 2025