JVC-BAVS Early Career Mentorship Scheme
Deadline: November 1st 2026
Start Date: January 1st 2027–> 31st December 2027
The scheme is designed to support PhD students and early career scholars in developing their first peer-reviewed journal article. Successful candidates will be paired with a member of the Journal of Victorian Culture Editorial Board for a twelve-month period, beginning on 1 January 2027.
During the mentorship, candidates will work with their mentor to develop a ca. 8,000-word article based on either a (BAVS) conference paper/ an existing thesis chapter/ a different research piece. The mentor will provide detailed feedback on at least one complete article draft and discuss this feedback with the candidate before the revised article is submitted to Journal of Victorian Culture, where it will then go through the journal’s normal editorial and double-blind peer-review process.
Who can apply?
The scheme is open to scholars who:
• are currently registered for a doctoral degree or are within three calendar years of having received their doctorate;
• have not previously had a peer-reviewed journal article accepted; and
• wish to develop a conference paper (possibly their conference paper from BAVS 2026) or an existing PhD chapter or another independent research piece into a journal article.
• Are members of BAVS.
The paper on which the proposed article will be based must not already be committed to publication elsewhere, either wholly or in part.
Interested parties should indicate in their application whether the proposed article builds on a conference paper or a thesis chapter/ something else, and indicate what stage the piece is at (e.g. finished conference paper/ draft chapter/ finished thesis chapter/ 3,000 words written/ 15,000 words written).
How to apply
We anticipate selecting up to five awardees for the 2027 scheme.
Candidates will be selected on the basis of the quality of a 500- word abstract outlining the proposed article, with consideration given to:
• Scholarly merit and strength of argument;
• Communication and clarity of writing;
• Potential fit within JVC’s multi-, interdisciplinary and/or cutting-edge research agenda.
If you would like to be considered for the scheme, please submit a 500-word abstract of the proposed article, and a brief (no more than 1 page) CV including statement affirming that you meet the eligibility criteria outlined above, by 1 November 2026 to Julia Kuehn (j.c.kuhn@rug.nl) and Daniel Grey (d.j.grey@herts.ac.uk).