Information about the C19 Matters Fellowship, an initiative jointly run by initiative jointly run by the British Association for Romantic Studies and the British Association for Victorian Studies, will be available later in the year.
This page contains useful links for Early Career and Postdoctoral researchers. Whether you are looking for advice on how to turn your thesis into a monograph, or puzzling over the difference between a ‘Research Fellow’ and a ‘Research Associate’, the information below should point you in the right direction.
If you have any suggestions for other good resources or a request for an area we’ve missed, please contact us (see Contacts): Alicia Barnes and Harriet Thompson, Postdoctoral Representatives
Please note: none of these links are sponsored by BAVS; they are simply helpful resources that other ECRs have found useful.
Click on ‘details’ below to view the dropdown information.
https://www.vitae.ac.uk/researcher-careers/pursuing-an-academic-career/applying-for-academic-jobs
https://theauditorium.blog/2023/04/05/what-is-the-academic-career-path-after-the-phd/
Here is a useful article on applying to academic jobs in the US. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/applying-academic-position-us-basics-explained.
Postdoctoral Fellow/Researcher: works on their own project
Teaching Fellow: often maternity leave or research leave cover. A full teaching load, so maintaining your own research/publication record is difficult, but good experience
Lecturer (entry level): Likely to be your first permanent job, but sometimes 1-2 year contracts
Each funding body will have a specific approach to grant-making, and you should think about which funder best suits your project. For example, the Wellcome Trust emphasises research relating to life, health and wellbeing, the Leverhulme Trust favours ‘blue-sky’ thinking that crosses disciplinary boundaries, and the British Academy’s primary criterion for award is ‘scholarly excellence’. It’s worth taking the time to read through the webpages of funders to find out exactly what they’re looking for, and for examples of projects previously awarded funding.
As with any funding, postdoctoral fellowships are intensely competitive and will require lots of work. Make sure you leave plenty of time to finalise and finesse your application with your proposed mentor. Some institutions will also have internal demand management processes in place for schemes such as the Leverhulme ECF. This means they will have an internal selection round before submitting any applications to the funder, so make sure you discuss this process with your mentor as well. Internal deadlines are often at least 2 months (at least) earlier than the final funder deadline.
Some universities offer their own fellowship scheme, which may be equivalent to the BA or Leverhulme awards. These opportunities will be advertised on Jobs.ac.uk and THES.
Universities may also advertise positions for postdoctoral researchers which are attached to a larger research grant within the department or institution. These can vary from 1-5 year’s duration, and (often) come with no guarantee of a permanent job at the end of the term.
If your institution has a subscription to Research Professional, you can also find UK and international funding calls listed there. They often have lots of smaller pots of funding available that you can apply to to build up your research grant profile. It’s also a fantastic resource for HE news, tips for navigating academia as an early-career researcher, and CFPs.
BA LEVERHULME SMALL RESEARCH GRANTS
This scheme offers awards of up to £10,000 tenable for up to 24 months to cover the cost of expenses arising from a defined research project. Importantly, you do not have to have a permanent academic position to apply for this grant and independent scholars are also eligible! The call usually opens twice a year (deadlines in May and November).
HERITAGE COLLECTIONS RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
The Heritage Collections Research Fellowship provide access to the Heritage Collections held at the University of Edinburgh and are open to independent researchers within 5 years of PhD. The collections include archives, manuscripts, rare books, art, musical instruments and other museum collections representing four centuries of collecting. There are numerous areas of potential focus, at this time they encourage applications focused on one of the following:
The fellowship awards a research visit at the University of Edinburgh for three to six months; bursary of £1,500 per month; travel allowance of up to £500; dedicated office space, university email address and library access; support from curatorial and technical staff; allocated University mentor; weekly Fellows’ lunch; Collegial work-in-progress seminar series; calendar of engaging events at the Institute and College.
You could also build your own website/blog in order to showcase your publications, teaching and research expertise. Include the link on your email signature.
Take a look at the following for helpful advice on building your professional reputation as you hunt for part-time or full-time jobs:
http://www.academiccareer.manchester.ac.uk/about/do/reputation/
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/1270/Careers.html
http://www.jobs.ac.uk/careers-advice/careers-advice/4/taking-control-of-your-career
https://charlottemathieson.wordpress.com/early-career-researchers/
ESRC have produced an impact toolkit that has some great advice on how to define and start planning what impact your research could have: https://www.ukri.org/councils/esrc/impact-toolkit-for-economic-and-social-sciences/
Resource on pathways to Impact: https://www.research-strategy.admin.cam.ac.uk/pathwaytoimpact/index.html
Some interesting short articles on the issues that OA raises for ECRs: https://oabooks-toolkit.org/article/6528689-benefits-of-open-access-book-publishing-for-early-career-researchers
If you are interested in exploring Open Access further, you may want to read Martin Eve, Open Access and the Humanities: Contexts, Controversies and the Future (Cambridge UP, 2014)
Here is a great resource hub for Early Career Researchers that advises on publishing: https://www.euppublishing.com/early-career-researcher-hub
It also helps with deciding what areas of your CV you need to work on over the next couple of years, to put yourself in a good position for getting a permanent job.
The following is a blog run by an early-career researcher, which gives an insight into life post-PhD: