Junior Research Fellowship in Medieval History
University College invites applications for a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in any period or geographical region of Medieval History c 400 to c 1500 CE, tenable for three years with a start date expected to be at the beginning of October 2019. The appointee will be based in University College, High Street, Oxford OX1 4BH.
JRFs provide research opportunities to outstanding academics at the beginning of their careers. The primary duty of the post is to carry out a coherent programme of high-quality publishable research, but most JRFs choose also to offer a limited amount of teaching for the College in the interests of career development. Any such teaching will be remunerated separately. Ordinarily, the College has between 8 and 10 JRFs across a range of subjects. JRFs play an important part in the intellectual and social life of the College.
Further details about University College, including the research interests of current Fellows, are available from our website.
The primary criterion for appointment to the JRF will be research excellence. Candidates must: (1) have a strong educational record; (2) hold a doctorate, or be near completion[1]; (3) have research expertise demonstrated by publications, or demonstrate promise of such achievement; and (4) have a coherent plan of research for the duration of the fellowship. The potential to become an effective teacher will be a secondary consideration.
Candidates must be confident that they will have obtained their doctorates by the start of their appointment. This position is not intended for those who have already held another stipendiary JRF or equivalent or for those who obtained their doctorates more than two years prior to the application date (except in special circumstances).
The current stipend for a Junior Research Fellow not in receipt of other emoluments is £24,983 per annum. If a JRF receives a stipend from elsewhere (such as a UK Research Council) then the College stipend would be reduced by the amount of salary received from that other source, with a minimum stipend of £2,500 plus housing allowance provided. Free meals and free accommodation for the JRF in College, ordinarily a one bedroom flat, will be offered if available, or a housing allowance in lieu (£5,512 pa). The total salary package is therefore £30,495, plus generous additional benefits, including an academic allowance (£2,284), an entertainment allowance (£192), membership of USS, and private health insurance.
Selected candidates may be asked to submit written work, which may be one or two published or submitted articles, or a chapter from their thesis. Applicants should indicate on their application form what material they propose to submit, but should not at this stage submit any written work.
Application forms (downloadable from the College website) should be sent to recruitment@univ.ox.ac.uk, by 12 noon (UK time) on Wednesday 16 January 2019. Applicants should arrange for three referees to send their references to recruitment@univ.ox.ac.uk by the same date. Interviews for shortlisted candidates are expected to be held on Friday 1 March 2019 (to be confirmed).
University College is an Equal Opportunities Employer. Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in Oxford.
[1] If you require a Tier 2 Visa please note that, in order for the University to apply for your Certificate of Sponsorship, the UK Home Office will require EITHER a copy of your PhD/DPhil award certificate, OR an academic reference confirming that the qualification has been awarded, OR an academic reference confirming that you have submitted your thesis, if you have not yet completed.
