Home
Search
More pages in this section
Institute Fellowships 

Research Fellows are central to the Institute’s work. Fellows contribute to the extensive network of specialist seminars, events and conferences, and help host and develop funded research projects. The Institute encourages its Fellows to engage in interdisciplinary work with colleagues in other Institutes across the School. We are also particularly interested in establishing and sustaining research relationships with English departments across the UK. The Institute and the School are hospitable to international scholars wishing to pursue their research in London or develop research projects with IES staff and existing Fellows.

I have benefited a great deal from my IES affiliation and I am grateful for the support I have received, I welcomed having access to the Fellows’ Room, which made a very useful base both for day-to-day working and visiting the Library, for attending events and meeting other commitments across the University of London, and for visiting the British Library.

 Flore Janssen, 2019/20 Postdoctoral Visiting Research Fellow

The School hosts fellows in the following categories. Please note that fellowships are non-stipendiary.

Early Career Research Fellows

Early Career Research Fellowships are reserved for non-affiliated early stage researchers who are within five years of the award of their doctorate. They can be held for a period up to a year (minimum six months) and are normally non-renewable. The Institute will provide the use of shared office space, access to Senate House Library, an email account, free attendance at Institute events such as conferences, seminars and workshops (summer school places at reduced cost), and access to a fund for travel/research expenses (currently up to £400 pa, subject to affordability and demand). Postdoctoral Visiting Research Fellowships are intended to provide early stage researchers with a base from which to complete research, and apply for grants and academic posts, while participating in activities within the Institute. We also welcome proposals for seminars, workshops or conferences from our Fellows.  Successful applicants will be required to write a blog for the IES website during their Fellowship

We anticipate appointing two to three Early Career Research Fellows annually.

Research Fellows

Research Fellows are established researchers with a significant record of achievement. In making awards, the Institute hopes that prospective Fellow’s engagement with IES will be sustained over time. Research Fellows are entitled to use of shared office space in the Institute, access to Senate House Library, an email account, free attendance at Institute events such as conferences, seminars and workshops (summer school places at reduced cost), and competitive access to a fund for travel/research expenses (currently up to £200 pa, subject to affordability and demand). In return, we expect research fellows to participate as fully as possible in the life of the Institute. This may include, for example, by leading or contributing to IES research initiatives, applying for research grants to be held in the Institute, participating in the IES network of seminars and events, organising/attending conferences at IES, contributing to summer schools. We would expect the Institute to be credited in publications and public appearances, and that Research Fellows should be physically present within the Institute as often as possible, contributing actively to the intellectual and research environment.

Research Fellowships are for a three-year term in the first instance with the possibility of renewal. There is no limit on, or expectation about, the number of Research Fellows we will appoint at any one time and all appointments will be made on merit.

Senior Research Fellows

Senior Research Fellows are distinguished academics or independent scholars who are leaders in their field. SRFs contribute to the intellectual life of the Institute through organising or speaking at conferences and events, supervising MPhil/PhD students, leading projects, and carrying out research. Fellows are appointed for life. Appointments are no longer made for this category.

Applications
Applications for Fellowships open once a year in March, for an October start.
Please note that the 2023/4 application window is now closed.

From 2021, Postdoctoral Fellowships have been renamed Early Career Research Fellows and Visiting and Research Fellows will be merged into one category ‘Research Fellows’ with terms from 6 months to 3 years. Those wishing to apply must supply the following:

  • Fellowship Application form
  • CV (no more than four pages)
  • Short (no more than one page) cover letter describing your suitability for the fellowship
  • Two letters of reference, which should be sent to ies@sas.ac.uk

Appointments are made by a committee drawn from the Institute’s external Advisory Council, as well as senior IES staff and Fellows. Candidates are notified of the outcome of their application by the end of April. All Fellows will be required to produce a short annual report of their activities as they contribute to research in English and the work of the IES.

There is no restriction as to the period or subject matter, and all topics within the field of English Studies, the history of the book, manuscript studies and palaeography, historical and enumerative bibliography, textual scholarship and scholarly editing will be considered. (Awards are however rarely made in the area of modern or applied linguistics.) Though not essential, it may be an advantage to demonstrate a link to the Institute's core research interests. All applicants should demonstrate a significant record of research achievement and contribution to the discipline as appropriate to career stage, circumstances and the category of Fellowship for which they are applying. Fellowships are non-stipendiary, and we are unable to offer assistance toward relocation costs.

The IES follows AHRC’s formal definition of an Early Career Researcher: an ECR is an individual who is within eight years of the award of their PhD or equivalent professional training, or an individual who is within six years of their first academic appointment. These durations exclude any period of career break, e.g. for family care or health reasons.

Visa Requirements

We welcome applications from overseas (outside UK/EU) applicants who have permanent posts at their home institutions. Visiting fellows from overseas must be on sabbatical from their home institution. Given current visa and immigration restrictions, we are unable to sponsor non-UK/EU independent scholars. We reserve the right to rescind a fellowship if we are no longer able to offer sponsorship because of changes in visa policy.

SAS Fellowships

The School of Advanced Study each year welcome around 140 visiting research fellows who benefit from its unique research resources and multidisciplinary scholarly community. To apply for School-wide fellowships, including British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships, Leverhulme Trust Early Career Research Fellowships, and the ST Lee Visiting Professorial Fellowship, see the School's Fellowships page.