The Centre for Book Cultures and Publishing (CBCP) at the University of Reading welcomes expressions of interest for the 2024-2025 British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme.  

CBCP is one of the UK’s leading sites of research in Typography, History of Graphic Design, English and Anglophone, French & Francophone, German, Hispanic, Italian, comparative publishing histories, Children’s literatures, and Translation Studies.  

Our expertise and research record are underpinned by the University of Reading’s Special Collections which include, amongst the many fonds of interest, the Archive of British Publishers and Printing, and the Samuel Beckett archive. The University’s Lettering, Printing and Graphic Design Collections include the Otto and Marie Neurath Isotype Collection, the Type Design Collection and the printed ephemera collections in the Centre for Ephemera Studies. 

We welcome expressions of interest from candidates who have a strong research profile and meet the following eligibility criteria: 

  • Applicants are expected to have completed their viva voce between 1 April 2022 and 1 April 2025. 
  • They must either be a UK/EEA national, have completed their doctorate at a UK university or have a strong prior association with the UK academic community. 
  • They must not yet have held a permanent academic appointment 
  • Appointments at the University of Reading are dependent on the award of the Fellowship. The expectation is that Fellows should undertake a significant piece of publishable work during the funded period. 

For more information on the scheme’s aims and eligibility criteria, please visit https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/postdoctoral-fellowships/ 

Prospective candidates should contact either Prof Daniela La Penna (d.lapenna@reading.ac.uk), Dr Nicola Wilson (n.wilson@reading.ac.uk) or Prof Sue Walker (s.f.walker@reading.ac.uk) for guidance on identifying a mentor in the Centre’s feeder Departments (English Literature, Languages and Cultures, Typography & Graphic Communication, Henley Business School, Classics, History). Candidates whose profile fulfils the criteria detailed above should approach the co-directors by the end of July, with:

  • Full CV
  • List of publications
  • 2 x sides of A4 project proposal

Key dates relevant to this funding opportunity: 

Selected candidates will be invited to submit their full proposal through Flexi-Grant, the British Academy’s application portal. They will be supported in this process by the University’s Research Enterprise Services (RES) team. 

  • The deadline for submissions: 2 October at 5pm BST (funder’s deadline)  
  • Final draft to Reading’s Research Services (RES) for review: 18 September (2 weeks before funder deadline)  
  • Final date to inform RES of intention to submit:  4 September (4 weeks before funder deadline)