In view of the UCU strike action affecting UK Higher Education December 1-3 2021, the closing date had been changed to Wednesday 8 December, 5pm UK. 

We are pleased to invite applications for a funded 3-month Visiting Research Fellowship to early-career academics looking to conduct research and shape a new project drawing on the University of Reading’s Archives and Special Collections relating to book and publishing cultures. 

Projects should be focussed on either collections in the Archive of British Printing and Publishing or the Lettering, Printing and Graphic Design Collections. 

Fellows are expected to develop their research into an application for an externally funded postdoctoral fellowship, using UoR collections, supported by CBCP members of staff. You will be appointed an appropriate mentor to work with as part of your Fellowship.

Applicants should be completing, or have completed, their doctorate. Fellows will receive an allowance of up to £2,000 per month (subject to UK tax) for a maximum of three months; a dedicated workspace in the School of Literature and Languages, or in the Department of Typography & Graphic Communication. Fellows will have access to curatorial and grant-writing support. The 3-month appointments can be taken up flexibly, at a mutually agreed time, to support those with caring and other responsibilities, but must be completed by Friday 29th July 2022.

For more information, contacts, and eligibility requirements please see below:

 

Further information

Centre for Book Cultures and Publishing, Visiting Research Fellowships, 2021-2

Closing date: new date Wednesday 8 December 2021, 5pm UK. Results will be communicated by Friday 17 December.

Applications should be emailed to Dr Nicola Wilson  n.l.wilson@reading.ac.uk

 

About CBCP

The CBCP brings a distinctive combination of expertise to ensure study of the diffusion of knowledge and power across borders is multilingual, attuned to the role of technology and design, attentive to the politics of the global and the local, and integrates study of often marginalised actors and readers. The University of Reading’s renowned collections in book, printing and publishing history, and facilities and technical expertise to explore the making of type and printing processes, contribute to CBCP’s work, to drive new ways of understanding how books are produced, distributed and read in global contexts today and in the past.

CBCP aligns expertise in English, Spanish, French, German and Italian-language publishing and book history, with transatlantic and European research partnerships in typography and book design (Latin and non-Latin scripts), and in the printing and publishing trades. Researchers in the centre have shared interests in the materiality of text and image (analogue and digital), and in how digital methods can enhance scholarship. CBCP has a wide network of international libraries, galleries, museums, professional societies and organisations with which to collaborate.

The CBCP aims:

  • To promote interdisciplinary research that draws on Reading’s distinctive strengths in book cultures and publishing. It will act as a network drawing together expertise across the University.
  • To build on considerable success in grant capture in this area to ensure sustainability and promote further growth. It will be well-placed to develop internationally-connected research projects to address global challenges in cultural heritage.
  • To continue the work of the University Collections project, and further raise the profile of the University’s internationally significant collections in the history of books, publishing and printing, by acting as a hub for an existing global network of partners, and forging new partnerships with cultural heritage organisations, comparable research institutions, and in the creative industries.
  • To ensure research sustainability through supporting early career research, including doctoral study and through championing diversity.

Essential Criteria

  • Priority will be given to candidates who show the greatest academic promise and whose current and proposed research demonstrates a good fit with UoR holdings
  • Applicants must have submitted their thesis at the time of application to this call
  • Applicants must be eligible to apply for either UK postdoctoral schemes such as the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme and the Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship when they complete their Visiting Fellowship and/or EC Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships 

Please check your eligibility on the relevant websites before making an application: 

Postdoctoral Fellowships | The British Academy 

Early Career Fellowships | The Leverhulme Trust

Postdoctoral Fellowships | Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (europa.eu)

Application Process

The completed application should include:

  • Personal details
  • Project details to include: title of project, proposed start and end date of fellowship, objectives, methodology, an outline of potential sources to be consulted, and a description of how this project will build upon your existing research (500 words max)
  • Funder/funding scheme you are intending to apply for (250 words max)
  • An up-to-date curriculum vitae (maximum 2 pages), including publications list
  • Details, including e-mail address, of two referees who can be contacted should the application be shortlisted

Successful applicants will receive:

  • A stipend of £2,000 per month for up to 3 months to cover travel, accommodation and living expenses during the Fellowship (subject to UK tax and National Insurance)
  • Support from CBCP academic staff, expert curators, and UoR Research Development Manager 
  • Workspace and reading room provision (subject to local COVID 19 restrictions)
  • Access to a group of fellow researchers via CBCP and encouragement to participant in CBCP events

Expectations:

  • You will contribute a short blog post at the end of the project and a short essay for the CBCP’s Pamphlet
  • All awarded funding must be spent before 29 July 2022 and claim forms must also be submitted by this date.
  • Fellows will work with CBCP academics and the Research Development Manager to develop concrete plans for postdoctoral fellowship applications, to be submitted at an agreed time.

Pre-application advice is available from:

– Dr Nicola Wilson, CBCP Co-Director, n.l.wilson@reading.ac.uk