Cambridge Early Career Fellowships

About

Working at CRASSH gave me a research community which staved off feelings of isolation and broadened my sense of what the humanities are and what they can do, which has been enriching on a personal and intellectual level.
– Emily Kate Price

Applications are now open for the 2024 – 2025 AND 2025 – 2026 competitions

Generously funded by a donor, the Early Career Fellowship scheme at CRASSH allows Cambridge University Teaching Officers and College Teaching Officers to apply for an additional term of research leave. The aim is to help early career scholars at Cambridge to develop their research by releasing them from teaching, examining and administration for a term. Early Career Fellows join the CRASSH community for that term, which provides them with a stimulating, interdisciplinary environment in which to advance a research project or to begin a new one.

Up to five fellows are normally appointed each year. The scheme is also open to UTOs and CTOs working in the department of Geography (supported by the School of Physical Sciences).

A Fellowship may be held in either Michaelmas Term or Lent Term. Applications are now invited for two cohorts: a) MT 2024 or LT 2025, and b) MT 2025 or LT 2026. From next year onwards, applications for a Fellowship will be received at least 20 months in advance. Thus, January 2025 will be the deadline for applications for a Fellowship to be taken up in MT 2026 or LT 2027.

Eligibility

For Fellowships to be taken up in the 2024-2025 academic year, all UTOs and CTOs who have been in post for fewer than five years at the date of application are eligible, provided that they have obtained prior permission from their Faculty and/or College. For Fellowships to be taken up in 2025-2026, and for future selection rounds, applicants must have been in post for fewer than four years at the date of application.

Provision

The value of the award is set at £2,500 for the term. This amount will be transferred to the Fellow’s Faculty or College to enable replacement teaching to be bought in. It may also be used to cover the cost of administrative tasks or examining. If the Fellow’s teaching is split between a Faculty and a College, it will be the responsibility of the Faculty to negotiate the amount passed on to the college (up to a maximum of half the total). A Head of Institution may contact the Director of CRASSH in advance of the application deadline to discuss the amount set for teaching buyout if special circumstances pertain.

Terms and Conditions

You must obtain permission from your Faculty and/or College before applying, and agree on a suitable term in which to take up your Fellowship, if your application is successful. It is the responsibility of your Faculty and/or College to make appropriate arrangements to cover your teaching, examining, and administrative duties during your Fellowship.

UTOs must apply for leave and the term will not be reckoned as a term of service for the purposes of calculating sabbatical leave due.

This is a residential fellowship and successful applicants are expected to spend their period of research leave in Cambridge.

CRASSH holds a weekly interdisciplinary seminar at which Early Career Fellows are able to interact with Visiting Fellows and other researchers based at CRASSH. Early Career Fellows are expected to participate in these seminars each week and to lead one during their time at CRASSH. Fellows are also very welcome to take part in other events hosted by CRASSH if they choose to do so.

Application

The deadline for applications is 12 noon (UTC) on Monday 15 January 2024. The following documents will be required:

• a CV, including a list of publications
• a statement of support from the relevant Head of Faculty or College. This should confirm that they support the application and its timing
• a research proposal of 800-1000 words, outlining the project the applicant plans to work on during their Fellowship
• a sample of written work (a single chapter or article, for example, which may or may not have been published already)

Apply for 2024 – 2025 OR apply for 2025 – 2026 (you may only apply for one of these). Please find below the links for applications:

Online applications for 2024 – 2025

Online applications for 2025 – 2026

Applicants should also request a referee to submit a letter of recommendation to the application system by the same deadline. They should therefore initiate an application and register the details of a referee at least two weeks before 15 January, as referees will be sent an automated prompt to upload a confidential reference to the system.

Selection

Members of the Selection Committee will be drawn from a range of disciplines and subjects across the arts, humanities, and social sciences at Cambridge. Applicants will be evaluated on their academic record, the reference submitted, and their research proposal. Particular regard will be given to the potential evident in the research proposal for innovative methods and modes of enquiry (these may include, but are not limited to, an interdisciplinary approach).

Please email fellowships@crassh.cam.ac.uk if you have any enquiries about the scheme or the application process.