Research Assistant; Neil Davidson Writing Fellowship

Job Purpose

This postdoctoral writing fellowship has been established in recognition of Neil Davidson’s enduring work as historian, theorist, teacher and activist. The fellowship is intended to support early career researchers whose work is informed by, and seeks to extend, progressive and radical traditions of critical investigation broadly conceived, whether through the development of new historical or theoretical scholarship or through the pursuit of original empirical research.

The Fellowship will allow the recipient the time and space to publish material deriving from their doctoral thesis and to make the findings and conclusions of their work available to a wider audience, academic and/or non-academic. Priority will be given to supporting those who do not, currently, hold an open-ended academic position. We welcome applications from candidates regardless of where they are currently based but would draw attention to the fact that, regretfully, relocation expenses are not covered because of the short-duration of this post.

Essential:

• A1 SCQF Level 10 [an undergraduate, Honours level degree] in a relevant discipline.
• A2 A completed PhD with a central research focus on one of the following areas:
  Marxism and Marxist theory; the concept and histories of bourgeois revolutions; the histories and present forms of class struggle; trade unionism, anti-racism and other liberatory social movements; the causes, consequences and theorisation of uneven and combined development, and/or of neoliberalism; radical political economy;
  Scottish history and politics; nationalism and ethnicity; cultural and aesthetic analyses in the historical materialist tradition. Applicants should be within three years of receiving their PhD. Exceptionally, consideration will be given to those whose PhD was awarded outwith this timeframe if significant personal circumstances have affected the candidate’s capacity to work within that period.

Essential:

• C1 Comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of relevant theoretical, conceptual and historical research
• C2 Excellent written and oral communication skills, including experience of public presentations and an ability to communicate complex concepts and findings clearly and concisely
• C3 A collegial approach to working with others
• C4 Effective time management and organisation
• C5 Familiarity with IT packages
• C6 Self-motivation, and an ability to work independently and at your own initiative

Essential:

• E1 Relevant research experience appropriate to an early career researcher
• E2 Experience of presenting research to a range of different audiences, both academic and non-academic
• E3 A proven ability to complete work in a timely fashion
• E4 Evidence of a well-defined and feasible programme of work for the duration of the Fellowship

• an academic c.v.;
• the abstract or summary of their doctoral thesis;
• a 2-page outline of a proposed programme of work for the period of the Fellowship. Indicatively, this might include: summaries of 1 or 2 planned journal articles; an accepted book proposal or outline plans for such a proposal; projects for collaboration with social and political movements beyond the academy. It should also…