Environmental Humanities Visiting Research Fellowships

• Research visit at the University of Edinburgh between two and four months
• Bursary of £1,300 per month
• Dedicated office space, University e-mail and library access
• Weekly Fellows’ Lunch to build community
• Collegial work-in-progress seminar series for testing new ideas
• Calendar of engaging events at the Institute and College
• Opportunities to participate in and design funded workshops, colloquia, etc. at the Institute

Fellows will be expected to contribute to furthering the work of the Edinburgh Environmental Humanities network, to explore where possible collaborations with academic staff in the Edinburgh Environmental Humanities Network, and to take an active part in IASH interdisciplinary events. Fellows will be expected to give two presentations about their research during their stay, one at IASH and one to Environmental Humanities colleagues.

IASH provides an enviable location in one of the world’s most intellectually inspiring cities, together with a dynamic network of international connections.

Home to the Scottish Enlightenment, Edinburgh has a rich cultural heritage of scholarship and creativity that continues to the present day. In this haven of libraries and archives, galleries and music venues – all set amid iconic architecture – IASH takes the humanities beyond campus to engage the public and work with organisations in a variety of different sectors.

The Institute welcomes visiting researchers from across the world. Since 1970, over 1,500 Fellows have stepped through our doors. Up to 30 researchers are in residence at any one time in our amazing – and eclectic – nineteenth-century building just on the edge of the University’s central campus, boasting views of the Meadows.

From upwards of 65 countries, IASH Fellows form a global alumni community, and many career-long connections begin at the Institute.

You can find our application form here.

Applications for the 2025-26 round will close on 28 February 2025.

Applications received after that date will not be considered. Successful candidates will be notified by email by the end of April with a formal letter of confirmation to follow; please ensure that you supply a valid email address so that you can be contacted quickly after decisions are made.

• A minimum of two and a maximum of three confidential references are required. 
• At least one referee should come from outside the institution of the applicant.
• Referees should comment on the nature and quality of the research proposal, as well as on the qualifications of the applicant.

Applicants for the next round should ask their referees to send references by email to the Institute Director at iash@ed.ac.uk by 28 February 2025.

• Candidates for Fellowships will hold a doctorate or equivalent professional qualification, and are expected to have at least five years of postdoctoral experience. Consideration will be given to the academic record and the publications of all applicants and their capacity to disseminate their views among a community of like-minded people. Candidates must give evidence of contact they have made with researchers / mentors / collaborators at the University of Edinburgh, and of proposed collaboration during and beyond their visit to Edinburgh. Competition for Fellowships is intense and preference may be given to applicants who have not previously held a Fellowship at the Institute or an equivalent institution.
• Applicants must specify how their research and career history, including publications, align with the field of Environmental Humanities. They should outline why they wish to undertake a Fellowship specifically at the University of Edinburgh and how they would benefit from dialogue with the wider EEHN community.
• EEHN is unable to host Fellows during the summer break. Applicants are advised to consider this in their planning and timeline.
• Fellows are expected to be resident in Edinburgh throughout the tenure of their Fellowship and to play a full part in the activities of the Institute. The Institute will be pleased to help with finding suitable accommodation in Edinburgh but is unable to pay accommodation costs. The typical tenure for an Environmental Humanities Fellowship is two months; applications for less than two months will not be considered.
• No regular teaching is required but Fellows will give at least one seminar at IASH on their current research work and may be asked to speak to an appropriate subject group within the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science.
• The Institute is close to the University Library and within easy reach of the National Library of Scotland, the Central City Library, the National Galleries and Museums, the Library of the Society of Antiquaries in Scotland, the library of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and the National Archives of Scotland. Access to both the extensive archival and online resources of all of these collections can be arranged for Fellows as appropriate.
• Only fully completed applications will be considered. It is the responsibility of each applicant to ensure that all documentation is complete, and that referees submit their reports to the Institute by the closing date.