Fixed-Term Early Career Research Associate

Hertford College invites applications for up to three non-stipendiary Early Career Research Associateships. The appointments will be from mid-November 2024 to 30 September 2025, renewable for a further two years, or for the remainder of the duration of the postholder’s research appointment if this is shorter, subject to approval by Governing Body. The positions are open to applicants holding early career academic Fellowships starting on or before 1st October 2024, for example those offered by research councils, the Wellcome Trust, and the Royal Society, or Oxford programmes such as the Glasstone Fellowships. Applicants can be based in all four academic divisions of the university (Medical Sciences, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Mathematical, Physical & Life Sciences), though preference will be given to those in Medical Sciences, Humanities, and Social Sciences. There is no stipend offered for these posts; they offer an association with the College, but not employment.

The Hertford College Early Career Research Associateships are intended to provide opportunities for outstanding academics at the beginning of their research careers who do not have any other means of affiliation with an Oxford college. They provide free meals and membership of Hertford’s Senior Common room as well as the opportunity to interact with the college Fellowship in a rich interdisciplinary setting. The successful candidates will be encouraged to participate in the academic and social life of the College, to contribute to events and initiatives organised by the Fellow for Research and others, and to engage with Oxford’s large and diverse research community.

The College
Hertford College is heir to the traditions of two medieval Halls, Magdalen Hall (whose alumni include Thomas Hobbes and William Tyndale), and Hart Hall (whose alumni include John Donne and Jonathan Swift). The main site lies in the heart of Oxford, occupied from the later thirteenth century by Hart Hall and, from 1740 until 1816, by the first Hertford College; and then, from 1822, by Magdalen Hall which was refounded in 1874 as the second Hertford College. Academic offices are on the main site, as is accommodation for many students, complemented by further accommodation for both graduates and undergraduates at various other sites around Oxford.

The Fellowship, which has responsibility for the governance of the college, currently consists of 45 Fellows, and the college is home to around 750 students, two-thirds of whom are undergraduates. Around 40 Lecturers supplement undergraduate teaching provision. Fellows, Lecturers and students are drawn from a range of disciplines across the Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences. The college has a reputation for being both progressive and friendly. It was one of the first colleges to admit women, and the ratio of female students to male remains comparatively high. It has championed access for students from schools that have not traditionally encouraged Oxford applications, and has a strong academic ethos.

Eligibility and selection criteria
Successful applicants will hold a research fellowship in a department or faculty of the University of Oxford. In exceptional circumstances, those living and working in Oxford but holding an early career research post with another University may be considered.

Applicants must hold a PhD or DPhil, and should have completed their doctorate no more than five years before the start of the appointment, with extensions allowed to account for caring responsibilities or extenuating circumstances such as illness. These positions are intended for scholars early in their research career, but please note that this refers to the stage a candidate has reached in their career, rather than to the age of the candidate. The College welcomes qualified candidates of all ages and will consider the individual circumstances of each in selecting the successful candidates.

Selection criteria will be based on quality of research (as determined from CV and references), academic fit with the College, and evidence of research funding and/or an individual fellowship. Please note that candidates who are solely funded as postdoctoral fellows on grants held by senior academics will not normally be eligible for these positions. Applications are particularly welcome from candidates with an interest in public engagement and widening access work.

Benefits

• Each Research Associate will be mentored by the Fellow for Research, who will also arrange introductions to Fellows in cognate subjects
• Research Associates will have dining rights (i.e. lunches and some dinners free of charge) and membership of the Senior Common Room
• Opportunities for undergraduate teaching may also be available, paid at the external tuition rates set by the Senior Tutors’ Committee. If employment is offered at a later date, then this would be subject to satisfactory right to work checks and provision of a valid NI number.
• Opportunities may be available for involvement in outreach activities, either on a volunteer basis or paid on a per-event basis.

It will be the postholder’s responsibility to ensure that any employment or other activities they undertake for Hertford College are permitted by their funding body.

How to apply
1. Applications should be made via the online form at https://forms.office.com/e/5Am20ZyA8E
2. You must submit all elements of your application by 12:00 noon on Friday 30 August 2024
3. Your application must include:

• The completed application form (via the link in item 1)
• A curriculum vitae of no more than 4 pages, including a brief statement (up to 1 page) of current research interests, emailed to academic-recruitment@hertford.ox.ac.uk. The statement of research interests should be written in a manner accessible to those outside your discipline.
• Details of two academic referees (see below), one of whom must hold a post at Oxford and can confirm the details of your research fellowship.
  Candidates should ask their referees to write directly to academic-recruitment@hertford.ox.ac.uk, and should supply each referee with a copy of these further particulars. Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure that references are submitted promptly, as we will not approach your referees directly. References must be submitted by the application deadline. The College wishes to take this opportunity to thank in advance those referees who write on behalf of applicants.

4.Communication regarding the status and outcome of your application will be made via e-mail, with decisions anticipated by the week commencing 04 November 2024. We do not anticipate interviewing for these posts. However, candidates may be contacted in late September or early October should interviews be required.

Candidates are strongly encouraged to return the Recruitment Monitoring Form (available for download below).

In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we have implemented a privacy notice which explains the types of data we will process about you as part of the application process. We also include within this notice the reasons for this, how long we keep your data for, and your rights regarding your data. This Privacy Notice can be found on our website at this address: https://www.hertford.ox.ac.uk/privacy.

Hertford College is an Equal Opportunities Employer