MHRA Research Fellow

About the Role

An MHRA Research Fellowship to work on The Letters of Percy Bysshe Shelley. The RF will contribute to editing and annotation of volume one and undertake foundational work towards the entire edition. They will be based at QMUL, under the supervision Dr Will Bowers.

This is a fixed-term and part-time post available due to research grant funding.

The post is based at the Mile End Campus in London. It is part time (17.5 hours per week), fixed-term appointment for 11 months and 6 days, with an expected start date of 1st October 2025 (until 06 September 2026). The starting salary will be Grade 4, in the range of £41,510 - £43,677 per annum (pro-rata), inclusive of London Allowance.

About You

The position is open to early-career researchers who have completed a PhD within the last three years. The Research Fellow is required to have excellent communication skills, the capability to work in a team, meet strict deadlines, and the aspiration to achieve the highest standards in scholarship. It is desirable that the RF possesses some of the following: good knowledge of English poetry and letters (1680–1830), experience of working with archives, a familiarity with scholarly editing, a knowledge of modern and/or ancient European languages.

How to Apply 

Please prepare your application as a single PDF document containing a cover letter detailing your suitability for the position; your CV; and a publication list. Please upload this to the “CV” section of the online form. 

About the School/Department/Institute/Project

The Letters of Percy Bysshe Shelley will be the first complete manuscript-witnessed edition of Shelley’s letters. It will present comprehensively annotated versions of all extant letters, freshly edited from manuscript, alongside approximately fifty unpublished letters by Shelley’s correspondents.

The appointment is funded by the Modern Humanities Research Association (MHRA), which exists to promote high-quality scholarship in English and the Modern Languages. It does this by publishing journals and monographs and by supporting major research projects. The successful applicant will hold the title ‘MHRA Research Fellow’.

About Queen Mary

At Queen Mary University of London, we believe that a diversity of ideas helps us achieve the previously unthinkable.

Throughout our history, we’ve fostered social justice and improved lives through academic excellence. And we continue to live and breathe this spirit today, not because it’s simply ‘the right thing to do’ but for what it helps us achieve and the intellectual brilliance it delivers.

We continue to embrace diversity of thought and opinion in everything we do, in the belief that when views collide, disciplines interact, and perspectives intersect, truly original thought takes form.

Benefits

We offer competitive salaries, access to a generous pension scheme, 30 days’ leave per annum (pro-rata for part-time/fixed-term), a season ticket loan scheme and access to a comprehensive range of personal and professional development opportunities. In addition, we offer a range of work life balance and family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, and campus facilities.

Queen Mary’s commitment to our diverse and inclusive community is embedded in our appointments processes. Reasonable adjustments will be made at each stage of the recruitment process for any candidate with a disability. We are open to considering applications from candidates wishing to work flexibly.

Advert information