Jenny Wormald Junior Research Fellow in Women’s History

We invite applications for a JRF in Women’s History for a period of three years from 1 October 2026. The successful candidate will pursue a research project of their own in women’s history which places the St Hilda’s College Archives at the centre of the proposed enquiry.

The primary duty of the post is to carry out research. The successful candidate will be expected to pursue a coherent and ambitious programme of research and publication during the tenure of the Fellowship, which may involve the further development of doctoral work or an entirely new project, and which is demonstrably grounded in sustained research in the St Hilda’s College Archives. The project must make substantive use of the Archive’s excellent holdings on women’s education and on many other aspects of the lives of educated women since the foundation of the College in 1893.

In addition to their research, the successful candidate will be required to undertake approximately 3 hours per week of work in collaboration with the College Archivist. This work will be agreed in discussion with the Archivist and may include assisting with the cataloguing and contextualisation of archival collections, contributing to exhibitions, events, or other forms of public engagement, and supporting activities which disseminate knowledge of the Archives’ holdings and encourage engagement with the Archives by members of the College, the University of Oxford, and the wider public.

The primary criterion for appointment to the Junior Research Fellowship will be research excellence. Applicants must be approaching the end of their doctoral research or have submitted their doctoral thesis within the last five years by the start of the appointment and have research expertise in women’s history or a closely related field.

The successful candidate will be paid £39,424 per annum (University Grade 7, current rates) and membership of the USS pension scheme is offered. They will be provided with the use of a shared office in College, entitled to free meals (when the kitchens are open), membership of the Senior Common Room, and may apply for research expenses (currently up to £2,000 per annum). They will also be eligible to apply for small project and event grants through the College’s Research Committee.

The deadline for receipt of applications and references is 12 noon on Friday 10 April 2026. Further particulars, including details of how to apply, may be downloaded from the College website at https://www.st-hildas.ox.ac.uk/vacancies, or obtained from the Academic Registrar, St Hilda’s College, Oxford OX4 1DY (rebekah.unwin@st-hildas.ox.ac.uk).

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