Two stipendiary Research Fellowship positions on the theme of Replication

King’s College Cambridge invites applications for two Research Fellowships from scholars in the arts, humanities and social sciences who – whatever their current or previous research – are intrigued by the theme of Replication. What can and should be replicated and how are foundational questions in humanities and social sciences. In philosophy and the social sciences it came to the fore recently with the rise of attempts to replicate quantitative research findings and controversies about what counts as a replication, what institutional practices enable replication, and how it relates to credibility and trustworthiness of science. Replication is an issue across art and literature: Roman sculpture ‘replicates’ Greek sculpture (old literature talked of copies, modern scholars talk of versions); but Roman literature similarly replicates Greek literature. In the study of subsequent and contemporary literature and representational art the theme of replication emerges in motifs of doubling, copying, Doppelgänger, simulacra, simulation and intertextuality. Replication and more generally reproduction is a central concept in history of art, conservation, museology, music, and performance art. What does replication mean for qualitative social science? It is traditionally understood that qualitative social science (based on ethnographic or archival work, interviews and observations) is not replicable in the same way quantitative work is, because of the role of the researcher in interpreting and making sense of the data. But the questions of dependability and transferability are first steps towards better understanding what replication can mean for qualitative research. Last but most topically, the theme of replication raises a host of questions in relation to machine learning and artificial intelligence, including for cultural appropriation, copyright, information and misinvention.

Applications are welcome from all those who wish to undertake a major project on this topic within any area of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, over the four years of this Fellowship. The brief is deliberately wide to encompass innovative thinking about the topic which has distinctive conceptualisations in different research traditions. Creative and innovative thinking is encouraged. While applications are welcome from within specific academic disciplines, proposals that link or combine different disciplines are also strongly encouraged. Applicants should not feel obliged to focus on a traditionally identified paradigm.

The ideal candidates for this Research Fellowship will have a strong background in a relevant area of work and be completing or have completed recently an outstanding doctoral thesis. It is not a requirement that the candidate’s doctoral studies or the work that they submit in support of their application should have concerned this topic specifically, but candidates will be expected to show in their applications how their plans for their future work relate to the work that they have already done. The successful candidate will be expected to engage broadly with the whole college community.

It is the aim of King’s Research Fellowships to develop important fields of study that are currently too narrowly restricted in their practitioners and/or their objects of analysis. For this reason, candidates are encouraged to propose creative and innovative projects which will not only make an important contribution to the specific area of interest but also strengthen the intellectual framework of the humanities as a whole.

The successful candidates will join a lively research community which includes Research Fellows and College Research Associates as well as Fellows who hold University or College posts. This includes a number of Fellows working in Economics, Art, History of Art, Politics, History, Anthropology, Linguistics, Literature, Music, Philosophy and Psychology which will potentially align with the successful candidate’s project, and a wide range of other subjects which will provide both challenge to and stimulus for novel ways of approaching it. Research Fellows also engage with colleagues from the Collegiate University as a whole in the pursuit of their project.

A Research Fellowship is a postdoctoral position tenable for up to four years. Applications are welcome from graduates of any university. Candidates will usually have completed their PhD or equivalent qualification but must not have undertaken more than 2 years postdoctoral work or work outside academia by 1 October 2027 (i.e., an applicant’s PhD cannot have been granted by 30 September 2025). Candidates who do not fulfil these criteria are unlikely to be considered.

Research Fellows are members of the Governing Body, with the full privileges of all Fellows. These include all meals and the possibility of an office and accommodation in College properties. Currently, the stipend of a Research Fellow is £34,800 (to be revised). An additional living-out allowance of up to £4,180, depending on income, is available to those Fellows not living in college-owned accommodation. Research Fellows may claim research expenses of up to £2,000 in any academic year.

In addition to pursuing research, a Research Fellow is required to live in Cambridge or close by and to participate in College life and activity. Although these are research posts, Research Fellows are encouraged to take advantage of opportunities to undertake a small amount of University or College teaching, or tutorial duties. Such activity is remunerated separately and can make an important contribution to the development of an academic career. During the course of the Fellowship, a Research Fellow may be granted an intermission for one or two years to take up a temporary position either in Cambridge or elsewhere provided that doing so would be consistent with the Research Fellow’s career development.

The closing date for applications, including references, is 9 a.m. on Thursday 1st October 2026.

For information on how to apply please click the 'Apply' button above.

Eligibility

Graduates of any university are eligible. Candidates will usually have completed their PhD but must not have undertaken more than 2 years of postdoctoral work by 1 October 2027 (i.e. your PhD cannot have been granted before 30 September 2025). Candidates who do not fulfil these criteria are unlikely to be considered.

The College has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK. If you do not have the right to work in the UK already, any offer we make will be conditional upon you gaining it. The College will give informal advice and assistance but ultimately it will be the responsibility of the candidate to fulfil the necessary visa requirements and obtain a visa.

Dates:

• The closing date for application is 9 a.m. on Thursday 1st October 2026. Applications received after this date and time will not be considered.
• Long-listed candidates will be notified in late-October and will be expected to provide within 5-days a writing sample which they believe best represent their talents. This should be no more than 20,000 words and may include and can include thesis chapters or publications.
• Short-listed candidates will be notified mid-December and will be invited for interview on either Thursday 14th or Friday 15th January 2027. Please keep these dates free and ensure that you are able to attend this interview in person. 
• The Fellowship will begin on 1 October 2027.

If you have any further questions, please e-mail research@kings.cam.ac.uk

King’s College follows an equal opportunities policy.

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