Junior Research Fellowships
Research
Our research is ranked among the top ten philosophy departments in the UK and we are internationally
recognised for our expertise in critical theory, phenomenology and classical German philosophy.
Our Junior Research Fellowship scheme was introduced five years ago and has been extremely successful in supporting post-doctoral students at
the very beginning of their careers. Our aim has been to enable high-quality graduates
to maintain research links with a leading university, to retain access to critical research resources, and to benefit from participation in our community of academics.
A number of our Junior Research Fellows have held paid full or part-time employment during their Fellowship, and we have a strong track record of our
Fellows progressing to academic positions in universities in the UK, North America and Asia.
However, in the current climate, where unpaid positions are proliferating, there is a danger that our intentions for the scheme are at risk of being
misunderstood and misrepresented; we have therefore withdrawn our advertisement for Non-Stipendiary Junior Research Fellows while we review the scheme and
consider the best way to provide support for early career academics. We remain committed to ensuring that any opportunities we provide or support are accessible
to all applicants and are clearly perceived as open to all - no matter what their social or economic background. We will be consulting with the UCU to ensure that any opportunities we offer are understood by and
can be supported by its members.
We make it clear to fellows that they are eligible to undertake paid employment either inside or outside the university while holding the Fellowship.
Some engage in teaching either here or elsewhere; some use the resources of the University to apply for external research grants; some hold employment outside
the academic sector; some look for ways to manage a period without paid employment.
These Fellowships dedicate University resources in support of early career academics engaged in research; our expectation is that these resources will be used
for that purpose. However it is important to be clear that we do not require fellows to publish their research; we do not return Junior Research Fellowship
research outputs in the REF; and the University does not claim intellectual property rights to the research outputs. This program is all about supporting young
scholars who want to engage in research at a particularly vulnerable stage of their career. Fellows who wish to renew their Fellowship for a second year are
required to provide a report on their research activities during the first year of the Fellowship.
We are happy to discuss any issues about the scheme with individuals.
Please e-mail our Communications Office at comms (non-Essex users add @essex.ac.uk) and all correspondence will be passed directly on
to the School.
Professor Wayne Martin, Head of the School of Philosophy and Art History