Postdoctoral Fellows and Visiting Scholars

At any one time there are a number of visitors in the Department whose participation is greatly beneficial to our research culture. We welcome applications from prospective Postdoctoral Fellows and from potential Visiting Scholars.

Normally Postdoctoral Fellows will have recently completed their PhD and wish to pursue further study, financed by a formal funding body, whose support they may already have secured. Most of our Visiting Scholars work at overseas universities and wish to spend a period of research leave in the Department.

In both cases your application will depend on the support of a member of our staff acting as 'host' or 'mentor'. So if you are interested in applying please contact a member of the Department in the first instance whose research interests overlap with yours and who may be willing to act as your host/mentor. This is the first step in the process for all applicants.

Visiting Scholars:

Once you have found a prospective host, please forward them your Curriculum Vitae and a letter of request. This should indicate why you want to come to our Department, what you wish to do while you are here, the benefits for you and for us, and provide details of when you wish to come and for how long. Please note that we have no financial resources for supporting visitors and can only provide, if your application is successful, shared office space and access to the internet and university library for a limited period of usually not more than six months.

Your application will then be considered by the Research Committee which meets once a term so please contact us well in advance of when you might want to come.

Postdoctoral Fellows:

We welcome applications from Postdoctoral Fellows who have secured funding and wish to pursue their studies in the Department.

Please note that we have no departmental financial resources for supporting non-funded post-doctoral study. Funding to support your study must therefore come from an external source. We are unable to accept applications for a formal position as Visitor or Fellow in the Department from pre-award Postdoctoral applicants.

Application procedure

If you wish to work with a member of the Department as a prospective mentor on your application for post-doctoral funding please contact them directly.

Similarly, if you are already in receipt of funding, your application will depend on the support of a member of our staff acting as 'mentor'. So please contact a member of the Department in the first instance whose research interests overlap with yours and who may be willing to act as your mentor.

Please make clear at the outset (when you make initial contact with a potential mentor) whether you are already in receipt of a Fellowship or whether you wish to apply for a Fellowship through Essex University.

In all cases you will need to prepare a research proposal and plan, a Curriculum Vitae and the names of two referees. If you have already secured funding then you should include a copy of the proposal you submitted. These should be sent to your proposed mentor.

Applications for Postdoctoral Fellowships will then be considered by a sub-committee of the Department's Research Committee which meets once a term. So please contact us well in advance of when you might want to come.

Last modified on 23 February 2011