Koch History Centre Senior Fellowship

The Koch History Centre provides a new institutional home in Oxford for the pursuit of world-class historical research. Funded initially for 5 years, the Centre received its first intake of fellows in 2025. The Centre aims to promote curiosity-driven humanities research with a strong emphasis on multi- and inter-disciplinary approaches to the study of history.  The Centre has its home at Wadham College, Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3PN, and the Faculty of History, which is based in the new, purpose-built Stephen A Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG.

The Centre will appoint 3 senior fellows each year. Senior fellowships will be of one year’s duration and will be open to individuals whose PhD was granted more than 10 years before their application. Allowances will be made in the assessment of an applicant’s track record for periods of maternity or carers leave, and illness.

Please ensure that you have applied to the correct ad for your situation, as ineligible Senior Fellowship applications will not automatically be considered for the Koch Fellow post.

The theme chosen for 2026-7 is Scarcity and Abundance. Given the Centre’s commitment to attracting historians with expertise in a broad range of periods and cultures, these terms should be understood as widely as possible. We welcome applications from scholars of ancient history through to contemporary history, and across all geographical and thematic ranges.

You will hold doctorate granted more than 10 years prior to the submission of this application, and have an established international publication record and reputation with a track record of internationally outstanding research. You will also be able to evidence active contributions to academic communities at academic national and/or international conferences, and proven expertise in multi- and inter-disciplinary approaches to the study of history. Experience of leading research programmes, including setting the strategic direction would be desirable.
This post is full time, fixed-term for 12 months.

All practical and procedural queries should be sent to: recruitments@history.ox.ac.uk. All enquiries will be treated in strict confidence; they will not form part of the selection decision. You will be required to complete a three-page supporting statement, setting out how you meet the selection criteria for the post and including details of your proposed project, a five-page curriculum vitae, and the names and contact details of two referees as part of your online application. Please check the further particulars for more detailed instructions on formatting and what these documents should include.

Only applications submitted online and received before noon Wednesday 17th December 2025 can be considered. Please note that you will receive an automated email from our online recruitment portal to confirm receipt of your application. Please check your spam/junk mail if you do not receive this email. You may also receive updates or questions on your application via the same means. Please be aware that due to the volume of applications we receive, we are unable to provide feedback on unsuccessful applications.

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