The David Richards Junior Research Fellowship in Economic History

The Fellowship is intended to provide an opportunity for continuing research to an outstanding academic at an early stage of their career, as well as integration into the educational and academic life of the college, and as such is designated as a fixed-term post. The successful candidate will be elected to a Fellowship from 1 September 2026, with the appointment held in the first year on a probationary basis. The Fellowship will not be renewed after the third year, but should the post-holder take family leave during the period of appointment their contract will be extended by an equivalent period of time.

The successful candidate will be expected to undertake self-directed research, showing evidence of potential for producing independent and distinguished research within the broad field of Economic History. Eligible candidates will hold, or be close to completion of, a PhD in Economic History. Preference will be given to those who have not previously held a Junior Research Fellowship at an Oxford or Cambridge College, and to those who have not been appointed to a University tenure-track position.

The Fellowship has been established thanks to the generosity of the late David Richards, an alumnus of Wadham, and his family. The successful applicant will be the fourth postholder and will find also in College two David Richards doctoral students in interdisciplinary History. The donors’ and the College’s shared aim is thereby to establish a research hub at Wadham, developing, alongside Fellows in History, Economics and other disciplines, enhanced historical understanding and new methodological approaches at the interface between different areas of scholarship.

Economic history, conceived in the broadest terms, has long been a strength in Wadham. The College’s History alumni include Henry Phelps Brown, who went on to become the first Professor of the Economics of Labour at the LSE, and Roderick Floud who, among many achievements, introduced the field of anthropometrics to Britain. The work of the first David Richards Fellow, Judy Stephenson (now Professor at UCL), on early modern wages, has raised fundamental and provocative questions about the nature of the industrial revolution. The research of the second postholder, Rebecca Simson, explored social and economic processes of change in postcolonial Africa, with a focus on social mobility, social stratification and elite formation since independence. The third postholder, Robert Yee, worked on the economic history of modern Europe, with a focus on business history, finance, and international orders.

The College hopes to appoint a postholder who will engage with Fellows, lecturers, graduates and undergraduates across History and its joint schools at the College, supporting academic opportunities and enriching the learning environment. The principal duty of the Fellow will be to undertake research, but we hope they might also, for example, be able to act as an advisor to graduate students, be able to support students in providing tuition for their 2nd or 3rd yr options, in thesis supervision, and in facilitating seminars across the year groups, and between faculty, graduate and undergraduates. The postholder may also be asked to participate in the undergraduate admissions exercise in December.

Wadham is one of the largest colleges of the University of Oxford, with approximately 450 undergraduates, 240 graduates, and over 70 Fellows. Founded in 1610 by Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham, Wadham College has a strong commitment to academic values, whilst preserving a liberal and progressive atmosphere. The College is academically strong, with representation amongst most of the subjects taught at undergraduate level at the University. All Fellows are encouraged to play a full role in the life and administration of the College.The College is committed to maintaining a vibrant and internationally excellent teaching and research environment. It accordingly expects its Fellows to be active in research and to contribute to a high-quality teaching and learning experience for its student body. All Fellows should find in the College a convivial and lively atmosphere conducive to interdisciplinary exchange and support. The contribution of JRFs to many aspects of College life, including contact with graduates and undergraduates, is much welcome. Potential applicants can find out more about the College from the College website: www.wadham.ox.ac.uk.

Based at Wadham, the Koch History Centre, a joint venture between Wadham College and the Faculty of History, was inaugurated in October 2025 to provide an institutional home in Oxford for the pursuit of world-class historical research. Twelve Fellows are appointed annually to pursue independent research projects while at the Centre, coming together to discuss the historiographical implications of their work through a regular seminar series, which is open to Wadham members. Connection and engagement between Wadham Fellows and Koch History Centre Fellows is positively encouraged: https://www.wadham.ox.ac.uk/research/koch-history-centre

History is a very strong subject area in Wadham. There are two permanent Tutorial Fellows (one of whom, Prof. Tehila Sasson, has particular research interests in modern economic and social history), along with a Fellow by Special Election sponsored by the DAAD, and the Director of Wadham’s American visiting student programme is also a lecturer in History. Wadham has long been committed to fostering interdisciplinarity: it takes undergraduate students in all the joint schools with History, and is also one of the small number of colleges to accept for the BA in History of Art. At the graduate level, there is the same range, and we are keen to promote and support initiatives which encourage cross-disciplinary conversations. Although employed solely by the College, the Fellow will also be a member of the University’s History Faculty (http://www.history.ox.ac.uk/).

There is a vibrant economic and social history group at Oxford, spanning the History Faculty and the Economics Department. In addition to teaching at the undergraduate level, the group runs two successful masters programmes in Economic and Social History (the one-year MSc and the two-year MPhil) as well as a DPhil programme. There are two seminars every week, one hosting visiting speakers, and the second aimed at graduate students. It is hoped that the postholder would attend these seminars, and participate fully in the life of the economic history community in Oxford.

Research and Faculty involvement:

The person appointed will be expected to engage in advanced study and research in Economic History (broadly conceived) for the period of the post. Candidates must have a strong academic record; have research expertise as demonstrated by publications or other written work; and have a coherent plan of self-directed research for the duration of the fellowship. The Fellow will be required to make first and final year reports to the College’s Academic Policy Committee on progress in research. In holding a career development post, the Fellow will be encouraged to participate in seminars and classes organized by the Oxford Centre for Teaching and Learning, and particularly those courses which would best prepare the postholder for a permanent post, whether in Oxford or elsewhere. These courses can be viewed on the Centre’s website at www.ctl.ox.ac.uk.The postholder will have a mentor, alongside the Senior Tutor, with whom to discuss career development.

Associated duties:

There are no formal teaching duties in the post, through the postholder will be welcome to teach up to 6 hours a week in term, and may be asked to support the undergraduate admissions exercise. The postholder will be expected to act as an advisor to relevant graduate students (this is in addition to the graduate student’s supervisor, appointed by the University, who is responsible for directing the academic work of the student; the College Adviser is available as a source of help and advice, which may concern academic matters in a broad sense, but may also be required in connection with pastoral issues), and to be involved within the academic life of the college and faculty as outlined above.

The formal selection criteria for the post are as follows:

• Hold, or be close to completion of, a PhD/DPhil in Economic History;
• A self-directed research record of a standing appropriate to the stage of the candidate’s career, with evidence of potential for producing independent and distinguished research within the broad field of Economic History, and the intention to continue researching and publishing;
• An ability and willingness to undertake College administration and to co-operate in College and Faculty affairs.

The qualities that we are seeking therefore include:

• Scholarship of the highest quality and as appropriate to the stage of the candidate’s career; an ability to bring advanced research projects to fruition; excellent presentation skills; and the ability to contribute to a research community;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• Excellent organisational skills, including personal initiative;
• Sympathy for the nature and aims of the College and willingness to participate in and assist its collegiate life and government.

The appointment committee recognizes that candidates can contribute to these goals in many different ways and will use its professional judgment, based on the evidence available, to decide how successfully candidates could make such contributions, bearing in mind the needs of the College.

The stipend will be on the University’s Grade Scale 7, from £39,424 to £47,779 per annum (subject to annual increments and an annual cost of living review), and will be taxable. The position is superannuable under the University’s Superannuation scheme.

The postholder will be entitled to the following in addition to their stipend on the above salary scale (in all cases, currents levels of remuneration are quoted):

• Full USS (pension) benefits.
• A room in College suitable for study.
• Free lunches and dinners with the Senior Common Room throughout the year except during brief periods when the kitchens are closed.
• Provision of a (college-owned) computer and printer suitable for performance of college duties.· An allowance to cover research expenditure (currently up to £1,274 p.a.)
• Single living accommodation in college may be available, at a reduction of stipend. (No separate housing allowance is offered.)

The Fellow will hold the Fellowship under the terms of the Statutes and By-Laws in force for the time being. The post holder will also be a member of the College’s Senior Common Room.

Informal contact: If candidates wish to speak to someone informally about the post, please contact Prof Tehila Sasson (tehila.sasson@wadham.ox.ac.uk), Wadham College.

Selection Committee: Applications for this post will be considered by a selection committee containing representatives from the Faculty of History, the Department of Economics, and Wadham College.

Applications and references should be emailed to the Warden’s EA (warden.ea@wadham.ox.ac.uk) not later than noon on Monday 1 December 2025.

Applications should comprise:

• A covering letter · a statement of current and proposed research, including a list of publications and/or research projects (no more than 4 sides of A4); · a curriculum vitae (no more than 2 sides of A4);
• The names of three referees. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure that emails from referees are received by the application submission deadline. Applicants should ask their referees to email the Warden’s EA directly. The Selection Committee would like to take this opportunity to thank referees for their help and hopes that they will understand if no further acknowledgement of their communication is made.

Applicants should also complete the online Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form by the same deadline. This form is used solely for monitoring purposes and will not be seen by any members of the selection committee. Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in Oxford.

The policy and practice of Wadham College requires that all staff are offered equal opportunities within employment and that entry into employment with the College and progression within employment will be determined only by personal merit and the application of criteria which are related to the duties of each particular post and the relevant salary structure. In all cases, ability to perform the job will be the primary criterion.

Subject to statutory provisions, the aim of our policy is to ensure that no applicant, student, or member of staff will be discriminated against on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or parenthood, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation, or be disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be permitted by law.

Interviews are expected to be held on 26 January 2026. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to email two pieces of research to date (for example, published or draft articles and/or chapters of a thesis would be appropriate) and be invited for interview, for which all reasonable and previously agreed expenses will be reimbursed.

The recommendation of the Selection Committee will be subject to the approval of the Governing Body of Wadham College. The appointment will be subject to satisfactory completion of a medical questionnaire, disclosure of any criminal convictions (and agreement following appropriate discussion of any such convictions), and proof that the candidate either has the right to work in the UK or would be able to secure it in time to take up the appointment on 1 September 2026.

The College welcomes applications from candidates who have a disability. These documents will be made available in large print, audio or other formats on request. Applicants invited for interview will be asked whether they require any particular arrangements to make the interview more convenient and effective for them.