The UK-Ireland Digital Humanities Association is looking to appoint one funded Advocacy & Engagement Fellow for a period of 12 months to assist in the development of an advocacy plan for the Association. 

About the Fellowship 

The Advocacy & Engagement Fellow will work to develop the Advocacy strand of the Association’s activities, as part of the implementation of its three-year roadmap, to ensure we are advocating for digital humanities most effectively by determining how our field matches with the landscape of institutional and policy drivers. 

The fellows will be expected to: 

• Undertake a stakeholder mapping exercise to understand the landscape for digital humanities advocacy in Ireland and the UK. Based on the Fellow’s experience and interest, this could include:
  • Desk research 
  • Direct engagement with stakeholders through a series of interviews, focus groups or other forms of interaction
  • A workshop at the Association’s annual event 
• Develop a set of value propositions based on the mapping and engagement activities. 
• Contribute to wider community engagement around advocacy. 

Fellows will be expected to produce a written report, including a proposed implementation plan, at the end of the stakeholder mapping and engagement activities. Fellows will also work closely with the Association’s leadership Collective and support staff at the School of Advanced Study. The Fellow will be invited to join the Collective’s regular meetings for the duration of their fellowship. 

We invite applications from individuals who have an active interest in digital humanities and experience conducting research. We particularly hope the fellowships will be of interest to researchers, digital practitioners, and galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM) professionals seeking to establish a stronger role in the UK and Ireland’s digital humanities community. We also encourage applications from those traditionally underrepresented in digital humanities. 

The fellowship will be hosted by the School of Advanced Study, University of London on behalf of the Association. Residence in London is not required for the fellowship, which is open to anyone based in Ireland or the United Kingdom. 

We will consider joint applications if two people would like to undertake the fellowship together (i.e. a job share). In this case, the applicants will submit a single statement of interest which addresses how they plan to work together to complete the fellowship. Jointly appointed fellows will split the payment for the fellowship.

The fellowship will last 12 months. We expect the Fellow to commit approximately 10 hours a month to fellowship-related activities, with exact details to be agreed upon before the fellowship commences. There will likely be a slight increase in activity around June for the Annual Event. 

We want to be flexible with how the Fellow arranges their time and so are happy to discuss potential adjustments including a late start date, early completion date, or other changes. If you would like to discuss this before submitting an application, please get in touch at uk-ie.digitalhumanities@sas.ac.uk

The overall payment for the fellowship will be £4000, paid in three installments across the year. Payment can be made directly to the fellow or, if the fellow is employed by another organisation, to that organisation to cover a portion of the fellow’s time (i.e. a buyout).  

Support & Facilities available to Fellows 

The fellowship can be undertaken fully remotely, although fellows should be resident in the UK or Ireland. There is the possibility of travel within the UK and Ireland to participate in activities related to the fellowship, which will be agreed with the appointed fellows and be provided by the Association. Travel, accommodation, and registration costs will also be covered for the fellow to attend the Association’s annual event in 2025. 

The fellow will receive guidance from the Association’s leadership Collective on the design of the mapping exercise and the engagement activities. Logistical support will be provided by staff from the School of Advanced Study. If desired, the fellow may request an email address and library access from the School of Advanced Study and office space can be provided if a fellow would like to work in central London (although this is not required or expected). 

Application Details 

To apply, you will need to submit 

• a completed application form; 
• an up-to-date CV outlining your relevant experience, no more than two pages in length; 
• a statement outlining your interest in the fellowship and demonstrating your ability to pursue the work outlined, no more than two pages in length; 
• a letter of support, if applicable (see below); 
• An equality and diversity form (optional). 

If you are currently enrolled as a student or employed by another organisation, you will also need to submit a letter of support from your manager or academic supervisor. This letter should recognise that a portion of your time, estimated at approximately 10 hours per month, will be dedicated to this work for the duration of the fellowship. 

If submitting a joint application, applicants should submit a single application form and statement of interest outlining how they intend to work together on the project. They should submit individual CVs, letters of support (if applicable), and equality and diversity forms (optional). 

Application materials should be submitted as a PDF to uk-ie.digitalhumanities@sas.ac.uk by Monday, 4 November 2024 at 5:00 PM GMT. If submitting an equality and diversity form, please save that as a separate PDF. Any application received after the deadline may not be considered. 

Short-listed candidates will be notified the week commencing 11 November 2024 and interviews will take place the week commencing 18 November 2024. We expect the fellowship to begin in early 2025, with the exact date to be agreed with the fellow.

Informal queries regarding the fellowships may be directed to Michael Donnay at uk-ie.digitalhumanities@sas.ac.uk. 

Please download the full call for more information about the selection criteria and financial arrangements.