Research Fellow – Material Heritage of Shakespeare and Stratford-upon-Avon
University of Birmingham – School of History and Cultures within the College of Arts and Law

Duration of Post: Full time, Fixed term for a period of 24 months
Salary: Starting salary is normally in the range £28,982 to £37,768. With potential progression once in post to £40,082 a year.

This is a full-time research fellowship for a fixed term of two years. The postdoctoral fellow will work with Dr Tara Hamling and colleagues in the Centre for Reformation and Early Modern Studies (CREMS) in the Department of History, University of Birmingham and in collaboration with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon (SBT). The post will serve two associated functions:

1. To support, enhance and extend activities leading to Impact associated with the History Department’s ongoing knowledge exchange partnership with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s Collections Department. This role will involve identifying and implementing opportunities for new access and interpretation around the SBT collections (especially in relation to SBT’s on-line presence and materials but also physical displays, educational work and commercial opportunities) informed by recent research in material culture, social and cultural history as applied to the extensive museum and archival collections of the SBT. This work would build on previous and continuing research and interpretation activities around their early modern object collections and will involve a range of activities including public events, use of social media and digital technologies.

2. To contribute knowledge to inform funding bids for large research projects utilising the range of historical materials held by the SBT and their heritage implications, building on previous grants held in partnership with the SBT (AHRC Collaborate Doctorate 2010-13) and scoping exercises (AHRC Digital Transformations Scoping Study: ‘Digital CoPs and Robbers: Communities of Practice and the Transformation of Research’ 2012). The post holder will be expected to craft grant applications in consultation with colleagues in History and at SBT, working closely with the University’s research support team, and may involve developing relationships with other partners in the cultural and creative sectors.

A third subsidiary objective of the fellowship involves maintaining and developing links between CREMS in the School of History and Cultures and The Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon (part of the School of English, Drama and American & Canadian Studies), such as postgraduate teaching. It is therefore expected that the post holder will be based locally to work between the University’s Edgbaston campus and in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Expected start date of the post is September 2016.

For full details, and to apply, please visit: http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/ANK297/research-fellow-material-heritage-of-shakespeare-and-stratford-upon-avon

Closing Date: 10 May, 2016.

Newberry Mellon Major Projects Fellow
Department: Exhibitions and Major Projects

Term: July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017
Schedule: Full-time, 35 hours/week, Monday through Friday with occasional evenings and weekends for special events. One-year, grant-funded, exempt position.
Benefits: Group life, health, dental, and vision insurance; fifteen vacation days first year and two personal days and paid holidays annually.
Date Posted: March 31, 2016
Date Available: July 1, 2016

The Newberry Mellon Major Projects Fellow will participate in diverse aspects of the planning and preparation for the library’s major scholarly initiative focused on Religious Change in Europe, 1450-1700. The initiative will include gallery and online exhibitions, additional digital resources, as well as programs for scholars, students, and the public. These programs will take the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses as a starting point for a multidisciplinary examination of the Reformation and its immediate aftermath. The majority of the public programs will take place during the 2017-18 academic year. The fellow will report to the Director of Exhibitions and Major Projects.

Responsibilities:

For the gallery and digital exhibitions:

• collaborate with members of the project team (comprising Newberry staff members and outside scholars) in framing and refining exhibition categories;
• identify preliminary selections, research specific items in the collection for inclusion;
• translate titles and short texts into English; assist with label writing, planning, and administration.

For the related digital resources:

• collaborate with the Digital Initiatives Librarian and other members of the project team in conceptualizing, designing and implementing the digital humanities components of the project, which may include blog posts, podcasts, videos, interactive timelines and maps, outreach through social media, and crowd-sourced programs;
• identify preliminary selections, research specific items in the collection for inclusion, assist with translation and writing textual components and scripts, planning, and administration;
• Assist project team in conceptualizing and planning public and scholarly programs;
  Carry out other assignments as needed to achieve departmental goals;
• Provide assistance to other Newberry Library departments and initiatives, including but not limited to Collections and Library Services, Research and Academic Programs, Development, and Communications projects.

Qualifications:

• PhD in a humanities field, with a research focus on the history of religion in early modern Europe;
• Reading fluency in modern and early modern German required; reading competency in two other European languages, such as Latin, French, Italian, and Spanish, highly desirable;
• Experience in digital humanities and using primary source materials in research preferred;
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office suite, Omeka, and project management software preferred;
• Demonstrated excellent oral and written communications skills and ability to interact and collaborate with diverse constituencies required.

Application Deadline: Review of applications will begin May 1, 2016 and will continue until the position is filled.

Application materials should be sent to hr@newberry.org and include a cover letter, CV, short (30 pages or less) writing sample, and contact information for three references. Applicants should indicate their start date availability in the cover letter.