Postdoctoral Research Assistant - Music, Heritage, Place

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Department of Music
Location:  Egham
Salary:  £39,233 per annum pro rata - including London Allowance
This is the expected starting salary for this post however appointment at a higher point may be made for candidates who demonstrate exceptional skills and experience relevant to the role.
Post Type:  Part Time
Closing Date:  23.59 hours GMT on Thursday 11 January 2024
Reference:  1223-516

Part time, Fixed term (0.8 FTE for 24 months, starting 1 April 2024 at the latest)

Applications are invited for the post of Postdoctoral Research Assistant on the collaborative research project Music, Heritage, Place: Unlocking the Musical Collections of England’s County Record Offices, funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council. 

Music, Heritage, Place is a 27-month project led by Professor Stephen Rose (Royal Holloway, University of London), with Professor Kirsten Gibson and Nancy Kerr (Newcastle University) in collaboration with 9 partner organizations. The project will uncover and investigate the music manuscripts and printed music from c.1550 to c.1850 held in local archives across England, and will document these sources by creating entries within the database Répertoire International des Sources Musicales (RISM). It will also connect this musical heritage with today’s communities through educational events and co-created performances.

The Postdoctoral Research Assistant will work with the project team to contribute to all its work packages. They will visit archives across southern England and the Midlands to conduct research on the musical sources held there, making inventories of these sources suitable for inclusion in RISM. They will produce independent and original contributions to the subject area, investigating how music was associated with mobility and local identity in the 17th and 18th centuries. They will also work with project partners including archives and educational organisations to co-create public engagement activities.

The successful applicant will have (or expect to have within 3 months) a PhD or equivalent qualification in musicology or music history. Skills that will be very useful for the project include: bibliographical description and cataloguing of music manuscripts and early printed sources; an ability to read music notation and scribal handwriting of the 17th and 18th centuries; and an ability to analyse bibliographical and historical data to understand patterns of mobility. Experience of digital humanities techniques such as geo-mapping tools will be desirable, as will previous experience of communicating and publishing research into music history. You must be able to schedule and prioritise your own workload, and be willing to travel within England (particularly to county towns and some rural locations) for archival visits and public engagement events. 

 In return we offer a highly competitive rewards and benefits package including:

• Generous annual leave entitlement 
• Training and Development opportunities
• Pension Scheme with generous employer contribution 
• Access to various workplace schemes including Cycle to Work, Season Ticket Loans and help with the cost of Eyesight testing. 
• Free parking

The successful candidate will be offered development opportunities suitable for a range of future careers including academic research, the library/archive sector, heritage organisations, and public engagement.

Applicants should submit the application form plus a CV with a list of publications.

The post is based in Egham, Surrey, where the university is situated in a beautiful, leafy campus near to Windsor Great Park and within commuting distance from London.

For an informal discussion about the post, please contact Professor Stephen Rose on [email protected]

For queries on the application process the Human Resources Department can be contacted by email at: [email protected]

Please quote the reference: 1223-516

Closing Date:  23:59, 11 January 2024

Interview Date: 26 January 2024

The university has adopted hybrid working for some roles therefore some remote working may be possible for this role.

Royal Holloway is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and encourages applications from all people regardless of age, disability, gender, marital status, parental status, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or trans status or history. More information on our structures and initiatives around EDI, including information on staff diversity networks, can be found on our Equality and Diversity Intranet page .