Research Fellowships in Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (2027)

Gonville & Caius College intends to elect two Research Fellows in Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences in 2027. Candidates should be postgraduate students or post-doctoral researchers who will either be in their final year of doctoral research or not more advanced than one year since the first submission of their PhD. Research Fellowships are awarded to individuals with an exceptionally strong academic record who have produced innovative doctoral research in any area of the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

The Fellowships will be tenable for four years from 1 October 2027. Research Fellows have the full entitlement of Fellows; they are expected to spend the tenure of their Fellowship in Cambridge and to contribute to the life of the College. Permission may be granted for periods of research away from Cambridge. Periods of intermission spent working away from Cambridge up to a total of two years are not counted as part of the four years of a Research Fellowship.

A Research Fellowship at Caius is compatible with a simultaneous appointment to a salaried post-doctoral position in a Cambridge Department or Faculty. Such a person appointed to a Research Fellowship would be entitled to all the benefits of a Research Fellow other than stipend. If the post-doctoral position comes to an end before the end of the four-year Fellowship, the College’s usual stipend will apply for the remainder of the time.

The current stipend offered is either (a) £29,188, rising by three annual increments to £32,470 if living in College accommodation as a single person, which is free, or in College couples’ or family accommodation, if available, which is subsidised, or (b) £32,781 rising by 3 annual increments to £36,064 if not living in College accommodation. All stipends are subject to an annual cost of living review each October. Other benefits include 10 free meals per week and the reimbursement of certain research expenses of up to £3,000 p.a. There are also opportunities for College teaching (up to six hours per week), which attracts extra payment. 

Candidates must submit written work for assessment amounting to a minimum of 20,000 words at the same time as their application. Apart from quotations, the work must be in English. If a complete PhD and/or published work is submitted, the applicant should indicate which parts are the most important. A maximum of 30,000 words will be assessed. 

Applications open on Tuesday 1 September 2026 and must be completed by Wednesday 30 September 2026. Shortlisting will take place on Monday 11 January 2027. Those selected will be invited for interview on Friday 15 January 2027, so candidates should ensure that they will be available for interview on that day, if required. Offers will be made on Monday 18 January and must be accepted by 4.00 pm on Wednesday 20 January 2027 at the latest.

The College is an equal opportunities employer and actively supports equality, diversity, and inclusion, and encourages applications from all sections of society. Elections to Research Fellowships are made purely on the basis of intellectual and academic attainment and promise.

The College provides an allowance of up to £5,000 towards the cost of initial visa fees and UK Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) for the main applicant (but not for family members or partners), if they require a visa to take up the offer. 

TO APPLY
Please go to: https://rfc.cai.cam.ac.uk/ .

We encourage potential candidates to wait until further details have been published on that site before getting in touch with the College as there will be a Frequently Asked Questions page which should answer most queries.  However, the administrator for this competition may be reached at [email protected] if necessary.

There are 31 Colleges within the University of Cambridge. Each is an independent institution and elects its own Fellows.

Please note that the College also intends to elect two Research Fellows in Sciences in 2027; details regarding this are also on the College website.