Worcester College proposes to appoint a Junior Research Fellow, in any area of 20^th Century British or American Fiction or Literary Journalism, for a fixed period of three years. The Fellowship is funded by a generous benefaction from Steven and Barbara Isenberg, with the support of Barrie and Deedee Wigmore. The Fellowship is intended to provide an early career scholar with an extended period of advanced research after the completion of their doctoral thesis, and provides an unrivalled opportunity to establish a research profile as a member of a collegiate community. The Isenberg Fellow will also be permitted, but not required, to teach tutorials or classes in their field for a maximum of four hours per week.

I    The Role

Duties of the Fellowship:

• Propose, plan and manage a high quality and ambitious programme of original research in any area of 20^th Century British or American Fiction or Literary Journalism;
• Publicise the outcomes of that research at a national and international level through presentation of papers and publications;
• Liaise with research colleagues within and outside Oxford with a view to future research collaboration;
• Engage in the life and activities of the College.

II    APPLICATION AND APPOINTMENT PROCEDURE

Applications should be sent by email to academic.recruitment@worc.ox.ac.uk by midnight, Sunday 7^th June 2026. Applications should be in the form of a single PDF file with the applicant’s surname in block capitals as the first word of the document title.

Applications should comprise:

• a completed application form, available at www.worc.ox.ac.uk/jobs
• a curriculum vitae, including a list of publications in print and in production;
• a summary of current and future research;
• the names and addresses of two referees.

Applicants must arrange for two confidential letters of recommendation to be sent direct to the College by the closing date. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to submit a sample of written work up to 8,000 words in length, and interviews for a final group will take place in late June.

Informal enquiries may be made to the Senior Tutor, Dr Helen Parish (email senior.tutor@worc.ox.ac.uk)

Appointments will be subject to the provision of proof of the right to work in the UK. To comply with UK employment legislation successful candidates will be required to provide documentary evidence of their eligibility for employment before starting work with the College. Further information is available at https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration.

In 2017 the Governing Body of Worcester College made a formal commitment to building a more socially and culturally diverse academic community. As part of our diversity strategy, we are actively seeking excellent candidates from groups which are under-represented on our academic staff: Black and minority ethnic candidates, and women of all ethnicities. 

Please note that any personal data submitted to the College as part of the job application process will be used only for the purposes of determining suitability for the post and processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and related UK data protection legislation. For further information, please see the College’s Privacy

Notice for Job Applicants at: http://www.worc.ox.ac.uk/about/policies and http://www.worc.ox.ac.uk/about/policies-and-procedures/privacy-gdprprocedures/privacy-gdpr