ILAS Stipendiary Fellowship

The Institute of Latin American Studies

The Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS) is one of nine Institutes comprising the School of Advanced Study at the University of London. The School of Advanced Study is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England to promote and facilitate the research of the scholarly community in the UK and overseas in the humanities and cognate social sciences. The School undertakes this mission through academic events, publications, fellowships, libraries, online/digital research resources, networks and collaborations. Further information about the Institute of Latin American Studies can be found on its website: http://www.ilas.sas.ac.uk 

About the Visiting Stipendiary Fellowship Scheme

The purpose of this scheme is to provide support to early career scholars with relevant subject expertise to pursue innovative and interdisciplinary research in an environment tailored to such work, free from the competitive institutional constraints of other UK university institutions. The scheme enables the Fellows to engage a broad range of UK and international scholars in their research through the formation of networks and through collaboration in research projects, publications and dissemination events such as workshops and conferences.

 Visiting Stipendiary Fellowships were offered for the first time in the academic year 2012-13. The 2018-2019 scheme will provide for funding for between three and eight months during the 2018- 2019 academic year (between 01 October 2018 and 13 July 2019). These Fellowships may be extended beyond eight months but no additional funding will be available. Fellowships may be terminated or the offer of a Fellowship withdrawn with or without notice if the Institute Director is not satisfied that the conditions of the appointment are being (or can be) met.

The Fellowships are open to researchers at any career stage, but the scheme is particularly intended to support early career scholars. This scheme is open to early career scholars whose PhD thesis has been approved although they may not have attended a degree-awarding ceremony. Independent researchers without a PhD (in a relevant discipline) would not normally be eligible. 

The responsibilities of Fellows under this scheme are as follows

• To pursue research in the Humanities, broadly defined, pertaining to the work of the Institute.
• To contribute towards the extension of the Institute’s mission to promote and facilitate research in Latin American Studies, including the Caribbean, nationally and internationally, including through the specific activities mentioned below.
• To take the lead in convening academic events and conferences, liaising with speakers on academic content, panel members and related arrangements and collaborating with the Institute’s Events Manager to ensure smooth running on the day.
• To develop the activities of the Institute by presenting research findings (including collaborative research if appropriate) at a conference or seminar.
• To prepare articles for publication in appropriate journals, or chapters for edited volumes or monographs.
• To assist with the editing of publications in the ILAS in-house publications series, at the request of the Series Editor (the Director of the Institute) and in line with the research specialism(s) of the Fellow.
• To deliver at least one seminar, lecture or talk, whether stand-alone or as part of a larger, conference, workshop, symposium or other event at a University in the UK outside of London to which the Fellow has not previously been affiliated (for example, a talk delivered at the institution from which the Fellow was awarded their PhD would not meet this requirement). Modest funding is available to support this requirement. 

In addition, Fellows are expected to

• provide a brief biography for use by the Institute in connection with the Fellowship Programme
• contribute to the wider academic and intellectual endeavour of the Institute and of the School of Advanced Study by playing an active role in its affairs
• write a blog for the Institute website
• report any publications containing results of work done with the aid of a Fellowship and include adequate acknowledgement
• contribute work in progress, research findings or other previously unpublished material to the School of Advanced Study’s online research repository, SAS-Space, as appropriate
• maintain online details of their Fellowship on ILAS’s website, in the School’s Directory of Research and Expertise and the web presence of their ‘home’ institution (if applicable)
• write a brief report shortly after the end of the Fellowship period, for publication on the ILAS website and other media such as the ILAS annual report
• base themselves in the Institute for the duration of the Fellowship, subject to reasonable, short research trips (following the approval of the Director) and other professional engagements (see also ‘Financial Arrangements’, below)
• observe the policies, procedures and processes of the Institute, the School and the University, including (but not limited to) those pertaining to health and safety, security, data protection, equality and diversity, IT security, IT code of conduct and the University Ordinances. Copies of such policies and appropriate guidance will be available to Fellows upon arrival at the Institute.
• make only reasonable usage of the facilities available to them (see below) which directly incur cost, including postage, photocopying and printing facilities. 

Facilities available to Fellows

Fellows will have 24-hour access to shared office/research space within Senate House in the Bloomsbury area of central London. These offices include PCs with email and internet facilities, direct-dial telephones, and reasonable usage of stationery, printing, postage and photocopying facilities for research-related purposes. Senate House is located adjacent to the British Museum and within walking distance of the British Library.

Fellows will also receive a library card giving borrowing rights in Senate House Libraries that includes access to the Caribbean and Latin American collections, including the assistance of a dedicated librarian. Access can usually be arranged to other libraries within the University, such as the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), UCL, LSE and KCL. 

Financial arrangements

A stipend of £1,750 GBP (gross of statutory deductions) per calendar month is offered to successful candidates (which can be used towards travel and accommodation costs). Living accommodation is not provided, and it is the responsibility of the Fellow to arrange it. Arrangements for the payment of this stipend may vary according to the particular circumstances of the successful candidate and detailed discussions will be entered into at the point that any offer is made. Please note that, depending on the individual awardees’ circumstances, your stipend may be subject to ordinary income and National Insurance deductions made at source.

There is a range of information on typical accommodation and living costs in London available on the Institute’s website at http://ilas.sas.ac.uk/fellowships/visitor-info/ along with some websites to find suitable accommodation. Successful applicants will be able to take advantage, subject to availability, of accommodation reserved for visiting academics by the University of London Housing Services.

Fellows may, with the prior approval of the Institute Director, undertake other paid employment (subject to the terms of any visa they have had to obtain). Such approval will not be unreasonably withheld provided that the objectives of the Fellowship are observed. Alternatively, Fellows may wish to call upon research funds from their ‘home’ institution or private funds to supplement the Institute’s stipend.

Further funds are available to the Fellows of the scheme to assist with the convening of scholarly events in the Fellow’s areas of subject focus. These can be used for participants travel and accommodation, event catering and related costs. Details will be discussed with successful applicants and the release of such funds is at the discretion of the Institute Director.  

The Research Excellence Framework

The School of Advanced Study receives special funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). As a result, the School makes no submission to the Research Excellence Framework (REF), formerly the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). If a Fellow retains an affiliation elsewhere, their ‘home’ institution is therefore free to use the publications and other research outputs of these funded Fellowships for reporting as part of the REF

Entry to the UK 

It is the Fellow’s responsibility to make the necessary arrangements for entry into the UK. For further information, please refer to this link to the UK Government’s website: https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration

Method of application

Applicants must submit the application form to ilas@sas.ac.uk together with:

• a short CV (not usually longer than four pages);
• a Research Proposal detailing the research project to be carried out during the Fellowship (maximum: 2000 words)
• A Scholarly Engagement Proposal, which outlines how the applicant would form networks, disseminate research outputs, work across subject disciplines and bring in forward innovative approaches (approximately 1000 words)
• Two references from appropriate academic referees, which should be submitted directly by the referee under separate cover but no later than the deadline stated below. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that referees are willing and able to give references by the stated deadline. Please note that references cannot be given by members of the School (which includes Fellows from within the School). 

Applicants are advised to make clear in their application:

• Why it is important for them to be based in London in order to carry out their research
• How their research can benefit from the resources and collaborations available at the Institute and at the School
• How they intend to contribute productively to the range of activity across the Institute and the School
• The existing research networks and collaborations with which they intend to work, or the UK or international scholars with whom they hope to engage and the nature and theme of the interdisciplinary networks or events they hope to convene
• Any innovative approaches that their research brings to the field
• The feasibility of the proposed Fellowship (of up to 8 months), in both scholarly and financial terms. 

Selection Criteria

A neutral Selection Panel of the Institute will assess proposed Fellowships. Applications will be considered against each of the following criteria:

• The completeness of the application received by the stated deadline (incomplete applications, including those without references, may not be considered)
• The extent to which the Fellow intends to make use of resources or networks that would not be possible without the Fellowship, including the extent to which s/he intends to collaborate with other Institutes of the School of Advanced Study and its Human Rights Consortium
• The extent to which the proposed research project, to be undertaken during the Fellowship, will advance current research, or make an original and innovative contribution to the field, or demonstrates original thinking or approaches outside of conventional opinion or methodologies
• The extent and evidence of the applicant’s willingness to contribute to the life of the Institute through participation in academic events and publications, and the extent to which the applicant can demonstrate ideas in this regard
• The feasibility of the proposed Fellowship and the research to be undertaken 

The Institute particularly values interdisciplinary work that spans the remit of other Institutes of the School and its Human Rights Consortium. Further information about the School and its Institutes is available on the School’s website: http://www.sas.ac.uk and information on the range of research expertise across the School is available on its online Directory of Research and Expertise at http://research.sas.ac.uk/

References 

Applicants to the scheme are expected to provide two references specific to the application. These references may be sent directly by the referee by post (on headed paper) or by email (from an institutional, not personal, email address). The letters of reference may also be included within the application pack submitted by the applicant if the applicant’s referee(s) agrees to this. Please note that your application will not be considered complete until both reference letters are received. 

For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.

This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:

https://ilas.sas.ac.uk/fellowships/ilas-stipendiary-fellowships#2018&utm_source=ARMACAD.info&utm_medium=ARMACAD.info