Eligibility Requirements

• Applications are encouraged from candidates from all countries and all universities. Applications are particularly welcome from women and from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in Oxford.
• Applications for this year's competition will be considered in all academic subjects except the following: Chemistry, Computer Science, English, History (after 370AD), Mathematics, Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Philosophy, and Physics.
• Candidates should hold, or be close to completion of, a doctorate. If a candidate has not formally submitted their doctoral thesis at the time of application, they will be expected to do so before taking up the post. All successful candidates will already have demonstrated outstanding promise in their research.
• Those who formally submitted their doctoral thesis for viva voce examination before 1 July 2023 are not eligible unless they have since had a career break (e.g., a period of parental leave, family commitments, or illness) or there are other exceptional circumstances. No applicant who has been appointed to a permanent academic post in an institution of higher education at any time in their career will be eligible.
• Please view the Eligibility Requirements for further details. The Fellowship Administrator is unable to answer queries relating to your eligibility; please follow the instructions.

Benefits

• Each Fellowship is tenable for three years at a stipend currently starting at £43,519 per annum, subject to an annual cost of living award. This stipend is subject to deduction if a scholarship or similar funding from another source is held concurrently by the Fellow by Examination.
• For all three years of appointment, the Fellow is entitled to: free lunches and dinners in College; a research allowance to cover reimbursement of expenses (of up to £2,500 per annum).
• Fellows by Examination are entitled to join the University's Superannuation Scheme.
• Fellows by Examination can benefit from flexible working conditions.
• All employees of the College are entitled to the College's enhanced benefits for Maternity, Adoption, Shared Parental and Paternity Leave from day one of employment with no qualifying period. The College provides for maternity leave on a basis that exceeds the statutory provisions: women are eligible for 26 weeks' maternity leave on full pay, followed by 13 weeks of leave on Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and 13 weeks of unpaid maternity leave. Similar arrangements are available for Adoption Leave and Shared Parental Leave. Paternity Leave is also available. Magdalen College has a priority claim on four places in the University nurseries.
• Please note that all elements of the employment are subject to the right to work in the UK.

Contribution to College Life

The collegiate system fosters a strong sense of community, bringing together leading academics and students across subjects, and from different cultures and countries.

Fellows by Examination are actively involved in college governance as members of the Governing Body of the College (Charity Trustees) for the first two years of appointment.

Fellows by Examination also play an important role in the communal life of the College, and are expected to participate in and contribute to the rich variety of cultural, social and academic events that take place.

Below are some examples of college activities or events that former Fellows by Examination have organized or contributed to. The list is not exhaustive and the college is always open to new ideas.

• Outreach talks and Open Day panels
• Undergraduate teaching and admission
• Mentoring of Graduate students
• Fostering interaction between Fellows and Graduate students
• Interdisciplinary symposia
• Subject specific seminars or conferences
• Research talks aimed at the college community or the general public
• Curation of exhibitions in the Old Library
• Music performances and Poetry readings

Further Details

• Details of how to apply and further particulars can be downloaded from www.magd.ox.ac.uk/job-vacancies. The closing date is 12.00 noon on Thursday 17 October 2024, and applications must be completed at or before that time. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
• Recruitment Monitoring forms should be completed using the online form available on the Magdalen job vacancy page www.magd.ox.ac.uk/job-vacancies.
• A research proposal of maximum 2,000 words must be submitted as part of the application. It should outline the research the applicant has completed or is currently completing, explain why this research is original and important, and describe the research they propose to undertake if elected to a Fellowship.
• Applications, including full contact details for two referees, must be submitted online by UK Time 12.00 noon on Thursday 17 October 2024. Applications not submitted by the deadline will not be accepted. Referees' reports must be submitted online by 12.00 noon on Tuesday 22 October 2024. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
• Reports from the two candidate-nominated referees, both of whom should be familiar with the candidate's recent research work, must be submitted through the website.
• The appointment will be subject to proof of the candidate’s highest qualification achieved evidenced by the original degree certificate.
• Following the initial offer of the position, appointment will be subject to (a) satisfactory completion of a medical questionnaire, and (b) provision of proof of the right to work in the UK.
• If the chosen candidate requires a UK visa, HR and the University Staff Immigration Team will discuss visa routes and will provide advice and assistance with an application.
• If a person appointed to one of the posts is a migrant sponsored under the UK's new points-based migration system, we are required to retain the applications for all shortlisted candidates until six months after we have ceased sponsoring the migrant in question.
• Candidates invited for interview from the UK who come from outside Oxford will be accommodated overnight, if necessary. Candidates currently resident abroad may be interviewed by Teams.

Written Work

• A sample or samples of your original research must be submitted as part of your application. Such samples must be submitted as PDF files.
• Submitted work should be a maximum of 25,000 words in total, including all footnotes and bibliography. It may consist of any or all of the following: published papers, the whole or part of a thesis or dissertation for a higher degree, or material especially prepared for the application. Candidates should submit what they judge to be their best and most significant original research to date. It is preferable but not essential that submitted written work be related to the research the candidate proposes to do if elected. Where a submitted paper is joint-authored, candidates must append a statement making clear the extent of their contribution to the research. Submitted work should be written in English. Where the submitted work is originally published in another language, both the original and a translation should be submitted.
• Candidates in science subjects who require laboratory facilities must ensure that these would be available to them in Oxford during the period of the tenure of the Fellowship. They must have the written approval of the Head of Department for the University laboratory in which they need to work before the closing date for applications. Any candidate who may require substantial access to the central University computing services will also require the approval of the Director of Computing Services.

Fellowship Details

• The job title is Fellow by Examination.
• Skills and experience required: research experience at doctoral level in an academic subject. Candidates should be able to manage their own independent research and should have excellent communication skills.
• The basic obligation of a Fellow by Examination is to engage full-time in independent research in an academic subject and its dissemination. The successful candidate will be expected to propose, plan and manage a high-quality programme of original research; and publicise the outcomes of that research through the presentation of papers and publications.
• Fellows by Examination are expected to have their main residence in the Oxford area, and their research base must be in Oxford.
• Fellows by Examination play an important role in the communal life of the College, and are expected to participate in and contribute to the rich variety of cultural, social and academic events that take place.
• Fellows by Examination are actively involved in college governance as members of the Governing Body of the College (Charity Trustees) for the first two years of appointment.
• Fellows by Examination may engage in teaching and, if teaching, would normally be expected to give priority to the College’s own teaching needs. Fellows by Examination must obtain permission from Governing Body to engage in a substantial amount of teaching for other Colleges or institutions.
• Fellows by Examination are required to prepare and submit an annual report to the Fellowship Committee, which will be reported to the Governing Body. The report should describe research progress for the academic year, including any publications and conference presentations, and highlight any contributions made to the communal life of the College.

Application Timetable

• The application process begins on Monday 9 September 2024. Please note that all communication with applicants will be via email.
• Applications must be submitted through the website by UK Time 12.00 noon on Thursday 17 October 2024. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
• The deadline for submission of two referees' reports is UK Time 12.00 noon on Tuesday 22 October 2024. The references should be submitted by referees directly through the online system.
• All candidates will be contacted to advise whether they have been shortlisted for interview by Wednesday 29 January 2025.
• Interviews will be held on Wednesday 5 February 2025.
• Elections to Fellowships will be made shortly after interviews.
• Successful candidates will normally be expected to take up their Fellowships on or before 1 October 2025.