African Fellowships

• Research visit at the University of Edinburgh for two months, ideally from December to January, otherwise January to February.
• Bursary of up to £1,500 per month, plus a £1,000 travel grant (plus visa fees if needed)
• Dedicated office space, University e-mail and library access
• Weekly Fellows’ Lunch to build community
• Collegial work-in-progress seminar series for testing new ideas
• Calendar of engaging events at the Institute and College
• Opportunities to participate in and design funded workshops, colloquia etc. at the Institute

IASH provides an enviable location in one of the world’s most intellectually inspiring cities, together with a dynamic network of international connections.

Home to the Scottish Enlightenment, Edinburgh has a rich cultural heritage of scholarship and creativity that continues to the present day. In this haven of libraries and archives, galleries and music venues – all set amid iconic architecture – IASH takes the humanities beyond campus to engage the public and work with organisations in a variety of different sectors.

The Institute welcomes visiting researchers from across the world. Since 1970, over 1,500 Fellows have stepped through our doors. Up to 30 researchers are in residence at any one time in our amazing – and eclectic – nineteenth-century building just on the edge of the University’s central campus, boasting views of the Meadows.

From upwards of 65 countries, IASH Fellows form a global alumni community, and many career-long connections begin at the Institute.

• Professor Lilian-Rita Akudolu (2019; Nnamdi Azikiwe University)
• Dr B Camminga (2020-21; University of the Witwatersrand)
• Dr Sam Challis (2022; University of the Witwatersrand)
• Dr Siphiwe Dube (2021; University of the Witwatersrand)
• Professor Tanya Graham (2019-20; University of the Witwatersrand)
• Dr Laura Rossouw (2021-22; University of the Witwatersrand)
• Professor Imraan Valodia (2019-20; University of the Witwatersrand)
• Dr Alex Wafer (2020; University of the Witwatersrand)
• Dr Khwezi Mkhize (2022-23; University of the Witwatersrand)
• Dr Dineo Skosana (2022-23; University of the Witwatersrand)
• Professor Nicole De Wet-Billings (2023; University of the Witwatersrand)
• Professor Daniela Casale (2023-24; University of the Witwatersrand)
• Dr Diran Soumonni (2023-24; University of the Witwatersrand)
• The 2024-25 Fellows will be Professor Samantha Vice and Dr Catherine Namono.

Candidates for African Fellowships will hold a doctorate or equivalent professional qualification, and be currently contracted members of staff at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Research in health informatics, rangeland management, inequality studies and digital innovation is prioritised, along with environmental humanities and medical humanities. We would also welcome applications that contribute to our 2025-26 theme, Making A Nation.

• Applicants should supply a short CV (no more than three pages, listing publications related to your proposal, and up to ten most significant publications) and a project proposal of no more than three pages including a bibliography.
• Applicants are also required to give evidence of any contact they have made with researchers at the University of Edinburgh, and of proposed collaboration during and beyond their visit to Edinburgh; those who do make such contact before submitting their applications will be at an advantage.
• If languages other than English are required for your project, please also outline the degree of your conversational and reading competence in each.
• If you have received a Fellowship from IASH in the past, please give the title(s), year(s), and bursary amount(s).
• If you have applied for other grants to support the same project during the same time period, please also list these in your application.
• Applicants should also provide one academic reference (which should comment on the research proposal, and can come from a colleague at Wits or another institution) and one letter of support from their head of department or equivalent. These references should be sent by the referees directly to lynda.murray@wits.ac.za by 28 February 2025, 17.00 SA time.

By submitting an application, the applicant agrees that their full application (including details of their name, contact details, institutional affiliation and programme) will be released to IASH and the applicant accepts that this information will be treated as confidential and with sensitivity by the University of Edinburgh.

Applications for the 2025-26 round will close on 28 February 2025. Applications received after that date will not be considered.

Successful candidates will be notified by email by the end of May with a formal letter of confirmation to follow; please ensure that you supply a valid email address so that you can be contacted quickly after decisions are made.

• Consideration will be given to the academic record and the publications of all applicants and their capacity to disseminate their views among a community of like-minded people. Competition for Fellowships is intense and preference may be given to applicants who have not previously held a Fellowship at the Institute or an equivalent institution.
• The Institute was established in 1969 to promote enquiry of the highest standards in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Inter-departmental and interdisciplinary study is encouraged.
• Fellows are expected to be resident in Edinburgh throughout the tenure of their Fellowship and to play a full part in the activities of the Institute. The Institute will be pleased to help with finding suitable accommodation in Edinburgh but is unable to pay accommodation costs beyond the monthly bursary. The typical tenure for an African Fellowship is two months; applications for less than two months will not be considered.
• No regular teaching is required but Fellows will give at least one seminar at IASH on their current research work and may be asked to speak to an appropriate subject group within the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science.
• The Institute is close to the University Library and within easy reach of the National Library of Scotland, the Central City Library, the National Galleries and Museums, the Library of the Society of Antiquaries in Scotland, the library of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and the National Archives of Scotland. Access to both the extensive archival and online resources of all of these collections can be arranged for Fellows as appropriate.
• Only fully completed applications will be considered. It is the responsibility of each applicant to ensure that all documentation is complete, and that referees submit their references by the closing date.