Academic Fellowship: History & Heritage
Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences
University of Keele

(Five year Fellowship, leading to permanent Academic post,
subject to satisfactory performance review)

Salary Scale: £22,289 - £30,002

The Research Institute for the Humanities at Keele University has been 
awarded a Research Council UK Academic Fellowship in History and Heritage, 
and wishes to recruit a high-calibre research active individual with 
expertise in Public History. 

The successful candidate might be trained as a cultural or landscape 
historian, historical geographer, field archaeologist, historical 
anthropologist or museum/heritage professional; and should be of 
postdoctoral standing (able to demonstrate equivalent and relevant 
professional experience) or have a PhD. The post is for five years in the 
first instance and, subject to satisfactory performance, will lead to a 
permanent post at the end of the Fellowship. Note that, under the rules of 
the Academic Fellowship Scheme, individuals who already have, or have been 
promised, a permanent position are not eligible to apply.

Within the Research Institute for the Humanities there are a number of 
colleagues with research interests in public history in Great Britain and 
the United States in departments rated 5 in RAE 2001, and there is also an 
established and highly successful regional history research group, with a 
track-record of out-reach and community engagement. The Local History 
Centre produces and disseminates high-quality research in local history, 
particularly of the North Midlands and the North-West. Members of the 
Centre serve on a range of local history and record societies in 
Lancashire and Cheshire as well as Shropshire and Staffordshire. The 
Centre sponsors two journals (Staffordshire Studies and the Shropshire 
Record Series), a biennial public lecture (the ‘Earl Lecture') and a 
regular public seminar series, supported by the Jack Leighton Trust 
Undergraduates in History have the opportunity to follow a second-year 
module which includes a one-semester work placement in a choice of 
museums, archives and similar heritage environments. 
A long-term project is the Victoria County History Project (VCH), which is 
supported by a unique collaboration between the University and 
Staffordshire County Council, which provides c£55k p.a. plus in-kind 
support. Twelve volumes on Staffordshire have now been published and 
another is expected in 2007/8. 

This research activity underpins a suite of teaching programmes, ranging 
from adult education courses (e.g. Certificates in Local History, 
Archaeology and Post-medieval Archaeology, as well as short courses in 
Cheshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire delivered to 346 students in 
2005/6) to specialist training on archival resources and specialist 
language skills (e.g. the Latin and Palaeography Summer School now in its 
29th year). 

The Research Institute wishes to further strengthen and broaden the 
academic scope of its History Group by appointing an individual with a 
strong interest in representations of the past, historical landscapes 
and/or communities, ideally with a geographical focus on the Midlands and 
North West. 

The History group collaborates with the University's Widening 
Participation Unit, in providing outreach events for schools within the 
region, as well as working closely with other public sector partners, 
voluntary bodies and community groups, heritage sites and museums. The 
successful applicant will have excellent communication skills and a strong 
commitment to outreach, and in particular will show the enthusiasm and 
ability to engage with schools and museums and to enthuse audiences of all 
ages. The successful candidate will also be expected to promote, through 
academic exchange schemes, conference and colloquia, the research 
opportunities provided by local archives (held by the University and 
collaborative partners) that remain largely untapped: The Foundations of 
Modern Sociology (Le Play) and the New Vic Theatre (Peter Cheeseman) 
archives, particularly in relation to oral history; the Aerial 
Reconnaissance Archive (TARA); and the Wedgwood archive. Depending upon 
previous experience and skills, the successful candidate may develop 
an ‘enterprise' role, acting as an academic advisor to regional projects, 
for example, writing historical guidebooks, and histories of local 
organizations. These activities would build on the existing track record 
of the local history group in knowledge transfer, for example, the 
histories written of Berryhill Fields (with the Millennium Commission), 
Stafford Castle (with Stafford Borough Council), Ford Green hall (with 
Stoke on Trent City Council), Churchill China, Staffordshire Fire Service, 
the Ceramic City Choir and Trentham Golf Course. 

They will also have a strong commitment to teaching, and will in due 
course contribute to the delivery of the undergraduate degree programme 
relevant discipline areas. It is anticipated that the post will initially 
be strongly research-focused, the duties normally associated with an 
academic post becoming more prevalent towards the end of the Fellowship, 
by which point the successful candidate will have facilitated the 
development of a suite of courses (UG, PG and CPD) related to public 
history and heritage. 

For informal discussion and further information about the post, intending 
applicants are invited to contact either Dr Steve Mills (on 01782 583017 
or [log in to unmask]) or Dr Philip Morgan (Tel: 01782 583204 or 
[log in to unmask])

Full job packs are available from the Human Resources Department, Keele 
University, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG or fax: 01782 583471, e-mail: 
[log in to unmask] or 
http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/uso/hr/cwisvacs.htm 

Please quote post reference: RE06/12UK

Closing date for applications: 16 June 2006