The Bodleian Libraries Visiting Fellows Programme 2015-2016

Bahari Visiting Fellowships in the Persian Arts of the Book

Applications are invited for Fellowships of up to 9 months in duration, for research into the Persian Arts of the Book. Research areas may include but are not limited to studies in Art History, Codicology, Calligraphy, Miniature Painting, the History of Islamic Book Production and Scribal Practices, Manuscript Cataloguing, and the Editing and Translation of Texts.

Academics or university staff of at least post-doctoral level or equivalent, with a current institutional affiliation, are welcome to apply. The main focus of any research proposal should be on an aspect or aspects of the Bodleian’s Persian and Islamic Collections. Applications should include details of the Collections to be consulted and of the larger project that the research visit will support, including planned outcomes.

The Bodleian’s Persian collections date back to the very beginning of the 17th century and consist of around 2,500 manuscript codices containing about 5,000 works in all classical disciplines. Particularly well represented are Histories, Biographies, and Classical Persian Poetry. The collection of illustrated manuscripts containing miniatures is world class.

For a glimpse into the collections based on a recent exhibition, please visit: http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/bodley/whats-on/online/love-and-devotion.

Basic records of a large part of the Bodleian’s Islamic Manuscript Collections may also be found here: www.fihrist.org.uk.

For guides to the Collections and links to some online versions of printed catalogues, see link here.

How to apply

TERMS FOR ALL FELLOWSHIPS
• Fellows are expected to be in residence in Oxford during the period of the Fellowship.
• Fellows are responsible for ensuring they have the correct UK visa to support a research trip in the United Kingdom for the duration of the Fellowship. Please note that the Library’s ability to offer Fellowships to non-EEA nationals is governed by strict UK visa regulations. We strongly suggest that you seek informal advice from us before applying.
• An invitation to take up a Fellowship will be made subject to agreement on the dates of the visit. Applicants should indicate their preferred dates on the application form.
• All Fellowships are to be taken up and completed during the period 1 August 2015 to 31 July 2016, except by special agreement (unless specified otherwise in the Fellowship details).
• Funding is provided only for allowable expenses of an academic visit. Depending on the method of payment, funds may be subject to UK tax and NI. Please consult the University’s webpage guidance here: http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/personnel/permits/acvisitors/academic/
• It is the Fellow’s responsibility to find accommodation and to fund all the costs of the visit with the support of the funds awarded. Applicants should be aware that accommodation costs in Oxford may exceed the funds offered.
• The Fellow will provide the Bodleian Libraries with a written research report on the completion of the Fellowship.
• The Fellow will provide the Bodleian Libraries with a copy of any publication resulting from the research visit.

For any further questions please contact:
Michelle Chew
Tel. (+44) (0) 1865 277006

MAKING AN APPLICATION

• Note the application deadline for each Fellowship.

• Give the name of the Fellowship on all application documents. Complete an application form for each Fellowship. Note that applications for RSA-Bodleian Fellowships must be made directly to the Renaissance Society of America.

• See individual descriptions for any qualification criteria or topic restrictions. Indicate the preferred dates for the visit. An invitation to take up a Fellowship will be made subject to agreement on the visit dates.

• Submit the completed application documents (as specified below) to the email address or postal address given below.

APPLICATION DOCUMENTS

• A completed application form, downloadable here, stating personal details, the name of the Fellowship, the title of the proposed research project, the preferred dates of the intended visit and the names and addresses of two academic referees. NOTE: To be able to enter and save your information in the application form, download and "Save as" a Microsoft Word Macro-Enabled document. Complete the form and submit with the rest of your application.

• A curriculum vitae

• A proposal for research to be carried out in the Special Collections of The Bodleian Libraries during the term of the Fellowship (1,200 words or fewer). Applicants should indicate how the proposed study advances their own research goals and how the study satisfies any particular aims of the award. Please see the descriptions of each Fellowship for any special criteria or for specific topics related to each award.

• Two letters of recommendation from the academic referees named in the application form. Applicants should ask the referees to comment on their professional knowledge of the applicant and the contribution the proposed research would make to scholarship. The referees should be asked to send their letters directly to the Visiting Fellows Programme, Bodleian Libraries, by email to [log in to unmask] or by post to the address below, to arrive by the application deadline.

Please note: Emailed applications and letters of recommendation MUST bear the subject line:
Visiting Fellowships Applications

Send all application documents by email or post to:

Email: [log in to unmask]

Visiting Fellows Programme

Bodleian Library

Broad Street

Oxford OX1 3BG

tel. +44 (0) 1865 277006

For further information, and an application form, please see:

http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/csb/fellowships

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Alasdair Watson