Job Description
Grade UE07: £41,064 to £48,822 per annum, pro-rata if part time
CAHSS / School of History, Classics and Archaeology
Full-time: 35 hours per week
Fixed term: 3 years
We are looking for a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow to work on the AHRC-funded project Voices in Slavery’s Archive: Law, Place and Testimony in British Guiana.
The Opportunity
This post is full-time (35 hours per week); however, we are open to considering part-time or flexible working patterns. We are also open to considering requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working.
This is a fixed-term post for three years, from 1st March 2026 until 28th February 2029.
The salary scale for this post is £41,064 to £48,822 per annum. The successful applicant will be appointed at point 1 or 2 on the scale.
As an equal opportunities employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community, regardless of age, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, nationality and citizenship status, religion, sexual orientation or transgender status. We wish to particularly encourage applications from women and from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates, who are underrepresented at this level within our School.
Our School is committed to Athena SWAN principles. All appointments will be made on merit.
Your Skills And Attributes For Success
* Completed PhD in History or Cognate Subject with a focus on the history of the Caribbean and/or the history of Atlantic slavery OR near to completion of a PhD (viva must be successfully completed before start date of employment)
* High-quality scholarly publications (including under contract/ accepted) in proportion to career stage.
* Understanding of the challenges and opportunities for public engagement on history relating to slavery in the Caribbean
* Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex information with clarity to a range of audiences
Click to view a copy of the full job description (opens new browser tab)
Application Information
Applications should include a CV and a cover letter, and should name three referees who can be contacted if successful at the shortlisting stage.
The recruitment panel will consist of colleagues from the University of Edinburgh and the project Co-Leads, who are external to the University of Edinburgh. Applications will be shared with all panel members as part of the recruitment process.
As a valued member of our team you can expect:
* A competitive salary
* An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
* To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community
* Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits
Championing equality, diversity and inclusion
The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.
Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab)
The University may be able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. This will depend on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant.
Key dates to note
The closing date for applications is the 15th December 2025.
Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.
We expect to hold interviews during the week beginning 19th January 2026.
For queries about this role please contact Professor Paton at Diana.Paton@ed.ac.uk
About Us
As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.
About The Team
The School of History, Classics and Archaeology is part of the College of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, founded in August 2002. It is co-located in a completely refurbished 'A' listed building designed by the distinguished Scottish architect, Sir Robert Rowand Anderson in the nineteenth century, with state of the art facilities for staff and students.
The School combines the expertise of the departments of History, Classics and Archaeology.
Though each department has its own areas of special concern, there are many activities and interests in common and important synergies between disciplines. There is a full programme of seminars and conferences, and close links are also maintained with subjects in other Schools.
We are one of the largest, most distinguished and most highly ranked centres for the study of the human past in Europe, with over 140 teaching, research and administrative staff. Teaching is provided to around 1500 undergraduate and over 300 postgraduate students drawn from some 40 countries. Around 600 of our students are from outside the UK, reflecting the School's high international reputation.
The range of choice in our programmes is remarkably diverse while at the same time the structure allows for study in depth of particular areas, themes and periods. The departments have an outstanding international reputation for research and enjoy a very lively research culture.