Job Description and Person Specification
Post Associate Professorship in Medieval Latin Manuscript Studies with a Non-Tutorial Fellowship at Wadham College
Department/Faculty Faculty of History
Division Humanities
College Wadham College
Start date 1 October 2025
Contract type Permanent upon completion of a successful review. The review is conducted during the first 5 years.
Salary
Associate Professor Grade 36S: Salary from £55,755 to £74,867 per annum plus additional benefits and allowances as detailed in the College Benefits, Terms and Conditions section below. An additional allowance of £3,155 p.a. would be payable upon award of Full Professor title.
Vacancy ID 177133
Application deadline 12 noon (UK time) on Wednesday 19th March 2025
Interview dates Interviews expected to take place in Oxford late April/Early May
Overview of the post
We are seeking an outstanding palaeographer to join our team of medieval historians. MedievalHistory is exceptionally strong in Oxford with a large and lively community of taught graduates, doctoral students and postdoctoral early career researchers. The collegiate university is home to the largest university-based collection of medieval manuscripts in the world.
This post is an exciting and demanding opportunity for a proven scholar and talented teacher whose research and teaching specialism is in the history of Latin manuscripts (codices, documents, fragments thereof) within the disciplinary context of medieval history. Beyond a specialism in scripts used for writing medieval Latin, there are no chronological or geographical preferences, and the successful candidate will be responsible for graduate teaching across the entire span of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages including book and documentary traditions.
The person appointed will conduct research of the highest quality suitable for submission to REF within the broad parameters of the discipline of medieval history, will seek external grant funding for manuscript related projects and will participate in the public engagement and knowledge dissemination activities of the Bodleian Libraries and the colleges of the University.
Latin palaeography and medieval manuscript studies at Oxford
The University of Oxford has a strong and distinctive tradition of defining palaeography in the broadest sense to encompass not only the history of scripts but codicology, archival and document studies, the history of the book, and the history of reading. The nineteenth-century distinction between Palaeography and Diplomatic is now disregarded; students and postholders alike work across book and archival contexts. The University, the Bodleian Libraries and the colleges are home to many manuscript scholars and curators with specialisms in Greek, Hebrew, Arabic and European vernacular manuscripts, in addition to those with archival and curatorial responsibilities for materials in Latin. The Weston Library, which hosts Special Collections, offers exceptional opportunities for teaching with manuscripts, as well as for outreach and impact.
The Centre for the Study of the Book (https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/csb) brings together academics, library curators, and researchers in all disciplines across Oxford, while the Centre for Text and Manuscript Studies at The Queen’s College promotes the study of pre-modern manuscript and epigraphic traditions in broad comparative perspective (https://cmtc.queens.ox.ac.uk/about/). Numerous funded projects (completed and current) conduct advanced research into many aspects of manuscript cultures, for example: ‘Books within Books: Hebrew Fragments in European Libraries’ (http://www.hebrewmanuscript.com/) ‘The ARCHiOx Project: Seeing the Unseen in Bodleian Collections’ (https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/about/media/archiox-project) ‘Crafting Documents c. 500-800 CE’ (https://www.history.ox.ac.uk/crafting-documents-c.500-c.800-ce) Acts of William II and Henry I’(https://www.history.ox.ac.uk/acts-william-ii-and-henry-i#tab-266396)
Teaching
The demand in Oxford for graduate training in Latin palaeography is considerable and increasing. Some students require the practical skills to access their sources but many need training in the interpretative methodology to place written sources within their appropriate historical contexts and to exploit the material evidence for the production, circulation, and reception of written texts. The person appointed will be responsible for teaching Latin manuscript studies to Masters students in Medieval History (run by the History Faculty) and Medieval Studies (run by the Humanities Division), and those needing instruction on courses in other Faculties, including Classics; Theology and Religion; and Medieval and Modern Languages. They will need to liaise with the Jeremy Griffiths Professor of English Palaeography, who teaches palaeography to students of English. (Specialist instruction in Greek, Arabic and Hebrew palaeography is also available.) They will also supervise research students and must make themselves available to help and advise students and colleagues from across the Division. The postholder will have the opportunity to develop undergraduate teaching in Medieval History courses in collaboration with existing postholders.
The person appointed will be a team player but also able to work on their own initiative. It is essential that the postholder is willing and able to play a leadership role in fostering manuscript studies across the Humanities Division as a whole. The needs of palaeography as a discipline stretching across faculties are supported by the Joint Standing Committee for Palaeography and Related Manuscript and Textual Studies. Student interest in the pedagogy of palaeography and codicology has been demonstrated in recent years by the successful Teaching the Codex meetings (https://teachingthecodex.com/), the Oxford Medieval Manuscripts Grou, (https://medieval.ox.ac.uk/2024/10/01/introducing-the-oxford-medieval-manuscripts-group/) and the weekly Latin Palaeography Manuscript Reading Group.
The appointee will be expected to play a full part in the academic life of the Faculty of History and Wadham College and will work closely with colleagues in other faculties within the Humanities Division. The University of Oxford uses the grade of associate professor for most of its senior academic appointments. Associate professors are eligible for consideration through regular recognition of distinction exercises for award of the title of full professor. We welcome applications from candidates at all post-doctoral career stages, including at professorial level. We are committed to creating a diverse academic workforce and positively encourage applications from under-represented communities. We particularly encourage applications from women (approximately 40% of Faculty posts are held by female academics), people with disabilities and Black, Asian, and minority ethnic candidates.
The appointee will be a member of the Faculty of History and a non-tutorial fellow of Wadham College. The post is tenable from 1 October 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. The deadline for applications is Wednesday 19th March 2025. Presentations and interviews are expected to take place in Oxford late April/Early May.
Queries about the post should be addressed to the Chair of the History Faculty Board, Professor Martin Conway (email: martin.conway@history.ox.ac.uk) or the Chichele Professor of Medieval History, Professor Julia Smith (email: julia.smith@history.ox.ac.uk). All enquiries will be treated in strict confidence; they will not form part of the selection decision.
The role of Associate Professor at Oxford
Associate Professor is the main academic career grade at Oxford with a focus on research and teaching, spanning the full range of professor grades in the USA. Associate Professors are appointed jointly by a University department/faculty and an Oxford college, and you will have a contract with both.
Associate Professors are full members of University departments/faculties and college governing bodies playing a role in the democratic governance of the University and their college. You will join a lively, intellectually stimulating and multi-disciplinary community which performs to the highest international levels in research and teaching, with extraordinary levels of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.
There is considerable flexibility in the organisation of duties, with three 8-week teaching terms and generous sabbatical leave to balance teaching and research (please see the Benefits, Terms and Conditions section for further details of sabbatical leave).
Oxford offers many opportunities for professional development in research and teaching. Associate Professors may apply for the title of full Professor in annual exercises. If the title is conferred, you will also have access to professorial merit pay opportunities. In exceptional cases, the title of full Professor may be awarded on appointment.
Appointments are confirmed as permanent on successful completion of a review during the first five years. The vast majority of Associate Professors successfully complete this initial review.
Duties of the post
• To carry out intellectually exciting historical research in any aspect of the palaeography of Latin manuscripts in the medieval period;4
• To maintain a successful publication record (appropriate to the stage of career, and accounting for career breaks) and contribute to the University’s REF submission;
• To supervise or co-supervise DPhil students, and foster the cross-Faculty community of DPhil students and postdoctoral early career researchers in all aspects of Manuscript Studies;
• To teach palaeography classes (including reading skills, the history of script, codicology and documentary studies) to graduate students, including marking, assessing, and examining work as required;
• To advise undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students on the palaeographical aspects of their coursework or dissertation studies;
• To develop and submit grant proposals to support your own research portfolio and contribute to the growth of the University’s distinctive areas of expertise;
• To work in conjunction with the curatorial staff of the Bodleian Libraries and colleges to understand and interpret the collegiate university’s exceptional holdings of medieval manuscripts, including offering informal advice and assistance on matters pertaining to the postholder’s expertise;
• To contribute to and participate in organising the seminar culture of the Faculty, Libraries and wider University;
• To assist where appropriate with the activities of the Faculty and the Libraries in support of the public engagement with research, including exhibitions etc;
• To participate in the work and activities of the Joint Standing Committee for Palaeography;
• To act as a college advisor to graduate students (this is a largely pastoral role, which does not involve the same level of commitment as a departmental supervisor).
• To actively participate in the life of Wadham College.
Selection criteria
Your application will be judged only against the criteria which are set out below. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet these criteria.
The University is committed to fairness, consistency and transparency in selection decisions.
Members of selection committees will be aware of the principles of equality of opportunity, fair selection and the risks of bias. There will be both female and male committee members wherever possible.
If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognising that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result.
Essential criteria
• Hold, or be close to completion of (i.e., already submitted), a doctorate in a relevant subject;
• High standard of spoken and written English;
• Reading knowledge of one or more modern European languages other than English;
• Excellent command of classical and medieval Latin;
• A clear five-year research and publication plan;5
• Ability to contribute high-quality publications to the University’s future REF submissions (REF: the UK-based Research Excellence Framework);
• A commitment to participate in the activities of the Bodleian and/or other Oxford libraries;
• Clear evidence of effective teaching of medieval palaeography and related manuscript and textual studies, or of ability and broad experience in teaching;
• A commitment to the highest standard of training for graduate students, and a proven ability to train them to undertake research using primary manuscript sources;
• Alertness and sensitivity to the welfare needs of students;
• An aptitude and desire to continue to develop personal teaching skills;
• A high standard of personal organisation and administrative competence;
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills;
• Professionalism as a colleague and proven track record of good collegial working relationships with others;
• Computer literacy and ICT competence, including the ability to engage with bespoke University and College software (training will be provided).
Desirable criteria
• An interest in the development of the Digital Humanities as they apply to palaeography and manuscript studies;
• A successful track record of doctoral supervision;
• Evidence of active contribution to academic communities at professional national and international conferences;
• Evidence of effective public engagement with research;
• Experience of promoting equality and diversity within an academic environment.
How to apply
To apply, visit
https://my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecruit/erq_jobspec_details_form.jobspec?p_id=177133 then click on the Apply Now button on the ‘Job Details’ page and follow the on-screen instructions to register as a new user or log-in if you have applied previously. Please refer to the “Terms of Use” in the left-handmenu bar for information about privacy and data protection.
Please provide details of three referees and indicate whether the University may contact them.
Please note that we will not ask for references until after shortlisting.
You will also be asked to upload a CV, which should include a publication list, and a supporting statement. The supporting statement should explain how you meet the selection criteria for the post using examples of your skills and experience. This may include experience gained in education or employment.
The University and colleges welcome applications from candidates who have a disability or longterm health condition and is committed to providing long term support. The University’s disability advisor can provide support to applicants with a disability, please see
https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/disability-support for details. Please let us know if you need any adjustments to the recruitment process, including the provision of these documents in large print, audio or other formats. If we invite you for interviews, we will ask whether you require any particular arrangements at the interview. The University Access Guide gives details of physical access to University buildings https://www.accessguide.ox.ac.uk/.
Please upload all documents as PDF files with your name and the document type in the filename.
All applications must be received by 12.00 noon on the closing date stated in the online advertisement.
Should you experience any difficulties using the online application system, please email recruitment.support@admin.ox.ac.uk. Further help and support is available fromhttps://hrsystems.admin.ox.ac.uk/recruitment-support. To return to the online application at any stage, please log back in and click the “My applications” button on the left-hand side of the page
Please note that you will be notified of the progress of your application by automatic emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk mail regularly to ensure that you receive all emails.
