Are you an early-career researcher / practitioner? Would you like to help shape the Centre for the History of People, Place and Community at the Institute of Historical Research, and help us include more diverse voices and perspectives in what we do?
We’re looking for two or three early-career representatives to join the Advisory Board for our Centre for the History of People, Place and Community.
We particularly welcome applications from historians – working in any sector or context – from under-represented groups, including those from minoritized ethnic groups, as well as disabled people and LGBTQ+ people, and those who are ‘first generation’ in Higher Education.
The Centre brings together the IHR’s long-standing expertise in local history, and in urban and metropolitan history, with an emphasis on inter-disciplinary approaches, engaged and participatory research, and innovative or practice-led methods.
You can read more about the Centre for the History of People, Place and Community on the IHR website, or follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @CHPPC_IHR or on Bluesky @chppc.bsky.social for regular news and updates. (You can also follow the X accounts of our projects @VCH_London and @LayersofLondon.)
We are especially keen to connect with new collaborators, open up our work to new participants, and ensure we are thinking about diversity and inclusion in our activities: from research projects and seminars through to public engagement and co-creation.
We also hope that involvement in the Centre will offer you opportunities to develop your own work, explore potential collaborations, gain professional experience, and access new platforms to showcase what you do.
The Advisory Board helps the Centre shape its strategy and activities, and supports its outward-looking focus, making connections and starting conversations across academia and beyond. Currently, the Advisory Board members are:
- Sibia Akhtar, Associate Curator (Power Hall) at the Science and Industry Museum, Manchester
- Matthew Davies, Professor of Urban History and Executive Dean, School of Social Sciences, History and Philosophy, Birkbeck, University of London
- Michael Eades, Head of Civic Engagement, Goldsmiths, University of London
- Ruth Frendo, Archivist, The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers
- Victoria Hoyle, Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past, University of York
- Sara Huws, Civic Engagement at Cardiff University Libraries and Archives; broadcaster; Co-founder, East End Women’s Museum
- Nicholas Kingsley (ex officio as a trustee of the Victoria County History Trust)
- Kathryn Maude, The National Archives
- Neil Redfern, Executive Director, Council for British Archaeology
- Iain Robertson, Centre for History, University of the Highlands and Islands
Our current ECR Advisory Board members, stepping down at the end of 2023, are:
- Ani Lacey, Assistant Curator at the American Museum & Gardens, Bath
- Louise Ryland-Epton, Victoria County History contributing editor and Visiting Fellow, Open University
- Sophie Vohra, Research Associate at the National Railway Museum and University of York
We are seeking two or three early-career representatives to join the Advisory Board for a two-year term. We hope this will present a positive service and career-development opportunity. Our 2021-23 ECR Advisory Board member, Louise Ryland-Epton, says:
‘I have enjoyed my time as an ECR Advisory Board member. Being part of the discussions and planning of the Centre and contributing to the strategies that promote inclusive, imaginative approaches to place-based history has been hugely rewarding. At the outset, I was apprehensive about the value that would be placed upon my ideas and perspectives. I need not have been worried. My contributions were valued and acted upon. I am particularly proud to have been a small part of creating the new MA programme in History Place and Community. I would encourage anyone thinking of applying to become a member to go for it!’
Membership of the Board will involve attending two online meetings (one in each year of your tenure). You must be available to attend the online Advisory Board meeting on Friday 26 January, 2024. There is no fee for members of the Advisory Board, but the IHR will pay all reasonable expenses incurred travelling to meetings.
How to apply
If you are interested in this Advisory Board role, please apply by 23.59 on Thursday 23 November, 2023. You should send a short email to rebecca.read@sas.ac.uk, with the subject line ‘EC AB application’, including the following information:
1. Your name, contact details and current or most recent institutional affiliation (this does not need to be a university, and you can apply as an independent scholar or practitioner).
2. A statement (maximum 100 words) explaining why you consider yourself to be ‘early career’ (we have no fixed eligibility criteria).
If you wish, you can also tell us if you identify as belonging to any of the under-represented groups mentioned above. This information will be kept confidential.
3. A statement (maximum 400 words) explaining why you would be interested in the Advisory Board role. This should include detail of any relevant interests or experience (academic or otherwise).
4. Confirmation that you are able to attend the Advisory Board meeting on the morning of Friday 26 January, 2024.
Thank you for your interest.