Early Career Researchers

This webpage provides information for new and current Early Career Researchers (ECRs) in the Faculty of History.

The ECR community includes postdoctoral researchers and teaching affiliates in diverse roles and positions: Junior Research Fellows (JRFs); Research Associates (RAs); British Academy, Leverhulme and Marie Curie Fellows; and temporary lecturers and teaching affiliates. ECRs in the History Faculty have a wide range of research interests and are represented in all of the Faculty’s research areas. Profiles of our current ECRs can be viewed here.

ECRs in the Faculty are represented by a voluntary committee. The current members are: Carys Brown, Sara Caputo, Joshua Fitzgerald, Caitlin Harvey, Chloe Kattar, Igor Martins, and Charles Read. We work closely with the Faculty’s Early Career Researcher Advocate, Amy Erickson, and with its Academic Office Holders. 

The role of the committee is two-fold. First, we represent the views of ECRs at Faculty Board (the main decision-making body in the History Faculty) and at meetings of the university-wide network of postdocs run by the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. Second, we organise social and academic activities. These include:

• A welcome event at the start of the academic year, co-hosted with the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Faculty
• Termly social gatherings, including coffee mornings and pub trips
• Academic and career development workshops. Past sessions have included: writing book proposals; writing funding and grant applications; discussions of works-in-progress; and getting consultancy experience

Many of these events are self-organised and depend on volunteers. We are always keen to hear from ECRs with ideas for workshops or events. Likewise, the committee is keen to welcome new members! Please get in touch with Joshua Fitzgerald at jf704@cam.ac.uk for more information.

Information relevant to ECRs is circulated via our mailing list, to which new members are automatically added at the beginning of the academic year. If you are a member of the History Faculty and do not see the list History-ecrs in your subscriptions, please let the committee know! There is also information for ECRs on our Moodle, to which you can enrol yourself.

Other useful links:

Postdoc Academy: https://www.postdocacademy.cam.ac.uk

Careers Service: https://www.careers.cam.ac.uk/careers-support-postdocs

Personal and Professional Development: https://www.ppd.admin.cam.ac.uk