King's College London

About us

King’s College London is one of England’s oldest and most prestigious universities, founded within the tradition of the Church of England by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington who granted our royal charter in 1829.

King's has a proud history of inspiring and supporting those who seek to solve the world's most pressing problems. For almost 200 years, our community has been deeply rooted in the belief that learning and research should serve society.

This commitment to knowledge with purpose – using our expertise as a force for good – lies at the heart of our core mission at King’s. From research that led to the discovery of the structure of DNA, to developing life-changing therapies and making maths education available to underrepresented groups, we continue to have a transformational impact on society.

Fourteen people from King’s and its associated institutions have been awarded the Nobel Prize, including Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu for his role in South Africa’s anti-apartheid campaign, and Professor Michael Levitt for his joint work in developing multiscale models for complex chemical systems.

Notable alumni include British sprinter and world-record holder Dina Asher-Smith, biophysicist Dr. Rosalind Franklin, famous for her work in X-ray spectroscopy, and acclaimed children’s writer Sir Michael Morpurgo.

The Faculty of Arts & Humanities at King’s is distinctive in representing exceptional strength in both the longer established disciplines (such as Philosophy, Classics, English, History, Languages, Music Philosophy and Theology) and world-leading quality in more recently established fields (such as Digital Humanities, Film, Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts, and Culture, Media and Creative Industries).

The Department of English at King's was one of the first university English departments ever to be established and is acknowledged as world-leading in both teaching and research. Students learn as part of a university that is shaped by research of the highest quality (90 per cent of the department’s research was rated as either ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ in REF 2021), and our undergraduates enjoy a syllabus which spans the seventh century to the present day and includes literature from English speaking countries around the world. At postgraduate level, long-established partnerships, such as that with Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, further enrich our teaching.

About the role

The King's Early Career Development Fellowships are 10 fixed-term posts (2 three-year posts; 8 two-year posts) providing promising early career academics with opportunities to develop as an educator and researcher in departments across the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Applicants must be within seven years of their doctorate at the time of application. Funding for the posts is short-term and non-renewable; they do not fulfil a long-term need in the faculty.

The Early Career Development Fellow will have a clearly defined research interest in a period or aspect(s) of English literature from 1800-present. They will have the ability and flexibility to teach across a range of first and second-year undergraduate modules in English (level 4 and level 5), including modules beyond their own research expertise. It is currently envisaged that such modules may include some or all of the following level 4 modules: Writing London, the introductory close-reading module Reading Poetry, Introduction to American Literature, and Writing Race, Writing Gender, as well as the level 5 module Introduction to Eighteenth-Century Literature: Gothic. Please note however that this list is not definitive, and teaching may vary from one year to the next, as required.

This is a full-time post, and the successful applicant will be offered a fixed term contract until 31 August 2028.

About you

Candidates should have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. PhD qualified in relevant subject area within the last seven years at point of application
2. Expertise in teaching and researching in English
3. Clearly defined research interests related to English Literary Studies 1800-present, compatible with the research, impact and engagement strategies of the department, faculty and college, including the potential for publications and impact projects of the highest quality
4. Some experience of teaching relevant to the areas specified by the department, with clear evidence of potential to deliver innovative, effective and enjoyable teaching
5. Ability to design the basics of a future externally funded research project
6. Some experience of effective and diligent academic administration and academic and/or external networking

Desirable criteria

1. Teaching in Higher Education qualification (such as fellowship or associate fellowship of the Higher Education Academy)
2. Knowledge and/or experience of designing and delivering online teaching

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further information

In applying for this role please provide:

• a covering letter of no more than 2 pages indicating how you meet the essential and desirable criteria
• An up-to-date CV (no more than 4 pages)
• A separate statement (max 2 pages) of the significance of your existing research, impact, engagement, partnerships and collaborations, your future plans in these areas, and the potential research grant you might develop over the fellowship.

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide, in advance of interview,a writing sample of one or two pieces of work not exceeding 12,000 words in support of their application.

Appointment will be made following an interview, which will begin with a short presentation by the candidate on the topic: Outline what you hope to gain from the fellowship, including any specific career goals you hope to achieve during the term of it.