Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (Fixed Term)

Overview

The Cambridge Interfaith Programme within the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge invites applications for a postdoctoral research fellowship on a fixed-term basis. The position is based in Central Cambridge in the United Kingdom and offers a full-time contract for an initial duration of three years. The successful fellow will work alongside the Academic Director of the programme, Professor Esra Özyürek, who acts as a mentor, and will take part in seminars, workshops, and intellectual activities to contribute to the research culture.

Who can apply

Early-career researchers who want to develop an independent research project contributing to the Peace, Conflict and Religion research programme are encouraged to apply for the internal selection process. Eligible candidates must be able to meet the requirement that all employees are legally eligible to live and work in the United Kingdom. Applicants must submit a curriculum vitae of up to two sides of A4, a publication list of up to one side of A4 broken down into in preparation, submitted, and published headings, a statement of current and previous research of up to 250 words, a research proposal of up to two sides of A4, and the names and contact details of two referees.

What you get

The position provides an annual salary ranging from £38,448 to £41,885. The successful candidate receives support to apply for an Early Career Fellowship awarded by the Leverhulme Trust. The Faculty of Divinity provides the required match-funding, which depends on the candidate winning selection by the Leverhulme Trust.

Requirements

Projects must use ethnographic, anthropological, or closely related interpretative approaches to study contemporary societies from the 1950s onward in any geographic, cultural, or religious setting, with a particular welcome for projects focused on the Middle East. Proposals must investigate how religious and cultural resources shape conflict, violence, peace, justice, or resistance; examine boundary negotiation between religion, politics, and society; explore peacebuilding, reconciliation, repair, solidarity, or social transformation; or investigate how memories, narratives, and representations of violence shape conflict and peace. The research proposal must outline research questions and aims, methodology and proposed activities, contributions to scholarship, anticipated outputs and a three-year plan, and potential contributions to the intellectual environment of the Cambridge Interfaith Programme.

Key dates

The closing date for applications is midnight Greenwich Mean Time on Tuesday, 15 December 2026.