The British Society for Aesthetics invites applications for a two-year postdoctoral award in philosophical aesthetics, to the value of £30,000 per annum with up to £3,000 additional geographical allowance, to start in the Autumn term in 2025.
The BSA Postdoctoral Fellowship is tenable for up to two years at any British philosophy department. Applicants must have been granted their PhD before the start of the award. Applicants must have the right to work and reside in the UK for the duration of the award.
The BSA reserves the right not to make the award if no application is deemed to be of sufficient merit. Preference may be given to applicants within five years of PhD completion, with exception for career breaks, especially those who have not already received a postdoctoral award. Members of groups that are currently underrepresented in philosophy are strongly encouraged to apply.
‘Anonymized’ below means that name and other gender and identity markers should be removed or blanked out.
Candidates should submit a non-anonymized email to admin@british-aesthetics.org, by 31 May 2025, with the following anonymized attachments:
a) CV, including details of three referees;
b) a research proposal in philosophical aesthetics of no more than 1000 words, specifying the written outputs that will result from the research, and including a research schedule for the two years of the award;
c) a writing sample of no more than 8000 words; and
d) a covering letter explaining how the research to be undertaken complements research carried out in the host department, and/or institution.
Candidates should also provide a letter of support from a proposed mentor at the host department outlining the support that the candidate will receive for the duration of the award. Examples include library privileges, office space, technology, research training, career support, and opportunities to participate fully in departmental life.
• The research proposal should cover work in aesthetics or philosophy of art, broadly construed.
• Offer of the award may be subject to further conditions, such as satisfactory references and copies of degree transcripts, undergraduate and postgraduate.
• The award normally may not be deferred.
• The award is paid directly to the recipient to cover their living expenses during the research period.
• If the recipient teaches alongside the award, they should teach no more than three contact hours per week.
• The recipient is advised that, depending on circumstance, there may be personal tax implications to receiving the postdoctoral award, and it is their own responsibility to ascertain these, not the Society’s.
• The applicant will be expected to provide a short report on their activities (e.g. publications, talks, any work secured for the following year) for the Society’s AGM at the end of their first year and again at the end of the award period.
Queries should be addressed to admin@british-aesthetics.org
LATEST NEWS:
We are delighted to announce that Christopher Earley has been awarded the fifth British Society of Aesthetics Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2023-2025, for his project, ‘Artistic Exceptionalism and the Normativity of Contemporary Art’. Chris will be mentored by Vid Simoniti at the University of Liverpool. Congratulations to Christopher!
Previous awardees:
Vanessa Brassey was awarded the fourth British Society of Aesthetics Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2022-2023, for her project, ‘Time for Beauty’. Vanessa was mentored by Sacha Golob at King’s College London.
Claire Anscomb was awarded the third British Society of Aesthetics Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2021-2022, for her project, ‘Creating Images with AI’. Claire was mentored by Vid Simoniti at the University of Liverpool.
Kris Goffin was awarded the second British Society of Aesthetics Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2020-2021, for his project ‘The Rationality of Emotion & Fiction’. Kris was mentored by Stacie Friend at Birkbeck, University of London.
Kathrine Cuccuru was awarded the inaugural British Society of Aesthetics Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2019-2020, for her project ‘The Problem with the History of Aesthetics, Before Aesthetics’. Kathrine was mentored by Michael Morris at the University of Sussex.