MHRA Research Fellow

About The University

Swansea University is a research-led university that has been making a difference since 1920. The University community thrives on exploration and discovery and offers the right balance of excellent teaching and research, matched by an enviable quality of life.

Our stunning waterfront campuses and multicultural community make us a desirable workplace for colleagues from around the world. Our reward and benefits, and ways of working enable those who join us to have enriching careers, matched by an excellent work-life balance.

About The Role

The Kritische Gesamtausgabe der Werke von Elias Canetti (The critical edition of the collected works of Elias Canetti) is edited by Kristian Wachinger and Sven Hanuschek and published by Hanser. It draws on the rich materials in Canetti’s Nachlass which are now available to researchers online through the Elias Canetti Foundation portal. 

The postholder’s main role will be to work through Swansea with the general editors and appropriate volume editors. They will gain experience in text comparison (manuscripts vs. first editions), the collation and editing of paralipomena, compiling bibliographies, text preparation for publication, cross-referencing, indexing, and searching for references to the relevant work in the Nachlass. They will develop team-working skills in a collaborative research project. The editors’ philosophy is that the volumes are for readers in the first instance (scholars can consult the online materials or visit the Central Library in Zurich). As the unpublished resources are often so extensive in many cases there is an intellectually creative as well as strictly philological element to this work: the objective is not completeness but to produce an edition which enhances readers’ appreciation of the work.

In addition, the postholder will be integrated into the AHRC-DFG funded project ‘Elias Canetti and the British in a European Context: Exile, Reception, Appropriation’ (2024-27), which is led by Sven Hanuschek in Munich and Julian Preece in Swansea and includes a shared postdoc who will be resident in Swansea from 1 October 2025. This concurrent project provides many opportunities, for example, in outreach work through a travelling pop-up exhibition and in conference organization and preparation. The conference in September 2026 will be an excellent opportunity for the postholder to present their work.

 

The MHRA research fellow will also have opportunities to contribute to some teaching in the German section, which will be renumerated separately.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

The University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity in all its practices and activities. We aim to establish an inclusive environment and welcome diverse applications from the following protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality, ethnic and national origin), religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation.

As an inclusive and welcoming workplace, we value people for their skills regardless of their background. Applications are welcome in Welsh and will not be treated less favourably than those submitted in English.

Welsh Language Skills

The Welsh language level required for this role is Level 1 - A little. The role holder will be able to pronounce Welsh words, answer the phone in Welsh (good morning/afternoon) and use very basic everyday words and phrases (thank you, please etc.). Level 1 can be reached by completing a 1 hour course.

The University is a proud bilingual institution, our Welsh Language Strategy outlines our aspiration to promote the language and enable our staff to engage with the language as an additional workplace skill and as a gateway to new cultural and social opportunities. Applications are welcome in Welsh and will not be treated less favourably than those submitted in English. Welsh speakers have the right to an interview in Welsh. Applicants for a role where Welsh skills are essential are expected to present their application in Welsh and will be interviewed in Welsh, if shortlisted.

Additional Information

Applications for this role will take the format of a CV submission and cover letter.

The appointment is funded by the Modern Humanities Research Association (MHRA), which exists to promote high-quality scholarship in English and the Modern Languages. It does this by publishing journals and monographs and by supporting major research projects. The successful applicant will hold the title ‘MHRA Research Fellow’. Candidates should be aware of the expectation that they will work for the most part at Swanea University, commuting there if need be. Variations can be agreed with the MHRA (for instance where access to archives is key or the successful candidate holds more than one post) but the award is not intended to fund distance working. 

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