The Department of History and Philosophy of Science has obtained funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council for a doctoral studentship tenable from October 2007. The award will be held in association with the British Library for the purpose of collaborative doctoral research.
The collaboration is prompted by the acquisition by the British Library of the archives of the eminent gentleman of science William Henry Fox Talbot (1800-77), mathematician, experimenter, naturalist, Assyriologist, and celebrated pioneer of photography. The doctoral project will involve the production of a thesis on the intellectual interests and networks associated with the wide range of Talbot's work and investigation of ways in which this case adds to historical understanding of nineteenth-century scholarship, society, and innovation. The specific topic of study will be determined between the successful applicant and the supervisors. The doctoral project will also produce an on-line catalogue of Talbot's non-photographic notebooks to aid access to this vital archival resource.
Supervision of the Ph.D. Degree will be provided by Professor Simon Schaffer (History and Philosophy of Science, Cambridge) and Dr Katrina Dean (Curator of History of Science, British Library). Advice will also be provided where appropriate by teaching officers of the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, by John Falconer (Head of Visual Materials, British Library), and by Professor Larry J. Schaaf (Director of the Correspondence of William Henry Fox Talbot Project).
The award supports three years' full-time work. The candidate must meet the AHRC's academic criteria and residency requirements; it is expected that the successful candidate will hold or be about to receive a Master's Degree or its equivalent. Standard tuition fees, approved Cambridge College fees, and a maintenance grant of £12,600 a year will be paid by the AHRC. The candidate will also receive an additional payment of £500 a year from the AHRC and £1,000 a year from the British Library, in addition to reimbursement for travel expenses between Cambridge and London. It is expected that the student will work for up to six months in total for the British Library in the preparation of bibliographical output and an exhibition.
There is no application form. Applications should be accompanied by a covering letter including a research proposal, a current curriculum vitae, and two letters of reference. Applications should be sent to the Department Administrator, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Free School Lane, Cambridge, CB2 3RH (e-mail th10001@cam.ac.uk) by 14 May 2007. The final offer of a studentship is subject to confirmation by the AHRC. Interviews will be held in June.
Further particulars of the project may be obtained from Simon Schaffer (e-mail sjs16@cam.ac.uk) or Katrina Dean (e-mail katrina.dean@bl.uk), or from http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/. Details of the AHRC collaborative doctoral scheme are available at http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/university_staff/postgrad/collaborative_doctoral_awards.asp.