The Department of Music at Royal Holloway, University of London, invites applications for the position of Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Music, Heritage, Place. This part-time (0.8 FTE), fixed-term role spans 24 months, beginning no later than 1 April 2024, and offers a pro-rata salary of £39,233 per annum, inclusive of London Allowance.

This position is central to the ‘Music, Heritage, Place’ project, a collaborative research initiative funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council. The project, led by Professor Stephen Rose in partnership with Newcastle University and nine other organisations, aims to explore and document music manuscripts and printed music from circa 1550 to 1850 in England’s county record offices.

Responsibilities of the Postdoctoral Research Assistant include conducting research in archives across southern England and the Midlands, creating inventories for the Répertoire International des Sources Musicales (RISM) database, and contributing original research on the relationship between music, mobility, and local identity in the 17th and 18th centuries. Additionally, the role involves co-creating public engagement activities with project partners.

Candidates should have (or expect within 3 months) a PhD or equivalent in musicology or music history. Desirable skills include experience in bibliographical description, cataloguing of music manuscripts, reading historical music notation and scribal handwriting, and analysing bibliographical and historical data. Digital humanities skills, such as geo-mapping, and experience in music history research and publishing are also advantageous. The role requires the ability to manage one’s own workload and willingness to travel for archival research and engagement events.

See link below for further details.