"2026 Colonel George Johnston Fellowship in Australian History"

About the opportunity

Applications are invited for the 2026 Colonel George Johnston Fellowship in Australian History. The Fellowship provides financial support to a researcher within six years of being awarded a PhD to produce a book of their doctoral thesis or similarly ambitious research output. The Fellowship is offered as part-time (FTE 0.8) for a period of 12 months at academic Level A. There is also opportunity to take the fellowship at a lower FTE to extend beyond one year subject to the approval of the Discipline Lead and Head of School. The successful candidate will also have an option to take on casual teaching work up to a maximum of 0.2 FTE in addition to the 0.8 FTE Fellowship for one year.

The Fellow will have access to $10,000 from the Colonel George Johnson bequest for research travel, conference participation, and/or publication costs (including subventions). The Fellow will be eligible to apply for other discipline, school, and university funding to support their research.

The fellowship is non-renewable.

Your key responsibilities will be to:

• complete an original research project for publication
• assist in developing/co-ordinating research activities (e.g.: workshops and conferences) and participate in the setting of future research directions of the project
• acknowledge the support of the gift fund that funds the Fellowships and the affiliation with the University of Sydney in any publications related to the fellowship funding.

About you

To be considered for the Fellowship, applicants must have completed a PhD within the last six years. Applicants must commit to writing up their thesis as a book for submission to a high-quality academic or trade press; and/or work toward producing a corpus of non-traditional research outputs.

Applicants must hold a PhD in history (or a related discipline, provided that their proposed project is strongly historical in nature).

Historians of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent, and/or scholars working in Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander history are especially encouraged to apply.

The fellowship will be awarded based on:

• the significance and originality of the research project
• the feasibility of producing a book manuscript, or a body of articles or corpus of non-traditional research outputs, suitable for publication by the end of the fellowship value
• strong track record of outstanding research of national or international standing
• demonstrated capacity to deliver high-quality project outcomes in a timely manner

Sponsorship / work rights for Australia

You must have unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of this employment to apply. Visa sponsorship is not available for this appointment.

Pre-employment checks

Your employment is conditional upon the completion of all role required pre-employment or background checks in terms satisfactory to the University. Similarly, your ongoing employment is conditional upon the satisfactory maintenance of all relevant clearances and background check requirements. If you do not meet these conditions, the University may take any necessary step, including the termination of your employment.

EEO statement

At the University of Sydney, our shared values are trust, accountability and excellence and we strive to be a place where everyone can thrive. We are committed to creating a University community that thrives through diversity and reflects the wider community that we serve. We deliver on this through our commitment to diversity and inclusion, evidenced by our people and culture programs, as well as key strategies to increase participation and support the careers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, women, people living with a disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and those who identify as LGBTIQ+. We welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds.

We are proud to be recognised as an Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) Platinum Employer. Find out more about our work on diversity and inclusion.

How to apply

Applications (including a cover letter, CV, and any additional supporting documentation) can be submitted via the Apply button at the top of the page.

For employees of the University or contingent workers, please login into your Workday account and navigate to the Career icon on your Dashboard. Click on USYD Find Jobs and apply.

For a confidential discussion about the role, or if you require reasonable adjustment or any documents in alternate formats, please contact Lena Jiang, Recruitment Operations by email to lena.jiang@sydney.edu.au.

Copyright The University of Sydney

The University reserves the right not to proceed with any appointment.

Click to view the Position Description for this role.