The Francophone Africa research cluster at the University of Portsmouth’s Centre for European and International Studies Research (CEISR) invites expressions of interest from postdoctoral candidates who wish to apply to the 2016-17 round of the Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship Scheme through our institution.

NB Full details and details of the scheme’s deadline will be available from the British Academy later this summer.

The University of Portsmouth’s Centre for European and International Studies Research (CEISR) is a leading centre for the interdisciplinary study of Francophone Africa and Franco-African relations in an international context. We are particularly interested in supporting applications which engage with the following themes:

• Reassessing the legacies of French colonialism in terms of its impacts in former French colonies and in metropolitan France
• Studying the changing relations between France and the Francophone world in the context of increasing globalisation of the world economy and culture.

Our research environment is dynamic and supportive, with a strong emphasis placed on mentoring and the career development of early career researchers. In the first instance, applicants are invited to submit an expression of interest to Professor Tony Chafer or Dr Natalya Vince by 1 September 2016. This expression of interest should include:

• A full academic CV (including research and teaching experience, publications and any public engagement/ impact activities)
• A 1000-word outline of your proposed project, including research aims, questions, methodology and proposed outputs. You should also indicate why you think the University of Portsmouth would be a good place to pursue this project.
• Before submitting a proposal, please read the Leverhulme guidance and ensure you are eligible for funding. Last year’s guidance is available here https://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/funding/grant-schemes/early-career-fellowships/eligibility but please check this year’s guidance when it is published to ensure that there have been no changes and you are still eligible.

Applications will be internally assessed and the highest ranking proposals taken forward to full submission to the Leverhulme Trust. The selected candidate[s] whose applications are taken forward will receive full institutional support and mentoring from the University of Portsmouth in developing their application for the final Leverhulme deadline, which is expected to be in March 2017. The Francophone cluster has a good track record in attracting funding for Early Career Researchers, and we currently hold a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship.

Interested applicants are warmly invited to discuss their proposal with Prof Chafer (tony.chafer@port.ac.uk) or Dr Vince (Natalya.vince@port.ac.uk ) informally before the 1 September deadline. You can find out more about our research cluster on our blog: https://francophone.port.ac.uk/?page_id=10