The AHA Early Career Researcher Fellowship is an award to be offered annually (where feasible) to support career-building publication activities, and attendance at the AHA annual conference in the year of the award.
The $5,000 Fellowship is funded by donations to the AHA’s Public Fund, which supports the creation, publication, dissemination and discussion of historical literature in Australia.
(We regret that the AHA ECR Fellowship will not be offered in 2025 as a result of insufficient donations to the AHA Public Fund.)
Terms and Conditions
The AHA Early Career Researcher Fellowship is designed to provide financial support to those who have completed their doctorate but are yet to secure their first academic post (including post-doctoral fellowships) or relevant position in history elsewhere.
The Fellowship is an annual prize of $5,000, commencing in January of the year of the award, for a period of 12 months. It provides support for an early career researcher in undertaking career-building research and publication activities, such as the preparation of a book manuscript or the writing of articles and/or book chapters in the year of the fellowship. The fellowship can be used for living expenses, research costs towards a specific publication project and other costs associated with writing and publication.
The fellowship is also intended to support the recipient to attend the annual AHA conference. It is a condition of the scholarship that the recipient submit an abstract for the annual conference for the year of the award, and present if accepted. Participation in other conference activities is expected.
The AHA will also appoint a mentor to provide the Fellow with academic mentorship and career advice.
Any publications or outputs that result from the Fellowship must acknowledge the funding received from the AHA and be reported to the AHA.
Eligibility
Applicants must be members of the AHA at the time of application.
Early Career researchers up to 5 years following the conferral of their degree are eligible (taking into account career breaks such as parental or carer leave). Applicants cannot hold, or have previously held, either a continuing position or one with a contract longer than two years’ full-time equivalency.
Australian citizens, permanent residents or applicants with a current and valid visa are eligible. The majority of the Fellowship year must be undertaken in Australia.
Past recipients cannot reapply.
Current members of the AHA Executive Committee and AHA Public Fund Committee are ineligible to apply for this award.
Applications
Applicants must complete the application form and provide a two-page CV.
Applications must include a detailed summary of the Fellowship plan, including expected activities and budget, intended publication outcomes, and proposal details for AHA annual conference participation.
Applications will be judged on 3 criteria:
- Academic merit of applicant, subject to Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence
- Potential of proposed publication(s)/in terms of its scholarly originality and likely impact on historical scholarship.
- Feasibility of intended outcomes of Fellowship as specified by the applicant’s proposal, including the budget.
- The value of the award in supporting the applicant’s career advancement subject to ROPE