Mitchell Institute Sabbatical Fellowship Scheme 2024-25
The Mitchell Institute is pleased to announce the Sabbatical Fellowship Scheme for 2024-25.
This Scheme is open to all Queen’s University Belfast academic staff who have already been awarded Sabbatical Leave by their School during 2024-25.
For the duration of their Fellowship – up to one semester – each of the three successful applicants will be provided with office space at the Institute; will receive £4,000 to support research activities (as agreed with the Institute Director); and will present their research in a Mitchell Institute Lecture or Workshop during their period at the Institute.
How to Apply
Applications should include:
- A one-page outline of the proposed research to be conducted during the applicant’s semester at the Institute (in line with what has been proposed to the applicant’s School); this must include:
- The case for its originality and importance
- Details of the work to be produced (e.g. planned publications)
- Clarification of alignment between the proposed research and work of the Institute
- Details of the applicant’s involvement with the Institute to date (if any)
- A CV of no more than 2 pages
- An indication of which Semester in 2024-25 the applicant would like to spend at the Institute
- Confirmation that the applicant has been awarded Sabbatical Leave from their School prior to the application deadline.
Applications marked Sabbatical Fellowship Scheme 2024-25 should be emailed to The Mitchell Institute by 26 April 2024.
Decisions will be announced by 31 May 2024.
Sabbatical Fellows 2023-24
Dr Laura Pfuntner, Dr Des O'Rawe and Professor Colin Harvey were the Mitchell Institute Sabbatical Fellows for 2023-24. They found the experience very beneficial, especially the financial support and dedicated office space and support at the Institute.
Reflecting on her experience, Laura said:
"I was a Sabbatical Fellow in the Institute in Semester 1 of the 2023-2024 academic year. During the fellowship, I focused on completing a chapter of my monograph on ‘Roman Civil Wars in the Empire: Provincial Experiences of Conflict and State Formation in the First Century BC’, as well as smaller projects on the history and archaeology of ancient Sicily. Funding from the fellowship enabled me to travel to Chicago to present a paper at the Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America in early January, and during the semester, I also gave invited research seminars to audiences at University College Cork (online) and at the University of Trier (in person).
Although my School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics office is located just one door down from the Institute, I found the separate office provided during the fellowship to be very useful (as other fellows have observed), since it allowed me to focus on my research in a quieter, less ‘cluttered’ environment. I also enjoyed meeting some of the postgraduate students who give the Institute such a strong sense of community, and I am grateful for the practical support that Institute staff provided throughout my fellowship, and especially with navigating the vagaries of booking travel through CTM.
Finally, and most valuably, I had an opportunity to develop the ‘big picture’ arguments of my monograph by presenting some of the emerging themes from my research on Roman civil warfare and peacemaking at an Institute Workshop in December. The feedback I received from the audience will help me as I work to complete the draft of the monograph over the course of the next year, particularly as I think about how to frame my project to audiences beyond the field of Roman History. I was very sad to leave the Institute at the end of my sabbatical, but I look forward to continuing to be a part of its community by attending workshops and lectures."
Reflecting on his experience, Des said:
"The Mitchell Institute’s Sabbatical Fellowship Scheme has been instrumental in enabling me to advance my current research on documentary film and the politics of mental illness. Thanks to the scheme, I have able to travel to London (where I viewed archival films at the British Film Institute, as well consulting resources at the Wellcome Library), Boston (where I met with researchers and curators at the Harvard Film Archive, as well as working at Boston Public Library, and attending a conference organized by the Centre for Irish Studies at Boston College).
In addition to my travels, I also very much enjoyed being part of the Institute’s vibrant and diverse research community, attending several workshops and research seminars held at the Institute as well as co-organizing a well-attended Belfast Film Festival screening and seminar event, and leading a research workshop on documentary filmmaking and various figures and movements associated with radical psychiatry.
The Fellowship Scheme offers a real opportunity to make the most of a sabbatical, and I am genuinely appreciative of the space, time, and resources it made available to me."
Professor Harvey worked on a research project examining the legal and policy implications of possible constitutional change on the island of Ireland. He also conducted a Research Workshop on Achieving a New Ireland on 6 December 2023 which explored constitutional pathways to a New Ireland, particularly for those who hope for transformative possibilities. The implications and possibilities posed by Brexit and the choices about the constitutional future provided The Good Friday Agreement were also discussed.