Fellowship Applications Now Open

Apply for a Tom McLeish Fellowship

Durham University and the Centre for Creation, Natural Philosophy and Science (CCNPS) invite applications from academic staff based at institutions outside Durham University who are working in the natural sciences or medical sciences and wish to pursue a research project exploring the interface between theology and natural philosophy and/or modern natural science.
 
This opportunity is open exclusively to academics who are not employed by Durham University and is intended to support established researchers with an interest in interdisciplinary scholarship. The programme aims to foster innovative research that brings scientific inquiry into constructive dialogue with theological and philosophical perspectives.
 
Researchers from all areas of the natural and medical sciences are encouraged to apply. Proposed projects may address a wide range of topics at the intersection of science, theology, and natural philosophy.
 
We welcome applications from suitably qualified academics from institutions in the UK and internationally.
 
Applications should be submitted to [email protected] by 12:00pm on 31st October 2026 

What are the Durham Collections Fellowships?

The aim of the Durham Collections Fellowships is to enable and foster research across the three historic collections of Durham — those held by Durham University, Durham Cathedral and Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens, all of which have internationally significant collections of books and other materials that deserve to be brought to a wider scholarly and public audience.

In addition to libraries this includes archives, collections of visual and material culture, and architectural assets.

Together these collections contain:

  • 450 medieval manuscripts books
  • over 130,000 rare and early printed books
  • around 6,000 meters/shelves of archives
  • 107,000 museum objects and works of art
  • Over 40,000 archaeological artefacts
  • 9,000 bio-science specimens

Visiting Fellowships

The purpose of the Visiting Fellowships is to support research into these globally significant collections.

By bringing together these three collections, the Durham Collections Fellowships intend to foster research on material held at Durham, to create an international fellowship of scholars whose research interests have brought them to us, and to showcase the collections to a wider audience.

Our past fellows

Since 2018 the Durham Collections Fellowships has shared its collections with a global scholarly audience through its fellowships

2021/22

Dr Helen Kilburn

DRRL Visiting Fellowship

University of Manchester, England

2018/19

Rosemary Mitchell

Holland Visiting Fellowship

Leeds Centre for Victorian Studies, England

2021/22

Simon Sandall

DRRL Visiting Fellowship

University of Winchester, England

2021/22

Hannah Jeans

DRRL Visiting Fellowship

York University, England

2019/20

Peter Phillips

Holland Visiting Fellowship

2021/22

Professor Michael Questier

Barker Visiting Fellowship

Vanderbilt University, USA

2018/19

Lois Burke

Holland Visiting Fellowship

Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland

2023/24

Thomas Reiser

Lendrum Priory Visiting Fellowship

Independent Scholar, formerly Technical University of Munich, Germany

2018/19

Leah Tether

Holland Visiting Fellowship

University of Bristol, England

2018/19

Elizabeth Evenden-Kenyon

DRRL Visiting Fellowship

University of Oxford, England

2022/23

Madeline Potter

Barker Visiting Fellowship

University of Edinburgh, England

2023/24

Ellen Smith

Holland Visiting Fellowship

University of Leicester, United Kingdom

2018/19

Christopher Gillet

Thoits Visiting Fellowship

The University of Scranton, USA

2023/24

Joanne Myers

Barker Visiting Fellowship

Gettysburg College, USA

2018/19

Eilish Gregory

Holland Visiting Fellowship

Durham University, England

2024/25

Luciane Scarato

DRRL Visiting Fellowship

Independent Scholar, Brazil

2023/24

Ana Saez Hidalgo

Barker Visiting Fellowship

Universidad de Valladolid, Spain

2023/24

Anna Graham

Barker Visiting Fellowship

Queens University Belfast, Ireland

2023/24

ProfessorDeirdre Raftery

Barker Visiting Fellowship

University College Dublin, Ireland

2024/25

Shunsuke Katsuta

Sasakawa Visiting Fellowship

University of Tokyo, Japan

Research

Through the Durham Collections Fellowship's prestigious fellowships program, scholars have the opportunity to undertake ambitious research projects.

DCF takes pride in fostering this environment, where expert researchers are given the resources and time to delve deeply into complex topics and share their findings with the world. Whether through conferences, lectures, publications, or informal discussions in historic halls, DCF is a hub of world-class research and engagement.

Centuries of History

The Durham Collections Fellowships draw on the historic collections of three venerable Durham institutions—Durham Cathedral, Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens, and Durham University—each with a rich history spanning many centuries.

Durham Cathedral, with manuscripts dating back to the 6th century; Ushaw House and Chapels holding over 40,000 rare printed works accumulated since the 16th century; Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens holding over 40,000 rare printed works accumulated since the 16th century; Durham University’s Palace Green Library which includes Cosin's Library, founded in the 17th century as the first public lending library in the Northeast and which served as the university’s main library for 150 years before transitioning to special collections in the 1980s. Together these collections offer rich resources for research spanning many centuries.