Postdoctoral fellowships – University of Sydney 2007 for 2008

If you have an outstanding track record of publications, and you got your PhD between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2006, and you’d like to work in the Department of Linguistics, University of Sydney, or PARADISEC, then, consider applying for a University of Sydney postdoctoral fellowship. They’re open to all disciplines, so they’re highly competitive. But on top of your salary they give you a once-off research support grant of $25,000, which is pretty useful for doing fieldwork.
If you want to work on endangered languages, especially in the Australia-Pacific area, then e-mail me (jhs AT mail.usyd.edu.au) for help with an application, and copy it to the chair of department, Professor James Martin (jmartin AT mail.usyd.edu.au). If you want to work on music or digital archiving, then e-mail Linda Barwick (lbarwick AT usyd.edu.au). Deadline to get to us: 9 August.

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP SCHEME 2008
CLOSING DATE TO CHAIR OF DEPARTMENT: 10 AUGUST 2007
CLOSING DATE TO RESEARCH OFFICE: 14 SEPTEMBER 2007
The University of Sydney Postdoctoral Fellowships were established in 1996 to support excellence in full-time research undertaken in any Department or School at the University. The University will be offering up to 10 new Fellowships in 2008. The Fellowships are extremely prestigious and highly competitive internationally in line with equivalent externally funded fellowships. Applicants must have an outstanding track record relative to opportunity in order to be short-listed. Successful applicants are expected to be based full-time at the University for the duration of the Fellowship.
Eligibility
Strong preference will be given to applicants seeking to join the University from another organisation in Australia or from overseas. Applicants currently employed at the University of Sydney or other affiliated institutions (including but not limited to medical institutes) who commenced such employment after the award of their PhD AND on or after 1 July 2006 are eligible to apply.
Applicants must have a PhD award dated no earlier than 1 January 2002 and no later than 31 December 2006. Applicants with a PhD awarded by the University of Sydney within the timeframe specified above may apply if they have held a position with another organisation subsequent to the award of their PhD.
Applicants wishing to clarify or seek exemption from eligibility requirements must submit a written request to the Research Office by 27 July 2007.
Assessment Criteria
Excellence will be the primary criterion, both in terms of the project and the researcher. Equal weight will be given to the quality of the project and the track record of the applicant relative to opportunity. The research environment in the host Department/School will also be an important consideration.
Overlap with other Fellowship schemes including the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council
Applicants who have requested Fellowship support from other sources in 2007 for funding in 2008 may submit the same project to the University of Sydney Fellowship Scheme provided full disclosure is made in the application. If a successful applicant is awarded a Fellowship from another source, the University of Sydney Fellowship must be relinquished within 2 months of notification of the other award. If necessary the University will provide a supplement to ensure the salary and research support are equal to the University Fellowship.
Preparing an Application
The application form, referee report form and related information is available from:
http://www.usyd.edu.au/research/fellowships
Applicants are required to:
1. Contact the Head of the proposed host Department or School (see separate list of contacts at above website) no later than 10 August 2007. The Head of Department or School will inform applicants by 24 August 2007 whether they will be competitive and supported this round. It is the responsibility of the applicant to obtain signatures prior to the closing date from the Head of the proposed host Department or School AND the proposed mentor. The signature from the Head confirms their agreement to provide 20% of the Fellowship salary. Unsigned applications received by the Research Office will not be considered. Note that applicants with a PhD from USyd must not have their PhD supervisor as the Fellowship mentor.
2. Complete the application form and the following attachments. Attachments should be clearly typed on single sided A4 pages, using 12 point font size with at least a 2 cm margin on each side:

• The proposed research project including project title, aims and significance, research plan, methods and techniques. This section should be no more than 4 pages including bibliographic references. Additional pages will not be considered by the Selection Committee;
• Proof of a PhD award dated between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2006;
• Curriculum Vitae including publications and details of academic record at undergraduate and postgraduate level including Honours level, place in year, prizes and awards (please attach copies of transcripts).
• Up to two confidential referee reports must be sent to the Research Office by 14 September 2007. Referees should be selected on the basis of their capacity to constructively comment on the intellectual calibre and quality of the applicant and their work, track record relative to opportunity, and the potential of the applicant to be internationally competitive for subsequent fellowship applications (ie. within the top 10-15% of their field). Each report must be completed using the template available from the website above and should address the selection criteria. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that referee reports are submitted to the Research Office. Late reports will not be considered. A template report form is available from the website specified above. NOTE: if more than two referee reports are received for an applicant the first two received by the Research Office will be used and all others discarded.

For further information please contact Mr Chris Robinson in the Research Office: 61 2 9351 4795 or chris.robinson@usyd.edu.au
Conditions of Award
The Fellowship is awarded under the following conditions:

1. Applicants must have a PhD award dated no earlier than 1 January 2002 and no later than 31 December 2006;
2. Applicants with a PhD awarded by the University of Sydney within the timeframe specified in condition 1 may apply if they have held a position with another organisation subsequent to the award of their PhD.
3. Applicants currently employed at the University of Sydney or other affiliated institutions (including but not limited to medical institutes) who commenced such employment after the award of their PhD AND on or after 1 July 2006 are eligible to apply;
4. Fellows must become employees of the University of Sydney. The University will not provide funding to affiliated institutions to appoint Fellows;
5. The duration of the Fellowship shall be for a maximum period of three years;
6. Appointments must commence within six months of a formal letter of offer, unless the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) approves otherwise;
7. A salary (taxable) will be provided at Level A8 of the University’s Academic salary scale http://www.usyd.edu.au/hr/eb/2006/index.shtml
8. A research support grant totalling $25,000 will be provided upon commencement of appointment to assist Fellows establish their research in the host Department/School. The Head of Department/School must approve expenditure of this grant;
9. Fellows are expected to focus on research for the duration of the Fellowship. Fellows may be required to undertake other duties for up to 6 hours per week (eg: teaching duties, committee representation)
10. A minimum cost airfare direct to Sydney, and return to point of departure on expiry of the Fellowship, will be provided. Fares for dependants, visa charges and removal expenses, will not be provided. Claims for travel expenses will normally be paid on production of an invoice or a receipt from a travel agency;
11. The work performance of Fellows will be reviewed annually in accordance with the University’s Performance Management and Development Program. Fellows are also required to provide an annual report of their research work, and details of their intended program for the following year. This should be forwarded to the Research Office and be accompanied by an evaluative commentary by the Head of School/Department. A final report covering all aspects of the work undertaken (including grants awarded, grants applied for and their status, details of student supervision or co-supervision, conference presentations and publications) and details of any new knowledge gained in the field of study must also be forwarded to the Research Office at the completion of the Fellowship. This should be accompanied by an evaluative commentary by the Head of School/Department;
12. Fellows shall be entitled to recreational, sickness and maternity leave in accordance with the University’s general policy for all staff. All recreational leave must be taken within the period of the appointment. Requests to suspend or vary the hours of an award for any other reason must be submitted to the Research Office and approved by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research);
13. Successful applicants awarded a fellowship or equivalent from another source must relinquish their University of Sydney post-doctoral research fellowship within 2 months of notification of the other award;
14. Any Fellow considered not to be making satisfactory progress will have the Fellowship reviewed by a committee appointed by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) which, at its absolute discretion, may terminate the Fellowship; and
15. The University asserts certain ownership rights of intellectual property created in the course of the fellowship subject to the University’s Intellectual Property Rule: http://www.usyd.edu.au/policy/

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