The Sir Nicholas Shackleton Fellowship
Tenable from January 2026
Clare Hall is proposing to appoint a Sir Nicholas Shackleton Visiting Fellow to begin no earlier than January 2026. The fellowship will be of at least 6 months duration, to the maximum of a year, and would be especially suitable for a research-active, established academic seeking sabbatical leave from their home institution. The selected candidate will become a non-stipendiary Visiting Fellow of Clare Hall, one of the two University of Cambridge postgraduate-only colleges.
Professor Sir Nicholas Shackleton (1937-2006) FRS, was a Fellow of Clare Hall and Professor of Quaternary Palaeoclimatology within the University of Cambridge. Nick Shackleton’s research was fundamental to our understanding of long-term climate change. His contributions to Earth system science embraced many areas including palaeoclimatology, oceanography, isotope geochemistry, palaeontology, global warming, orbital dynamics and chronology. Amongst many international accolades, Nick Shackleton’s research was recognized by receipt of the Crafoord, Vetlesen and Blue Planet Prizes. He was knighted for services to the Earth sciences in 1998.
The subject of research associated with the Fellowship should be within the scope of Quaternary Palaeoclimatology. The applicants will also be required to have already made contact with a host University department and to provide a statement from the proposed Head of Department that adequate space, finance and facilities are available to support any associated costs. Likely departments could include Earth Sciences, Geography, Plant Sciences, Zoology, Chemistry and Archaeology.
The Visiting Fellowship is non-stipendiary and the holder will be provided with a single studio apartment and an allowance of free meals. The Fellow is expected to be ordinarily resident in Cambridge for the duration of the Fellowship. Family accommodation may be available on request, subject to charge for the additional facility.
Application process
Applications will be examined by experts in the fields concerned and by the Fellowship Committee. The final choice, however, will be made by the Governing Body, and the research proposal should therefore be written to convey to the non-specialist something of the interest and importance of the topic. The final round of candidates will be called for interview (online).
Applications must include the following documents in PDF and must be made online using the following link:
- Letter of application: Please provide a 1-page cover letter for your application that includes your name, your field of research, and information about your current position.
- CV: Please provide a full CV (curriculum vitae) and append a separate list of your publications.
- Personal Statement: In not more than one page, please provide a narrative detailing: your research career to date and longer-term plans; a description of your research suitable for a lay audience; your motivation for wishing to join the Clare Hall community as a Visiting Fellow.
- Proposed Research: Please describe in two pages (about 1500 words) the nature of your proposed research in Cambridge, which should cover Title, Background, Research Questions, Methodology, Expected Outcomes and References and be accessible to an academic audience from outside the field.
- References: Please provide the details of 3 referees who are familiar with your work. It would be helpful if at least one of the referees were from outside your institution.
- Letter of support: Please provide the name and details of your University of Cambridge host. They must provide a letter that confirms you will be associated with a specific Faculty or Department as an academic visitor for the duration of the Visiting Fellowship. The deadline for the letter of support is one week post the deadline for applications, so please ensure your host department can respond on this timescale.
The closing date for receipt of applications and references is 11th May 2025. Interviews are to be held online during the week of the 27th May 2025, with decisions communicated in the third week in June.
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