The Queen’s College offers a number of regular and occasional programmes that enable distinguished visitors to contribute to the College’s rich intellectual life. Each year we host the Harmsworth Professor of American History in conjunction with the Rothermere American Institute, and in alternating years we host the Centenary PPE Visiting Fellow. The Queen’s Translation Exchange regularly brings together an author and translator for a collaborative residency that includes workshops and readings open to the entire Oxford community.
Such visitors are leading figures from academia and throughout the public and private sectors. During their residency, it is expected that they contribute actively to the intellectual life of the College at all levels: undergraduate, postgraduate, fellowship, and Old Members. Visitors typically give a short lecture or presentation to the College community, and they write a brief piece about their time in the College for The College Record – the College’s annual alumni magazine. Such a period of residency marks an important part of a lifelong connection to the College.
In addition to accommodation, the College offers senior membership, a library card, generous dining privileges (free of charge) at High Table and the opportunity to engage fully with our community of Fellows and undergraduate and postgraduate students across the full range of academic disciplines.
The College aims to appoint one academic and one non-academic Distinguished Visitor each year.
From academia: Academic Distinguished Visitors will typically be colleagues from other universities (normally at the rank of Professor) who intend to conduct research in Oxford and be affiliated with the College while on funded sabbatical leave from their host institution. While they do not receive an honorarium, the College is sometimes able to assist with travel expenses to and from Oxford. For the 2025-26 academic year (application deadline 31st December), the College invites applications in the Social Sciences. Recent Academic Distinguished Visitors include James Unwin (Physics, University of Illinois-Chicago, 2022-23) and Mary Ann Smart (Music, University of California-Berkeley, 2023-24).
From non-academic fields: The College also welcomes people from throughout the public and private sectors as Distinguished Visitors. In the past, this has included writers and artists. Old Member and Honorary Fellow Caryl Phillips (1976) spent Trinity Term 2009 in College, giving lectures to and working with students. Non-academic visitors often receive an honorarium in addition to accommodation.
Candidates are advised that the College has chosen ‘extraction: the environmental legacy of imperialism’ as an academic theme for 2025/6; candidates are invited to indicate if their research intersects with this theme.
Application Process
Access the online application via www.queens.ox.ac.uk/vacancies (choosing the academic or non-academic form as appropriate). You will be asked to upload a current C.V., and a brief covering letter (no more than 1000 words) outlining your area of expertise and proposals for your engagement with the College.
Applications for both academic and non-academic visitors may be submitted at any time of year; applications received before 31 December will be considered early in Hilary Term (i.e. in January 2025, for residencies during the 2025-26 academic year). Applications received after 31 December will be considered in the following year’s cycle. We anticipate that the College’s Governing Body will reach its decisions by week 5 of term (i.e. mid-February).
Diversity and Equal Opportunity at Queen’s
The Queen’s College embraces diversity and equal opportunity. Applications are particularly welcome from women, disabled people, and people from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds, as these groups are currently under-represented in academic posts in Oxford. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. For more information, visit www.queens.ox.ac.uk/equality-information.
The College invites all applicants to familiarise themselves with its equal opportunities policy, also available on its Equality Information page: www.queens.ox.ac.uk/equality-information.
The College also shares the university’s commitment ‘to fostering an inclusive culture which promotes equality, values diversity and maintains a working, learning and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all its staff and students are respected.’ The university’s full policy is available at: edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/equality-policy.
We are committed to the principles of equal opportunities and respect for individuals in creating and maintaining an inclusive environment that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We value and celebrate diversity and feel that is critical to achieving our strategic aims and long-term success. We work to recruit employees and admit students from a wide range of backgrounds and promote an inclusive culture in which:
All College meetings include consideration of its duties under the Equality Act 2010 as they pertain to the meeting’s actions and decisions. In formal and informal settings alike, the College endeavours to make decisions that afford equal opportunities to, and foster good relationships between, different groups of people. This commitment, supported by data and routinely monitored, extends to all aspects of our activities: in our outreach activities, in admissions, and in financial support, for undergraduates and postgraduates alike; in the procedures related to hiring and retaining academic and non-academic staff members of the highest calibre; in student support; and in all aspects of fostering an inclusive community in which everyone feels respected, valued, and heard.
February 2024