Magdalen College proposes to appoint a Postdoctoral Researcher to work on the project C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien: A Scholarly Reappraisal, led by Professor Simon Horobin (Magdalen College) and Professor Giuseppe Pezzini (Corpus Christi College), based at the Calleva Research Centre. The post will commence on 1 October 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter and will be for three calendar years.
The Calleva Research Centre at Magdalen College
Magdalen College, one of the thirty-eight colleges within the University of Oxford, carries out research and teaching in the full range of science, social science, and humanities subjects. It has Fellows and Lecturers in both Politics and Philosophy. For further information on the College see www.magd.ox.ac.uk.
The College’s Calleva Research Centre was founded in 2010. Its work promotes deeper understanding of the origins, development, causes, and functions of human behaviour, as well as the grand challenges faced by humanity. For further information about the Centre see https://callevacentre.org.
Details of the research programme
This project aims to undertake a reassessment of the scholarly legacy of one of Magdalen College’s foremost fellows, the English literary scholar C.S. Lewis, in the context of his professional, intellectual and personal relationships with his friend and colleague J.R.R. Tolkien. While the huge impact of his theological and fictional writings is widely known, comparatively little has been written about C.S. Lewis’s scholarly contribution to the fields of literary history, critical theory and historical philology.
The project aims to situate Lewis’s published works of literary and linguistic criticism within their historical and theoretical contexts, with a particular focus on the cross-fertilisation with J.R.R. Tolkien’s own ideas and contributions, and assess their impact on later scholarship. It will also examine the extent to which Lewis’s education and his work for the Oxford University English Faculty, and in particular his close friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien, influenced his thinking and his scholarly output. The project is led by a Principal Investigator, Professor Simon Horobin, and a Co-Investigator, Professor Giuseppe Pezzini of Corpus Christi College.
The project aims to situate Lewis’s published works of literary and linguistic criticism within their historical and theoretical contexts, with a particular focus on the cross-fertilisation with J.R.R. Tolkien’s own ideas and contributions, and assess their impact on later scholarship. It will also examine the extent to which Lewis’s education and his work for the Oxford University English Faculty, and in particular his close friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien, influenced his thinking and his scholarly output. The project is led by a Principal Investigator, Professor Simon Horobin, and a Co-Investigator, Professor Giuseppe Pezzini of Corpus Christi College.
Key Responsibilities
We are seeking one qualified and highly motivated individual for a Postdoctoral Researcher post to work full-time on this project, contributing to the extensive programme of research into C.S. Lewis’s reading and writing, his academic archives, as well as the works of the scholars and groups with which he engaged, including especially J.R.R. Tolkien. This appointee will also contribute to an extensive survey of printed reviews and relevant secondary literature of Lewis’s major scholarly outputs in order to assess both the immediate impact of Lewis’s writings as well as its later significance.
The postholder will join a stimulating, interdisciplinary research environment, and will gain experience in translating academic research for public audiences. The Postdoctoral Researcher will be responsible for research activities such as collecting and analysing of historical and literary data, carrying out archival research, communicating with academics and non-academics, liaising with librarians and exhibition curators, and the preparation of manuscripts for publication.
The postholder will join a stimulating, interdisciplinary research environment, and will gain experience in translating academic research for public audiences. The Postdoctoral Researcher will be responsible for research activities such as collecting and analysing of historical and literary data, carrying out archival research, communicating with academics and non-academics, liaising with librarians and exhibition curators, and the preparation of manuscripts for publication.
Responsibilities and duties
- Manage own academic research and administrative activities related to the project, including small-scale project management, and co-ordinate multiple aspects of work to meet deadlines.
- Work collaboratively with colleagues from other disciplines.
- Contribute to a co-authored volume on Lewis’s academic legacy.
- Organise public engagement events in Magdalen, the wider University and City.
- Work with the Magdalen College Outreach office to organise and run events for school groups, external visitors and local organisations.
- Share results of the project at international conferences.
- Undertaking any other tasks, duties, and responsibilities not listed above which can reasonably be expected to be performed or undertaken by a Postdoctoral Researcher, as required by the Principal Investigator, including contributing to the activities of the Oxford Tolkien Network.
The location of the job will be in Oxford.
Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
Essential:
- Candidates should hold, or be close to completion of, a doctorate in English Language and Literature.
- Established interest in and experience of Public Engagement activities.
- Evidence of ability to write for academic and non-academic audiences.
- Experience of independently managing a discrete research project.
- Within the research group, the postholder should work in a collaborative and supportive fashion. Good inter-personal skills with an ability to work co-operatively in a multidisciplinary setting are therefore essential.
- Excellent communication skills, including the ability to present research findings to academic and non-academic audiences.
- Evidence of interest and expertise in the works of C.S. Lewis and/or J.R.R. Tolkien.
- Evidence of interest and expertise in Medieval and/or Early Modern Language and Literature.
Benefits
The appointment will be made on Grade 7.4 of the Unified College Pay Scale, currently £41,064 per annum, plus £1,730 per annum Oxford Location Allowance.
Five free meals (lunch or dinner) in College each week that the kitchen is open, and membership of the College’s Senior Common Room. There is free use of sports facilities.
Access to generous research funds allocated to the project to cover the reimbursement of expenses, and an entitlement to apply for additional research funds through the Calleva Research Centre’s termly competition for small grant funds.
The post carries an entitlement to join, or to remain a member of, the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS).
All employees of the College are entitled to the College’s enhanced benefits for Maternity, Adoption, Shared Parental, and Paternity Leave from day one of employment, with no qualifying period. The College provides for maternity leave on a basis that exceeds the statutory provisions: women are eligible for 26 weeks’ maternity leave on full pay, followed by 13 weeks of leave on Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and 13 weeks of unpaid maternity leave. Similar arrangements are available for Adoption Leave and Shared Parental Leave. Paternity Leave is also available. Magdalen College has a priority claim on four places in the University nurseries.
Applications
To apply for this position, please click the 'Apply Now' button.
The closing date is on Sunday 7 June 2026. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.
The closing date is on Sunday 7 June 2026. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.
Interviews are expected to take place on Monday 29 June 2026. Shortlisted candidates invited for interview will be asked to submit a piece of written work of 10,000 words and to arrange for two referees to submit letters of recommendation.
Following the initial offer of the position, appointment will be subject to proof of the right to work in the UK and the candidate’s highest qualification achieved evidenced by the original degree certificate. If the chosen candidate requires a UK visa, HR and the University Staff Immigration Team will discuss visa routes and will provide advice and assistance with an application. Visa fees (including the Immigration Health Surcharge) will be refunded for any applicants requiring a UK visa.
If the person appointed to the post is a migrant sponsored under the UK's points-based migration system, we are required to retain the applications for all shortlisted candidates until six months after we have ceased sponsoring the migrant in question.
If the chosen candidate requires any workplace adjustments, this would be brought to the attention of Human Resources through completion of a new starter Occupational Health Services Declaration. Applications are encouraged from candidates from all countries and all universities. Applications are particularly welcome from women and from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in Oxford.
Magdalen College is an Equal Opportunities Employer.
