Putting the social into future-facing research

Applications are invited from academic staff and researchers at Lancaster University to join the Institute for Social Futures. The ISF is a collaborative environment that fosters intellectual exchange between academics from different departments, research centres and faculties. It brings together experts in humanities and social sciences with others in all faculties across the campus. The focus is on future-facing cross-disciplinary work that builds in the human and social dimension.

We seek individuals who wish to combine their research techniques and skills and build links with colleagues elsewhere, with a view to enhancing their research capability and pursuing new funding and teaching opportunities.

The ISF has four core areas of research. These have been established on the basis of existing critical mass across campus and the potential for exponential growth:

• Cultural & Creative Futures

• Material & Digital Futures

• Environmental Social Futures

• Mental Health & Wellbeing Futures

Each area has a dedicated lead who oversees a growing portfolio of innovative, interdisciplinary projects. Fellows are encouraged to work both within and across the core areas to help create not just a list of projects, but a shared know-how for new ways of doing research with practical applications at the intersection of conventional disciplines, methodologies and conceptual approaches. With this in mind, we encourage not only individual applications but small project teams who can apply collectively.

As a fellow, you will be supported in your enterprise, meet weekly with around a dozen other annual fellows and the leadership team to discuss your work, and have access to regular events, seedcorn funding and administrative support.

About the ISF

The ISF is currently led by Professor Linda Woodhead (Politics, Philosophy and Religion) and Professor Richard Harper (School of Computing and Communications). (Professor Woodhead is leaving Lancaster at the end of this academic year and a replacement will be advertised for shortly). The ISF was founded in 2015, it has hosted fellows from all Faculties.

In addition to the annual team of fellows, some 270 Lancaster academics and researchers are active in ISF events and research activities. The ISF routinely collaborates with researchers in all three other Institutes and a large number of research centres (e.g. CASS, CeMoRe, Imagination, LEC, LUCC, The Pentland Centre, The Ruskin Centre, Lancaster Energy, LIRA, and others). Beyond campus, the ISF has established outreach into the wider region and internationally by way of its weekly Breakfast Briefings, its twice-termly Global Futures Lectures, its project-specific events, and its project plenaries. Its national advisory board comprises leading figures in politics, business and the arts. Its international profile is expanding with formal connections being developed with other futures institutes.

In October 2018, the Institute for Social Futures formed a collaborative partnership with the Material Science Institute to deliver the Lancaster University Leverhulme Doctoral Training Centre in Material Social Futures. In November 2021 the Institute formed a collaboration with the Data Science Institute around the Future Places Centre, an EPSRC Digital Economy project, operating for five years.

Application procedure

To apply, please send a short (around 2 page) CV and a 250 word summary of your project-in-development and how it would benefit from the kinds of future-forming, cross-disciplinary conversations that ISF facilitates. Please make particularly clear how it fits in with one or more of our four core areas.

The fellowship is for one year, beginning in late September (after that fellows can continue to participate in ISF on a voluntary basis). Fellows set aside one day a week in term-time to develop their projects and to meet together every Tuesday morning (in term-time). Fellows should be offered relief from other duties for one day a week by their departments, subject to the approval of the Head of Department or PI.

The benefits of ISF fellowship flow to departments as well as faculties and universities. All research funds and REF outputs obtained or enhanced by ISF flow directly into departments. Prior to applying please discuss this with your head of department, PI or supervisor as applicable.

If you have questions on the application, please contact one of the directors (Richard Harper r.harper@lancaster.ac.uk; or Linda Woodhead l.woodhead@lancaster.ac.uk). If you would like to be kept informed of ISF’s activities without becoming a member please subscribe to our newsletter by sending an email to isf@lancaster.ac.uk with the Subject Title: Newsletter Subscription.

Initial applications should be sent to isf@lancaster.ac.uk and received no later than 23rd July, 2021.