FCJ Postdoctoral Research Associate in the History of Catholicism

Working at Durham University  

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The Role and Department

Durham’s Department of Theology and Religion is one of the very best UK departments in this field, with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students. It is held in high esteem across the globe, as reflected in the QS World Reputation rankings, which placed Durham’s department as 6th worldwide based on its most recent survey in 2025. In January 2024, in recognition of its commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion the department was awarded the Athena Swan Silver Award by Advance HE. The Faculty of Arts and Humanities, of which Theology and Religion is one of seven departments, achieved the Athena Swan Silver Award in May 2025.

The Department of Theology and Religion currently comprises 28 academic teaching staff, 12 research staff and 7 professional support staff. We currently have a large cohort of undergraduate students (around 90 per year group) studying on 3 programmes, including the BA in Religion, Society and Culture, and over 200 postgraduate students, studying on MA, PhD and DThM (professional doctorate in theology and ministry) programmes. 

The Department has three overlapping areas of academic expertise:

Biblical Studies (including Hebrew Bible, New Testament, early Christianity, and early Judaism);

Christian Theology (including historical and contemporary theology, philosophy, and ethics);

Study of Religion (including the empirical study of contemporary religion and its contexts of practice).

The Department enjoys many cross-departmental and interdisciplinary links around the University, including with the Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and the Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, as well as a strong, collaborative relationship with the theological institutions based in and around Durham (e.g. Cranmer Hall, the Anglican theological college).

With its home in Abbey House, right next to Durham Cathedral, a UNESCO world Heritage site, it is a beautiful and immensely exciting place to study and to research in Theology and Religion.

For more information, please visit our Department pages at www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/theology-religion/

The Department is also home to a number of research centres, including the Centre for Catholic Studies (CCS) (https://www.dur.ac.uk/theology.religion/ccs/ ). The CCS, established in October 2007, is a unique body: a major research and teaching centre explicitly focussed on the study of Catholic Theology and Catholic Studies more widely (including the empirical study of Catholicism, Catholic social thought and practice, the history of Catholicism, Franciscan Studies, and the cultural impact of Catholicism). 

The Role

Applications are invited for the position of FCJ Postdoctoral Research Associate in the History of Catholicism. The research project will investigate the history of the Faithful Companions of Jesus in the UK from 1830 to the present day.

The Faithful Companions of Jesus were founded by Marie Madeleine de Bonnault d’Hoüet in Amiens, France in 1820 as a society of apostolic women. By the 1850s, the FCJ were present in several French dioceses, establishing schools and aiding in catechesis. In addition, they had spread to England, Ireland, Italy and Switzerland during this period of rapid expansion. In 1835, they opened their first school for poor children in England at Tottenham as an expansion of their work in Somers Town, where they had arrived to serve a French émigré parish in 1830. A school was subsequently founded at Isleworth in 1841, and by 1844 the FCJ had been invited to open a school in Liverpool, before spreading elsewhere in the north-west throughout the 1850s. As the century progressed, their work spread to the north-east of England and into Kent during the early decades of the twentieth century, where the generalate was based for several decades. Active also in Scotland and the Channel Islands, the FCJ had a presence across much of the UK and were major providers of education for girls throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

2030 marks the two hundredth anniversary of the first FCJ activity in the UK, and the above provides a very brief overview of their work across these two centuries. There is currently no modern piece of historical research that takes into account the full activities of the FCJ during this period and reflects the historiographical shifts of the last fifty years. For example, scholars are steadily starting to recognize the role played by women religious in pioneering education for girls, and the FCJ provide an example of how widespread one congregation could be. It is also marked that they started their mission only a year after Catholic emancipation and two decades before the restoration of the ecclesiastical hierarchy. There are a number of potential routes that the research could take in terms of analysing their history and investigating the wider impact of their activities. For example, what sort of education was being offered in the schools?  Who were the teachers?  What was the social background of both staff and pupils? What was the lived reality of everyday life for the sisters? Did approaches change due to different interpretations of their original charism, or external influences whether religious, such as wider Church movements and reforms (for example, Vatican II), or secular, such as the world wars?

This project will place the FCJ in the widest context. For example, their work in providing education for the poor may show the sisters at the forefront of social action – or CSTP – during the nineteenth century, so very much part of the historiography of growing social activism. Although the project will not include activity outside of the UK, it will highlight that FCJ members from the area worked across the globe. In terms of methodology, this means that a wide range of both public and private archival collections will be consulted, from national and local government collections to diocesan repositories. In addition, the researcher will be given access to the FCJ’s own provincial and generalate archives, which will be a core resource. As well as engaging in a review of relevant secondary literature, the researcher may also wish to undertake some oral history work in the form of interviews with relevant individuals.

This is an opportunity for a first-rank researcher. Applications will be considered from candidates whose background lies across a range of disciplines. The FCJ Postdoctoral Research Associate will produce a book-length study of the FCJ’s two centuries of work in the UK.

The appointee will be fully involved in Durham University’s Centre for Catholic Studies (CCS), working in close collaboration with the other CCS staff members, associates, and postgraduate community. As part of the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University, the appointee will be directly responsible to the Head of Department of Theology and Religion, but will work under the immediate direction of Dr James Kelly, who is PI for this project, and with the CCS Director, Professor Karen Kilby. In order for the third year of funding to be released, and the appointee to continue into a third year of employment, Dr Kelly will need to confirm that a strong book proposal, together with two strong draft chapters, have been submitted to a publisher.

Key responsibilities:

• To understand and convey material of a specialist or highly technical nature to the team or group of people through presentations and discussions that leads to the presentation of research papers in conferences and publications.
• To prepare and deliver presentations on research outputs/activities to audiences which may include: research sponsors, academic and non-academic audiences.
• To publish high quality outputs, including papers for submission to peer reviewed journals and papers for presentation at conferences and workshops under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder.
• To publish a book-length history of the Faithful Companions of Jesus in the UK from 1830 to the present day, that situates their story in the broadest possible context.

·       To assist with the development of research objectives and proposals.

• To conduct individual and collaborative research projects under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder.
• To work with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and other colleagues in the research group, as appropriate, to identify areas for research, develop new research methods and extend the research portfolio.
• To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and offering creative or innovative solutions.
• To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding to form relationships for future research collaboration.
• To plan and manage own research activity, research resources in collaboration with others and contribute to the planning of research projects.
• To deliver training in research techniques/approaches to peers, visitors and students as appropriate.
• To be involved in student supervision, as appropriate, and assist with the assessment of the knowledge of students.

·       To help support and develop the life of the Centre for Catholic Studies.

·       To contribute to fostering a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect.

• To engage in wider citizenship to support the department and wider discipline.
• To engage in continuing professional development by participation in the undergraduate or postgraduate teaching programmes or by membership of departmental committees, etc. and by attending relevant training and development courses.   

This post is fixed term for 24 months with a possible 12 month extension; the funding is available from 1 October 2025 for this fixed period only.

The post-holder is employed to work on research/a research project which will be led by another colleague. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in his/her own right, the expectation is that they will contribute to the advancement of the project, through the development of their own research ideas/adaptation and development of research protocols.

Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post by 1 October 2025. Interviews are scheduled to take place on Friday 29th August online via Microsoft Teams.

Working at Durham 

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits: 

•    30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year.  
•    The University closes between Christmas and New Year – please include or delete if not applicable. 
•    We offer a generous pension scheme, As a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled  into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
•    No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
•    There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University.  All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities. 
•    Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
•    On site nursery is available plus access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16.
•    Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
•    The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community
•    Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions. 
•    A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits. 
•    If you are moving to Durham, you may be eligible for help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools. If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.

Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here .

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion

Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key component of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our Purpose and Values  and our Staff Code of Conduct.   At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all colleagues undertake activities that are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI. 

We welcome and encourage applications from those who are currently under-represented in our work force, including people with disabilities and from racially minoritised ethnic groups.

If you have taken a career break or periods of leave that may have impacted on the volume and recency of your research outputs and other activities, such as maternity, adoption or parental leave, you may wish to disclose this in your application. The selection committee will take this into account when evaluating your application.

The University has been awarded the Disability Confident Leader status. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role. 

Contact Information 

Department contact for academic-related enquiries 

Dr James Kelly, Associate Professor in the History of Catholicism, james.kelly3@durham.ac.uk

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application 

If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email. Please send your name along with a brief description of the problem you’re experiencing to e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk  

Alternatively, you may call 0191 334 6801 from the UK, or +44 191 334 6801 from outside the UK. This number operates during the hours of 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday, UK time. We will normally respond within one working day (Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays).  

University contact for general queries about the recruitment process 

For general queries please contact e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk  

How to Apply  

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification below. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria.  

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.  

Submitting your application 

We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.

What to Submit 

All applicants are asked to submit: 

• a CV and cover letter which details your experience, skills, and achievements in meeting (or the potential to meet) the criteria set out below.

·       A 1000–1500-word proposal outlining the methodological and historiographical approach for the scholarly research that will be undertaken into the Faithful Companions of Jesus, 1830–present day.

Next Steps 

Short-listed candidates will be invited to the University, either virtually or in-person and will have the opportunity to meet key members of the Department. The assessment for the post will normally include an interview and we anticipate that the assessments and interviews will take place over two days in the last week of August. 

In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date. 

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Job Applicants/Potential Job Applicants - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.   

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.

Person Specification 

Essential Criteria:

Qualifications

Experience

Skills

Desirable Criteria - 

Experience

Skills