Wolfson announces new endowed JRF in Assyriology

The Wolfson College Fellowship will be the first endowed postdoctoral fellowship in Assyriology in the UK and its creation is a milestone for the field. It will further strengthen Wolfson's expertise in Assyriology and the Ancient World, with the Fellow working alongside Jacob Dahl, Professor of Assyriology, and complementing the College's two existing endowed graduate scholarships in Assyriology, the Jeremy Black Scholarship and the Reginald Campbell Thompson Scholarship. The Fellowship will also complement Oxford University’s endowed JRF in Egyptology, the Lady Wallis Budge Junior Research Fellowship at University College. The first Wolfson Fellowship will be advertised soon and the College hopes to appoint for a start in autumn 2020.

The College has also received a generous donation to establish an endowed General Research Fund for Assyriology, which will fund fieldwork and archival research into Assyriology at Oxford University and will bring colleagues from elsewhere for short stays in Oxford.

Jacob Dahl, Professor of Assyriology at the University of Oxford said, “This gift represents an unprecedented opportunity for Oxford Assyriology to continue and strengthen more than 125 years of research on ancient Mesopotamia and its neighbours, and I look forward to the many opportunities this development provides for education, research, and collaboration both within the field of Assyriology and with colleagues from related fields.”

“The Wolfson Junior Research Fellowship in Assyriology will be a great addition to Wolfson’s vibrant community of expertise on the Ancient World. Postdoctoral positions give vital opportunities to scholars embarking on academic careers and we all look forward to welcoming the first Fellow in autumn 2020,” said Sir Tim Hitchens.