The Sir William Luce Memorial Fund welcomes applications for the 2025 Sir William Luce Fellowship, 28 April-27 June 2025.

The Sir William Luce Fellowship is awarded annually to a scholar at post-doctoral level, diplomat, politician, or business executive, working on those parts of the Middle East to which Sir William Luce devoted his working life (the Gulf states, Yemen, Iran, Sudan and South Sudan). The fellowship is hosted by Durham University during the Easter term of each academic year. Recent fellows have included Professor Mark Katz, Edward Thomas, Helen Lackner, Richard Barltrop, Ambassador John W. Limbert and Dr Leben Moro.

The Fund is looking for research proposals that provide fresh perspectives on urgent regional issues in the area comprising the Sudans, Yemen, the Gulf States and Iran. The Fund notes that the University holds a Sudan Archive containing records relating to both Sudan and South Sudan and several collections relating to the MENA region. For the 2025 fellowship applicants are encouraged to devise proposals for research that would draw on these historical collections and in particular which situate the current conflict in Sudan in its regional context. The Committee administering the Sir William Luce Memorial Fund reserves the right not to make an appointment to a Fellowship.

The Fellowship, tenable jointly in the Institute for Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies and Trevelyan College, entitles the holder to full access to departmental and other University facilities such as Computing and Information Services and the University Library. The Fellowship also carries a grant, accommodation and all meals for the duration of the Fellowship. Fellows reside at Trevelyan College and are warmly encouraged to take a full part in the life of the Senior Common Room during their residence.

The Fellow is expected to deliver a lecture on the subject of his or her research which will be designated ‘The Sir William Luce Lecture’ and should be cast in such a way as to form the basis of a paper to be published in a special edition of the Durham Middle East Papers series. 

Applicants for the 2025 Fellowship (28 April-27 June 2025) should send a CV (of no more than 2 pages), a two to three-page outline of their proposed research and contact details for two referees, preferably by e-mail, by Tuesday 1 October 2024 to:

The Honorary Secretary

Sir Willian Luce Memorial Fund

Durham University Library

Palace Green, Durham

DH1 3RN

United Kingdom

Email: luce.fund@durham.ac.uk

Call for applications: https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/school-government-international-affairs/research/fellowships/william-luce-fellowship/

Past Sir William Luce papers: https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/school-government-international-affairs/research/fellowships/william-luce-fellowship/visiting-fellows-and-sir-william-luce-papers/