ABOUT THE ROLE Working as part of multi-disciplinary teams, you will support the Principal Investigator in delivery of research activity on the UKRI-funded Future Leaders Fellowship project 'Global Music Technologies: Collaboration and Cultural Exchange'. The roles are required to undertake research into the global collaboration and cultural exchange which lies behind musical instruments, one applicant with a focus on the long 19th century, and one applicant on 20th century electronic instruments. The project features an exciting series of workshops, and culminates in an international conference, for which the postdoctoral researchers will be key contributors. Collaboration with the project's PhD student will permit engagement with our education partners, and facilitate the transformation of organological research into practical application for music education professionals. They will also help to co-curate the project website, co-edit an edited collection, contribute individual and co-authored conference papers and journal articles, and will be supported to build their postdoctoral profiles. Specifics of each post are detailed below, followed by the general duties and responsibilities. Postdoctoral Research Fellow 1 will study German musical instrument manufacture and its intersections with innovation across Europe and beyond. They will consider the role of instrument manufacture in nation building and identity, and the ways in which industry underpinned the position of Germany as a leading musical power in the West. They will consider woodwind, brass and piano trades, the latter facilitated by granted access to the Steingraeber und Söhne archives in Bayreuth. A knowledge of 19th century music and fluency in German are therefore desirable. Postdoctoral Research Fellow 2 will create the first transnational exploration of electronic instrument innovation and manufacture of the long 20th century, considering the American musical instrument trade boom in tandem with the lesser studied histories of British, Japanese and Soviet era instruments. They will consider these developments as influenced by the advent and rapid evolution of recorded sound and consumption of music in the home, all against a backdrop of political tensions and rapid cultural shifts. A specific anchor of the project will be working with the collections and archives of the newly established Gretsch Museum in Savannah, GA. A knowledge of 20th century music and/or electronic instruments is therefore desirable. The roles are fixed term for 36 months. These roles are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 therefore the successful candidates will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check. ABOUT THE TEAM This Research Project is being delivered within the Department of Humanities. The Department of Humanities brings together around 80 academic staff and more than 800 students in English Literature, Creative Writing, English Language, American Studies, History and Music. The successful applicants will be joining five full-time Music colleagues, as part of the History subject group, who are supported by wider research and teaching expertise that relates to music across the department and faculty. Our current research expertise includes English music, c. 1500-1700; organology; instrumental and keyboard music to c. 1800 (including performance practice); ballads and popular song, 1500-1800; source studies (particularly editing); Scottish music, dancing masters and musicians of the eighteenth century; music in relation to literature, gender, politics (including court music, nationalism and protest); music and the medical humanities; and American popular music and culture. The Music Research Group provides a home for all those involved in music research across the University, including our lively community of PhD students. We have recently been successful in securing funding from the AHRC, the British Academy, and UKRI. Since 2022 the university is the permanent home for Jeremy Montagu's collection of musical instruments from around the world. ABOUT YOU Applicants should hold a doctorate and have demonstrable specialist expert knowledge in music of the 19th (PRF1) or 20th (PRF2) centuries. Experience working with the museums and archives sector is desirable, as is an interest in the histories of musical instruments/organology; candidates do not necessarily need to come from an organology/musical instrument studies background. Further information about the requirements of the role is available in the person specification. If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact rachael.durkinnorthumbria.ac.uk We welcome applications from the UK and across the world. Visit our web pages for details about Relocation Assistance. To apply for this vacancy please click 'Apply Now'. Your application should include a covering letter and a CV. add details of any other information you require candidates to provide as part of their application ABOUT US Northumbria University is a research-intensive university that unlocks potential for all. We change lives regionally, nationally, and internationally through education and research, tackling the global challenges of our age to transform society and the economy. Find out why we were named Times Higher Education's University of the Year in 2022 and Modern University of the Year in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025. Northumbria recorded the biggest rise of any UK university for research power in the Research Excellence Framework for the second time in 2021 and is now ranked top 25 in the UK for this measure. One of the largest universities in the UK with over 37,000 students from more than 140 countries, filled with world-leading research, award-winning partnerships, and students at the heart of an outstanding experience. Discover more about us. Northumbria University is a great place to work. We empower our exceptional people to achieve shared ambitions and promote a positive work life balance. We offer a wide range of benefits including excellent pension schemes, flexible working, a generous holiday entitlement, continued commitment to your learning and development and more. Our Northumbria Values are guiding principles that define who we are, what we do and what is important to us. Our Values are: Academic Excellence ; Innovation ; Inclusivity ; Collaboration ; and Ambition. Our Behaviours describe how we do things and how we work together at Northumbria, reflecting our culture and our decision-making. Our Behaviours are: We listen and learn, we support one another to success, we respect everyone and their contributions, we trust in ourselves and each other and we are bold. Our Values and Behaviours were co-created by colleagues from a range of roles across the University, who worked collaboratively to consider what it feels like to work for Northumbria, and where we need to continue to transform together to achieve what's important to us. Please visit Our Values and Behaviours page to find out more. We are an on-campus organisation where colleagues work regular patterns of hours and on campus, with some flexibility on the timing of their hours and the location of their work in discussion with their manager. Our campus locations include our City and Coach Lane Campuses in Newcastle upon Tyne and our London campus. Northumbria University is committed to creating an inclusive culture where we take pride in, and value, the diversity of our staff. We encourage and welcome applications from all members of the community. The University holds bronze Athena Swan and Race Equality Charter awards in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender and race equality, we are a Disability Confident Leader and are participating in the Stonewall Diversity Champion Programme. We also hold the HR Excellence in Research award for implementing the concordat supporting the career Development of Researchers and are members of the Euraxess initiative to deliver information and support to professional researchers. The University has implemented a range of flexible working arrangements, and we are happy to explore candidate requirements as part of the recruitment process. We are committed to keeping your data safe so it's important for you to know how we use any personal data you give us. For more detailed information, access our Privacy Policy .Are you an experienced Researcher with specialist skills in music history looking for an opportunity to join the UK's first modern research-intensive University?