Are you a scholar interested in drawing attention to important issues in higher education? Could you share your specialist insights with a global audience? The LSE HE Blog Fellowship could be for you. 

Following the success of the inaugural LSE Higher Education Blog Fellowship programme last year, we are delighted to announce the next round of the fellowship. Beginning in March 2025, this is an exciting opportunity for scholars who are interested in drawing attention to important issues in higher education from diverse perspectives through creating and curating content on a range of topics. 

About the LSE HE Blog 

The LSE Higher Education Blog is an outward-facing forum for academics, educators, and students to share and discuss their experiences and insights into teaching and learning, and to present a bold, multi-perspective view of higher education in the UK and globally. Around half our readers are based outside the UK, and our blog posts are frequently cited and re-published by academics and academic media around the world. The HE Blog is part of the LSE blog network, one of the world’s primary digital knowledge exchange platforms for academics, students, and researchers. More than 500,000 people read blog posts and commentary from across the LSE Blogs every month. 

About the LSE HE Blog Fellowship programme 

The LSE HE Blog Fellowship programme is open to scholars from across the world, including academics, students, university staff, and independent scholars. The aim of the fellowship programme is to focus attention on topics that do not receive much coverage on the HE Blog, in the process providing well-rounded coverage of key issues in HE.  

The fellowship programme will run from March – December 2025. There are three fellowships available for 2025, with an award of upto £800 each. The fellowship can be undertaken remotely or on the LSE campus. Applications to the fellowship programme close on 10 March 2025 

Themes 

For this 2025 round, we particularly welcome applications that focus on these themes: 

• Teaching quantitative disciplines and topics
• Heterodox perspectives on issues in HE
• International higher education, particularly Latin America and Asia
• Employability: competency-based frameworks, equality of opportunity, graduate jobs and career prospects
• Future-gazing: how is higher education evolving?

You are welcome to propose other themes based on your interest and expertise, though ensure that they are not topics that have already received significant coverage on the LSE HE Blog. 

Outputs  

Fellows will be expected to produce and curate up to four outputs on or related to their chosen theme. These could include, but are not limited to: 

• Writing a 1,200-word blogpost
• Planning and hosting a 30-minute podcast with at least two guests
• Conducting and writing up a 1,200-word interview
• Organising and producing a multi-author compilation blogpost on a topic

Fellows are not expected to produce one of each of the above; it is intended to be an indicative list of possible outputs. 

Timeline 

Applications open on 11 February 2025 and close on 10 March 2025. The fellowship programme will formally start on 27 March 2025 and end on 20 December 2025 with the expectation that outputs will be published throughout the term of the fellowship. We will work collaboratively with the Fellows to identify deadlines that take into account existing schedules and commitments. 

Support and training 

Prior editorial or publishing experience is not necessary as the LSE HE Blog team will work closely with the Fellows to provide support as needed, such as: 

• Training in applying editorial standards and processes (for example, briefing collaborators, feedback, editing, etc)
• Editorial oversight of projects and assignments
• Regular communication and meetings
• Mentorship with respect to academic publishing, public engagement, etc

Why apply? 

If you are interested in higher education and wish to reach a global, well-informed audience, this is an opportunity for you to: 

• Gain valuable experience in scholarly writing and content creation for a range of media and audiences
• Develop a scholarly profile beyond your specialism and discipline
• Gain experience in public engagement and dissemination
• Widen your professional network

Eligibility 

We welcome applications for the LSE HE Blog Fellowship programme from academics across all disciplines and fields including pure, interdisciplinary, and applied fields; those who teach on courses that use quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods; and at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. University staff and independent scholars are also welcome to apply as are those working in academic-related and adjacent areas such as clinicians, policymakers, etc. Joint applications (such as co-conducted/co-authored interviews) are welcome, but the award and resources would stay the same. 

Experience in writing or the ability to write for non-specialist audiences and a good understanding and knowledge of pedagogy and curriculum design along with teaching experience are a plus but are not essential. 

Application requirements 

To apply for the LSE HE Blog Fellowship programme, please submit the following documents no later than 10 March 2025 to lseheblog@lse.ac.uk with ‘Fellowship’ in the subject line:

• your CV, which should include any writing, editorial, public engagement experience that is relevant to this fellowship
• two recent samples of your work that best indicate your suitability for this fellowship such as a blogpost, podcast, video, journal article
• a proposal of no more than 1,000 words, which includes:
  – the theme you will focus on for the fellowship and why you’ve chosen it
  – an editorial plan that lists the topic/working title for at least three outputs, a very brief description of each output, prospective guests or contributors where relevant, and a rough timeline for submission

If you have any questions or would like to have an informal discussion about the fellowship or the application process, please email Lee-Ann Sequeira, editor of the LSE Higher Education Blog. 

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_____________________________________________________________________________________________ This post is opinion-based and does not reflect the views of the London School of Economics and Political Science or any of its constituent departments and divisions.    ______________________________________________________________________________________________