Advisory Council Roles
Do you have the knowledge, experience and expertise to help steer the future of British art studies? Are you looking to engage in dynamic discussions about the study and understanding of British art and visual culture and help award around £1 million of funding annually?
We are seeking to recruit up to three new members to join the Paul Mellon Centre’s (PMC) Advisory Council. In this voluntary role, you would be joining a panel of specialists who read and review applications to our funding programme, which currently distributes around £1 million annually to individuals and organisations undertaking the most original, innovative and impactful research in British art. We offer grants and fellowships for both organisations and individuals, with the largest individual grant being £60,000. We support individual research projects, curatorial projects, events, publications, digital projects and more. For further information about our grant giving and its impact, including stories from some of our individual recipients, see here.
As we seek to continue our work expanding the field and promoting new ways of understanding British art, we are looking for Advisory Council members who will bring a profound understanding of the state of British art research in its broadest sense, across all periods and geographical/cultural contexts. New members will serve an initial three-year term, with an option to extend to five years, and will be expected to read and review applications for our two annual funding rounds in spring and autumn.
We are looking for individuals with a significant track record of undertaking and supporting advanced research in the field of British art, whether in academia or in the wider sector. We would be particularly interested in hearing from those with a background working with digital technologies and conservation and heritage projects, as well as people who can bring fresh perspectives to the field of British art studies.
Commitment
We require Advisory Council members to take part in two meetings per year and complete in advance the reading and assessment of the applications under review. The meetings usually take place in March and November, in person at PMC in London (with online attendance as an option). Applications will be open for assessment at least a month before the meeting takes place. On average we receive between two and three hundred applications per round: due to the division of applications between Main Council meetings and Subcommittee meetings, Advisory Council members can expect to read and assess around one hundred to one hundred and fifty applications per round.
Once during their [initial] term, we will ask Advisory Council members to sit on both the Subcommittee meeting and the Main Council meeting, meaning they will need to read and assess the full total of applications that round.
Expenses and Honorarium
All members of the Advisory Council will receive complimentary copies of PMC publications for the duration of their time on the Council.
We will cover reasonable travel and accommodation expenses for the individual to attend the meeting in person.
Remote participation in the meetings will always be available and international applicants are welcome.
This is a voluntary position and the Paul Mellon Centre is a registered charity, dedicated to supporting research in British art studies. However, recognising the time commitment involved and the obstacle this may present to individuals we can offer a £250 honorarium for each round of assessment to Advisory Council members, payable on request at the completion of the round.
Access Support
We are actively seeking to make our funding opportunities and processes more accessible and user friendly. Accordingly, we want to ensure that membership of our Advisory Council is open to everyone with the relevant experience, expertise and knowledge. We will be happy to discuss practical ways we can make sure that this is achievable and have additional funds available to support any access needs. Do please get in touch if you would like to discuss what might be possible.
How to Apply
If you are interested in joining, please submit a full CV and a personal statement.
The statement should not exceed two pages of A4 or be longer than 1,000 words.
It should address the following questions:
- Why are you interested in joining PMC’s Advisory Council?
- What would you bring to the Council, in terms of your experience, knowledge and expertise?
- What do you consider the main priorities for British art research at this time?
If you have any questions or would like an informal conversation about this opportunity, please do not hesitate to contact Harriet Sweet, Grants Manager hsweet@paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk
Application Process
Please apply using our web application form available via https://thepaulmelloncentre.hrpartner.io/jobs
If you have any issues applying or have any queries with the web application form, please contact the HR team at recruitment@paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk
Closing Date
The closing date for applications is 10am on Monday 28 July 2025.
Expected Start Date
New members will begin their term in September 2025, with an onboarding session provided.
FAQs
No. We are looking for people with a record of academic production and engagement but you do not need to be based at a university.
No. We are looking for people with an understanding of the academic world, who can give an informed opinion on applications including those from postgraduate students, but that could come from a variety of perspectives. We would expect that Council members have a significant body of relevant research behind them including published outputs.
You do not need to be based in the UK to be a member of our Advisory Council. Our meetings will take place at 1.30pm GMT in the UK and whilst we do offer virtual meetings your participation may be dependent on the time zone in which you are located.
PMC promotes research and understanding in the field of British art studies, broadly defined. While we always have and will continue to support art historical research, we recognise that a wide range of disciplinary perspectives are relevant and generative, and are open to cross-, trans- and inter-disciplinary research, and to research with a practice-based element.
We do not have a fixed definition of what is meant by “British art” and this can be called into question during the assessment process but in general terms, to us, British art encompasses art made in Britain or by British artists but is not solely limited to art made, or artists from, within the geographical boundaries of the British Isles. Rather we understand the field of British art studies to encompass a broad range of subjects and topics related to the artistic and cultural histories of Britain, past and present.
We can offer reasonable expenses to allow Advisory Council members to travel to London and take part in our meetings in person. These include:
- up to £200 per night for accommodation
- up to £800 for international travel
- up to £500 for UK travel
PMC can book travel and accommodation options for you or you can book your own travel and submit receipts for expense claims.
This is a voluntary position and PMC is a registered charity, dedicated to supporting research in British art studies. However, recognising the time commitment involved and the obstacle this may present to individuals we can offer a modest £250 honorarium for each round of assessment to Advisory Council members, payable on receipt of an invoice at the completion of the round.
Applications are open to Advisory Council members for reading and assessment at least one month in advance of the decision meetings, and this date is communicated in advance so members can factor it into their calendars.
On average the Council members will need to read one hundred to one hundred and fifty applications per round. We try to keep application paperwork streamlined and typically each application form will comprise of a project outline of approximately 700–1,000 words, a budget/timetable/strategy of approximately 500–750 words and a CV of approximately 750 words. There are some variations to this, depending on the award, however most applications take this format. Applications will also have at least one reference, up to 500 words, and sometimes two references.
Our existing Council members have provided feedback on our application software (Good Grants) and noted its benefits for easy reading and scoring, which is a straightforward 1–5 system.
Yes. It is expected that Advisory Council members attend all meetings during their term, either in person or virtually, unless prior commitments or extenuating circumstances arise.
Assessment will open to Advisory Council members at least one month prior to the decision meetings. It involves reading application forms which include (on average) four sections (e.g. Research Project Outline, Strategy, Timetable and Budget) with at least one Reference. Once the application is read the Council members are expected to score the application between 1–5. All of this is done via a dedicated online system, Good Grants. Full instructions will be provided prior to each assessment round. There will be in-person meetings to then decide upon the applications and award funding accordingly. These are roughly one to three hours in length and are made up of other members of the Council alongside PMC staff.
We provide a thorough written guide for all Advisory Council members and are happy to discuss any further information or guidance that may be required.
No, Advisory Council members cannot personally apply for funding nor be in receipt of a PMC grant whilst being a member of the Council.
Yes, as long as the Advisory Council member is not directly involved in the project. We ask that council members highlight anything that might be perceived as a conflict of interest, and we may require you to step out of assessing individual applications or whole awards.
You can find further information about our different funding opportunities via our website, as well as lists of previously funded people and projects.
Applications will be reviewed by the Director and Grants department; particular focus will be upon the expertise offered by the applicant and how this will fit with the current Council members.
Shortlisted applicants may be called in to an informal interview; these would take place the week commencing 18 Aug.
New Council members are appointed by the Director of PMC, and new appointments are reviewed and confirmed by our Trustees who meet three times a year.