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[synecdoche]

Hi everyone,

I very recently defended my (Literature) dissertation. This summer, I'm working on getting a couple of articles out, but in the meantime I'm looking forward. I plan to apply for a SSHRC post-doc, and was wondering if anybody wants to share any tips/advice on the process. I get the nuts and bolts of things, but my main concern right now is that my head is still so far into my dissertation that coming up with a new project is going to be very difficult. I've lived and breathed my dissertation topic for the last two-and-a-half years; now I feel like I am starting over even as I have to keep in mind that I want to turn the dissertation into a book. All of the ideas I do have feel a bit too close to my dissertation topic.

Anyway, I was hoping people who have been successful with the SSHRC post-doc process, especially those in lit fields, might be willing to share their experiences. How drastic a shift was your post-doc project? What do you think was the most important part of your application in terms of how successful it was? Any other thoughts?

Oh, and another thing: when you are approaching potential supervisors, how do you balance the supervisor versus the supervisor's location? I've heard both that the supervisor's support is vital (naturally) but also that you need to justify the supervisor's university. The one I have in mind is a great fit in terms of research profile, and he's also someone I've met and talked to about my work. But, there's not a lot I could say about his university that makes it seem vital to my project. With that said, in my particular sub-field, I don't anticipate spending a LOT of time in archives or specialized libraries anyway. Still, I'm not sure if I should try to find a better balance here or not.

So, any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[llanfair]

I'm more of a cautionary tale than a help, Synecdoche, but here are my two (more like four) cents:

1/You don't need to go in a completely different direction.  I tried that in my first application, stuck with it in my second - no dice.  My third was a return to the original direction, but an extension/elaboration (with a view to writing The Book), and my PhD supervisor wondered why I hadn't done that on my first try.  (All three failed, tho' one was recommended but not funded.  That's why I'm a cautionary tale.)

2/The supervisor is more important than their institution.  Get their help in lauding that institution as THE place to do your work, because they know much more about what it offers than you do at this stage.  You don't necessarily have to make use of those facilities/offerings; remember, a SSHRC application has a "plausible fiction" aspect.  No one checks that your project goes as you originally said it might.

3/Be sure to have your proposal vetted before you send it.  Obviously, your potential supervisor and your referrees should go over it, but make the most of the knowledge around you.  Has anyone in your former department served as a SSHRC reviewer? They know more than anyone about what a successful proposal looks like.  If you know several such people, ask them all.

4/Give yourself lots of time to write and revise this thing.  For all this input to happen, you need to start way ahead of the deadline.

Finally, be braced for the fact that SSHRC's funding for the humanities has been badly gutted.  If you don't get funding, it's not a reflection on you or your work; the current government has never seen the point of our disciplines, and they're siphoning off all the funds they can from them.

And good luck!