Dr Jonathan Galton is a Lecturer (Teaching) in Sociology at UCL, and a former holder of Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship.
What Early Career Research Fellowship did you hold?
I held a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship 2021-2024. My research project (initially titled ‘Progressive Islamophilia and the British Queer-Muslim Intersection’) examined narratives of ‘Islamo-Leftism’ or the alliances between socialist politics and political Islam. I was especially interested in finding out how these narratives have emerged, in what contexts they are used, how they are experienced (in particular by left-leaning and queer Muslims) and what relationship they bear to any empirical reality.
At which stage of your research career did you receive your fellowship – straight after PhD / after a postdoctoral research position(s)?
I completed my PhD in 2019-20 (viva in 2019, corrections approved April 2020) and submitted the Leverhulme application in February 2021, starting the post in September 2021 – two years after submitting my PhD Thesis.
Was this your first attempt to get an ECR fellowship?
I applied for a one-year ESCR Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2020 and a Wenner-Gren Anthropological Fellowship in the same year. Both were based around turning my PhD thesis into a book, and both were rejected. The Leverhulme application was my first attempt to apply for an ECR fellowship for the project outlined above.
Where did you look for ECR fellowship funders?
Google and jobs.ac.uk. I heard about the Wenner-Gren Foundation (see above) from a colleague.
What did the application process involve?
I started drafting a research proposal in August 2020 and reached out to potential mentors in September. I started the application in earnest in October and over the next few months had plenty of back and forth with various members of the department (see below). There was no internal selection process before the proposal submission in February 2021.
How long did you spend on preparing your application?
I can’t give an answer in hours! But it took plenty of work over an extended period of time as outlined above. It’s worth taking time to get it as good as it can be and I’m very grateful to everybody who pushed me to make it better.
What support did you get with the application, if any?
I benefitted from plenty of support: my mentor was an invaluable sounding board as were two of his colleagues who peer-reviewed the project proposal. I also got extensive feedback from the SLASH/IOE Research Facilitators when honing the proposal and others to help with the budget. Finally, I met with several subject matter experts, including a number of queer Muslim researchers, who kindly gave up their time to advise me on the proposal.
How would you describe your ECR fellowship experience – what was particularly rewarding and what was challenging?
It was an incredible experience! I feel immensely privileged to have had three years to research something in detail and meet many interesting and inspiring people while reading more than I thought was humanly possible. Since my research into British Muslim-Leftwing connections is highly topical, it evolved considerably in response to events that took place during the fellowship (above all in Gaza). This was extremely challenging but necessary. The research was also highly reflexive and required me to examine my own biases and actions on an everyday basis. This was both rewarding and challenging.
What were your next steps / positions after the Fellowship, and what position do you hold at present?
I am currently on a temporary teaching lectureship post (until August 2026) in the Thomas Coram Research Unit, which is where I completed the fellowship.
What were the main benefits of having had an ECR Fellowship for your next career steps?
First and foremost, it gave me time to complete a significant piece of research that I am now in the process of writing as a book (working title - ‘Beyond Islamo-Leftism: Challenging Five Caricatures of British Muslims and the Left’). It also gave me the breathing space needed to complete my first book, based on the PhD thesis (‘Fake Gods and False History: Being Indian in a Contested Mumbai Neighbourhood’ published with UCL Press in 2023). Finally, I had the opportunity to get lecturing experience as well organising departmental seminars and a range of other institutional citizenship activities. This placed me in a good position to apply for and get a maternity cover post in the same department which has now been extended for another year. Hopefully, the combined result of all of this will be to stand me in good stead for future applications.
What advice would you give to researchers who are considering applying for an ECR Fellowship?
Be ambitious, be tenacious, be resilient but above all be self-aware.
