DOROTHY sHERMAN
SEVERIN
research
FELlOWSHIP
Established in 2006, the AHGBI–WiSPS Dorothy Sherman-Severin Research Fellowship supports early-career researchers in Luso-Hispanic Studies through financial assistance, structured mentoring and opportunities for professional development.
Professor Dorothy Sherman-Severin, OBE, FSA
Emeritus Professor of Literature at the University of Liverpool and distinguished Hispanist.
The Legacy of Dorothy Sherman-Severin
Academic Leadership and the Advancement of Women
Professor Dorothy Sherman-Severin, OBE, FSA, is a distinguished Hispanist and Emeritus Professor of Literature at the University of Liverpool. An internationally recognised scholar of medieval and early modern Spanish literature, she has made significant contributions to the study of La Celestina, fifteenth-century Castilian poetry and the Spanish cancioneros.
Born in Texas in 1942, she completed her undergraduate and postgraduate studies at Harvard University, receiving her PhD in 1967. Her doctoral research developed into Memory in ‘La Celestina’ (1970), one of her influential contributions to Spanish literary scholarship. After joining Westfield College, London, in 1969, she was appointed to the Gilmour Chair of Hispanic Studies at the University of Liverpool in 1982. She also served as General Editor of the Bulletin of Hispanic Studies until her retirement in 2008.
Beyond her extensive scholarly achievements, Professor Sherman-Severin has played an important role in promoting women in academia. As the first President of WiSPS and one of its founding figures, she helped establish a network dedicated to advancing women's participation, research and professional development in Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies.
Her legacy extends beyond her publications to her academic leadership, commitment to equality and support for future generations of scholars. The AHGBI–WISPS Dorothy Sherman-Severin Research Fellowship, established in 2006, reflects this commitment by supporting early-career researchers through financial assistance, mentoring and opportunities for academic development.
This biography draws on the following scholarly article, particularly pages v–vii:
Snow, Joseph T., and Roger Wright (2009). ‘Introduction and Bibliography: Dorothy Sherman Severin, OBE’. Bulletin of Hispanic Studies, 86(1), pp. v–xiii. Liverpool University Press.
Read the article on Project MUSE.
RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
Honouring Dorothy Sherman-Severin and the academic legacy associated with a fellowship dedicated to emerging researchers.
Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana, Santillana del Mar, Cantabria, Spain. courtesy of Brian Vohnsen.
AHGBI-WISPS Dorothy Sherman-Severin Research Fellowship for Early-Career Researchers in Luso-Hispanic Studies
Early-Career Development
The Executive Committees of the Association of Hispanists of Great Britain and Ireland (AHGBI) and Women in Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin-American Studies (WISPS) invite applications for the Dorothy Sherman-Severin Research Fellowship for Early Career Researchers in Luso-Hispanic Studies.
Eligibility
1. Applicants will normally be current members of either AHGBI or WiSPS.
2. Applicants will normally have been awarded their doctorate in Luso-Hispanic Studies (broadly understood) within the last five years, excluding any breaks (e.g. parental leave).
3. Applicants will normally be employed on a full- or part-time basis on 1 June 2024 or will have a contract in place for the start of the academic year 24-25 in a UK or Irish Higher Education Institution.
4. Priority may be given to candidates in smaller departments at teaching-intensive universities and to applicants who do not currently have access to their own institution’s research funding.
Details of the Award
1. The Fellowship will be tenable from an academic year.
2. The successful candidate will receive financial support of up to £1000 during the year of the award plus a programme of structured support and mentoring (see attached notes for eligible costs).
3. The successful candidate’s progress will be supported by a mentor chosen in consultation with the Selection Committee.
4. The Fellow will be expected to offer at least one conference paper based on research undertaken for the Fellowship at either the annual conference of AHGBI or WISPS. A bursary of up to £350 will be available for attending the AHGBI conference. A bursary of up to £175 will be available for attending the WISPS conference.
5. The Fellow will be expected to produce a research output within 2 years of completing the fellowship and to contribute to a future training session at either WISPS or AHGBI annual conference. The type of research output will depend on the proposed project but could be a scholarly article, a research event, a public engagement activity.
6. On completion of the Fellowship, the Fellow will be required to submit a detailed report on the progress achieved, including a supporting statement from the mentor. Copies of receipts for expenditure should be submitted by the same date together with an interim report outlining research undertaken to that date.
Applications
Applications should be made on the application form, according to the Guidelines for Applicants; additionally, a separate CV (one page of A4 maximum) should be attached in Word or PDF format. Applications will be considered by a selection committee made up of members of the Executive Committees of AHGBI and WISPS.
Guidelines for applicants
Please type throughout using a font no smaller than size 11 and using the boxes provided in the application form.
1. Name of Applicant / Institution. Provide contact details where you can be reached both within and outside term time.
2. Details of Current Appointment and Brief Career History. Please include brief details of your current appointment and attach a brief CV (maximum one A4 side) detailing your employment and research history.
3. Title of Project and Sum Requested. Provide a title for the project (no more than 20 words); this will be used to publicize the award if you are successful. Please state the total sum for which you are applying (up to a maximum of £1000).
4. Proposal. Please provide a clear outline of your project stating its research question and aims as well as a realistic timetable for completion and projected outputs. You should also give details of any additional funding you may have requested for this project and/or information about previous research grants you may have obtained. Please note that, if your application is successful, your timetable will form a central part of discussions and progress meetings with your mentor; it is therefore essential you are as realistic as possible in your planning. You should also ensure in advance that your proposed programme will be supported by your department. The Fellowship is designed to support and promote talented early-career researchers in UK and Irish Luso-Hispanism (broadly understood) who plan on pursuing an academic career in this area and who, for whatever reason, are finding it difficult to consolidate and develop their research potential. It is therefore important that you outline clearly and concisely the reasons why you are applying. These may include, but need not be restricted to, the following factors:
• Employed in a teaching-intensive department.
• Employed in a small department.
• Employed in a department where sabbatical / study leave / research support schemes may not exist or are insufficiently robust or accessible.
• Other circumstances which impede research progress.
5. Particulars of Costs. Please provide a detailed and realistic breakdown of estimated costs. If you are planning to cover parts of the costs of your project through other sources of funding, including self-funding, please indicate so. Underestimating costs may mean that the panel considers the project unrealisable. Certain categories of expenditure will not be supported for this Fellowship and should not be included; these are:
• Materials purchase.
• Conference fees or conference attendance costs.
• Microfilm / microfiche production.
• Publication costs.
• Photocopying costs.
Where replacement teaching costs are sought, these should be based on rates at your institution and should be agreed with your Head of Department prior to submission of the application.
6. Signature. Ensure that you sign and date the application before sending to your Head of Department, and then to your referee following this process:
An electronic copy of the completed form, signed and dated, should first be presented to your Head of Department and then sent to your Referee, who should forward the completed application as well as your one-page CV by email to the Chair of the Selection Committee, to whom enquiries may also be addressed:
Sophie Stevens
sophie.stevens@sas.ac.uk
For any queries or questions, please contact
Sophie Stevens
or
Mercedes Carbayo-Abengozar
Deadline for submission of completed applications by referees for 2026 are closed.
FELLOWSHIP JOURNEYS
Exploring the experiences, research achievements and professional development of previous Research Fellows.
Dr Maria del Mar Delgado Ricci, Ph.D. in Linguistics, Literature & Cultural Studies, Specialist in Crime Fiction and Violence Against Women & Girls (VAWG) in Colombia & LATAM.
WISPS XXV Annual Conference, Transforming Narratives, University of Exeter, 31 October–1 November 2025
Previous Dorothy Sherman-Severin Research Fellows
Previous
Research Fellows
Their Experiences
Discover the experiences of previous Dorothy Sherman-Severin Research Fellows and the ways in which research funding, academic mentoring and professional opportunities have supported their development in Luso-Hispanic Studies