RMIT Australian Screen Research Collection Fellowship

The annual RMIT Australian Screen Research Collection (RMIT ASRC) Fellowship offers researchers the opportunity to engage with the RMIT ASRC's extensive holdings, encouraging projects that both promote the collection and critically engage with archival representation.

The RMIT ASRC is a specialist resource for Australian film and television scholarship. Its holdings encompass a diverse range of research materials and ephemera associated with film and television production in Australia. The RMIT ASRC also cares for and provides access to the AFI Research Collection on behalf of AFI/AACTA. 

The RMIT ASRC seeks innovative proposals that explore gaps or inequities in current scholarship, particularly welcoming applications from individuals who identify as Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD), Diverse Genders, Sexes and Sexualities (DGSS), precariously employed people and those living with disabilities. The fellowship underscores RMIT's commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive research culture. 

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The Fellowship is not currently open. 

The Fellowship supports a wide range of research outputs, including: 

  • Scholarly articles or monographs 
  • Dissertations 
  • Creative works 
  • Digital projects 
  • Films 
  • Performance-based research 
  • Exhibition proposals 
  • Research-based syllabi designed to enhance student research 
  • Collaborative research projects 

Priority may be given to projects that do not have access to other major funding. Proposals demonstrating the greatest potential for enhancing the reputation and reach of the RMIT ASRC may also be given precedence. 

Fellows will have access to the RMIT ASRC's unique collection, working closely with staff to develop their research. The successful applicant will receive a $5,000 AUD stipend (which includes travel expenses for those not based in Melbourne). 

Depending on the requirements of the applicant, the Fellowship will generally be awarded for the equivalent of a period of between two and six weeks. The Fellowship will include the following in-kind-support: 

  • Open access to the RMIT ASRC’s holdings and databases. 
  • Free printing and copying facilities. 

RMIT ASRC staff will not serve as research assistants to the Fellow. Staff will conduct an orientation tour and staff will be on hand to answer questions but it is expected that the RMIT ASRC Research Fellow will conduct their research independently. 

The RMIT ASRC Fellowship welcomes applications from those with a demonstrated interest and experience in Australian screen culture and through evidenced research or AV outputs. 

  • Ongoing RMIT academic staff are ineligible to apply. 
  • Previous recipients of the RMIT ASRC Fellowship are eligible to reapply with new projects after two full fellowship cycles have passed. 

Diversity

The RMIT ASRC and RMIT University are committed to embracing and encouraging diversity in all of its forms, striving to create an inclusive community that fosters a positive learning, teaching, and working environment. The RMIT ASRC encourages proposals from candidates who identify as Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD), Diverse Genders, Sexes and Sexualities (DGSS), precariously employed people or people living with disabilities. It welcomes contributions from anyone who can support its commitment to diversity as it strives to grow a vitally inclusive research culture.

The RMIT ASRC acknowledges that the representation of Indigenous stories should be told by Indigenous people to enable their perspective and interpretation, in accordance with the AMAGA First Peoples Roadmap. We are especially interested in proposals from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples that seek to amplify Indigenous voices, truth-telling and Indigenous representation in the RMIT ASRC holdings.

The RMIT ASRC Advisory Panel will assess applications according to the following criteria: 

  • Effective and demonstrated use of the RMIT ASRC holdings. 
  • Originality and innovation. 
  • Relevance and significance. 
  • Contribution to knowledge. 
  • Education and industry engagement. 

The Advisory Panel will also assess each proposal according to: 

  • Project viability in regard to scope and anticipated time requirements. 
  • Potential and/or identified risks. 
  • Project capacity for a successful outcome. 

In some instances, the Advisory Panel may consult external referees to assist in assessing applications. 

In assessing applications, the Advisory Panel will also consider the following: 

  • Applicant qualifications. 
  • Demonstrated research experience. 
  • Preliminary investigation of the RMIT ASRC holdings. 
  • Strength of the research question or artistic concept. 
  • Research methodology. 
  • Project contribution to knowledge. 
  • Proposed Fellowship outcomes. 
  • Depth of engagement with the Collection. 
  • Project capacity to promote the RMIT ASRC, research and the fellowship program. 

A complete application consists of a three-page proposal and one or two letters of recommendation as outlined below. These materials must be emailed to rmit.asrc@rmit.edu.au as PDF files by the application deadline. 

Proposal 
Applicants must submit a three-page proposal, as outlined below. The proposal should be in English and saved as a single PDF file, which must be sent via email. Proposals exceeding three pages will not be accepted. Use a minimum font size of 11 points. Each page should have one-inch margins and include your last name in the top-right corner.

When the Advisory Panel reviews your application, they will rigorously evaluate your proposal based on the key criteria. These include the effective use of the RMIT ASRC holdings, the originality and innovation demonstrated in your approach, the relevance and significance of your research and the anticipated contribution to knowledge within the field. 

  • Page one of your proposal must feature your name and project title, along with a concise abstract outlining your research project. Keep in mind that you are writing for an interdisciplinary panel; research topics and their significance should be explained and placed in the context of the larger field of study. Please also describe the anticipated result of the project (journal article, book, edited volume or other format). 
  • Page two of your proposal should provide a detailed account of your anticipated use of the RMIT ASRC holdings. Describe the materials that you will consult, their relevance to the project and why these materials must be consulted on-site during the length of fellowship requested. 
  • Page three of your proposal should consist of an abbreviated curriculum vitae emphasising relevant work, including all relevant publications and projects. 

When considering your Fellowship proposal, please take time to look over the RMIT ASRC holdings via the online catalogue to understand the collection’s strengths and limitations. 

Applicants are also strongly encouraged to contact the RMIT ASRC at rmit.asrc@rmit.edu.au with specific enquiries about the types of materials they may wish to access during their proposed visit. 

All questions about the fellowship program and/or the application process should be directed to rmit.asrc@rmit.edu.au.

Recipients must complete their residencies within a 12 month period.

Preliminary outcomes will be discussed during an introductory interview and can be modified, by mutual agreement, during the course of the Fellowship. 

During their fellowship, the RMIT ASRC Fellow will be required to: 

  • Undertake on-site, collection centered research within the RMIT ASRC. 
  • Present at least one public lecture, facilitated by RMIT Culture. 
  • Assist in the promotion of their research, the RMIT ASRC and the Fellowship program 
  • acknowledge the support of the RMIT ASRC in any publication, performance or presentation resulting from the research. 
  • Sign an agreement which includes negotiated outcomes. 
  • Make their own arrangements for personal insurances, travel and accommodation. 

At the conclusion of the Fellowship, the RMIT ASRC Fellow will be required to: 

  • Complete the RMIT ASRC Fellowship evaluation form (to be provided). 
  • Provide the RMIT ASRC with a copy of any research outcome. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: The information contained in this document is provided for general information purposes only and does not have any legal effect. Specific terms of engagement will be negotiated with successful applicants.

  • 2024 – Dr Alicia Byrnes
    Exploring the history of women’s film activities in Australia from 1970-1990 through her project In Process: Women's Film Activities in Australia

  • 2023 – Digby Houghton
    Investigating Melbourne’s historic film culture as background to a screenplay titled “Cine-Files”.

  • 2022 – Dr Ruth Richards
    Histories of Australian Women In Animation

  • 2021 – Dr James Finlay
    Framing the frontier: Australian settler colonialism on television after 1970

  • 2020 – Dr Jessica Balanzategui
    Children’s Television Genres in Australia 1960 – 2000 and Changing Paradigms of Quality Child-Appropriate Screen Content: Assessing cultural and policy discourses surrounding paradigmatic shifts in Australian children’s television genre trends

  • 2019 – Dr Whitney Monaghan
    Queer Television in Australia: Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals on the Small Screen from 1970 to 2000

  • 2018 – joint winners
    Mark Ryan
    Digging up the history of Australian horror cinema: delineating the interwoven strands of horror, transnational-horror, Ozploitation and Australian Gothic movies from the 1970s to now

    Stuart Richards
    Queer Outwardly Australian Cinema.

  • 2017 – Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
    Hidden in Plain Sight: Australian Women’s Film Criticism, 1980 – 1999

  • 2016 – no award

  • 2015 – Alexia Kannas
    Dancing with ghosts in the kingdom of shadows

  • 2014 – joint winners
    Andrew Nette and Dean Brandum
    Policing Melbourne’s television mean streets

    Kirsten Stevens
    From Film Weeks to Festivals

  • 2013 – joint winners
    John Hughes
    Filmmakers’ cooperatives in Australia between 1966-1986

    Fincina Hopgood
    Australian filmmakers’ use of comedy and autobiography to encourage empathy with mentally ill characters

  • 2012 – Dr Catriona Mills
    The writer in Australian television history

  • 2011 – Brenda Weber
    Research on Australian reality TV
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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

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