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A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is (at least in theory) part of an elite group of learned people who work together as peers in the pursuit of knowledge. However, there are no precise rules for how the title is used, and each academic institution grants the title as it sees fit.
General academic use
The term "Fellow" is most often used to describe the incumbent of a temporary academic post. Generally, a fellow of this type has very limited teaching duties and devotes the bulk of her time to research.
A junior research fellow is known informally as a "postdoc". The position is equivalent to research associate, but whereas a research associate works on a specific project under the direction of a supervisor, a research fellow has greater freedom to work independently and choose her own projects. A research associate's salary is paid out of her supervisor's budget, whereas a research fellow is paid either from central university funds or by an outside organisation such as a charity or company.
A senior research fellow is an established academic, often a Professor on sabbatical from another institution. The research fellow may be granted the title of Professor by her temporary employer; if she is, she is more likely to be referred to as a Research Professor.
Oxford, Cambridge, and Trinity
The Colleges of the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Trinity use the term "fellow" in a more specific sense. The fellows of a College form the governing body of the College, although they may elect a Council to handle day-to-day management. All fellows are entitled to certain privileges within their College, such as free meals at High Table and the right to a rent-free room in College.
Broadly speaking, College fellows fall into five groups:
- Research fellows, as discussed above, whose salaries are paid by the College from the income on its endowment. Some of the poorer Colleges do not pay their research fellows a salary, instead awarding fellowships to postdocs already employed by the University.
- College lecturers are paid to provide small-group teaching to the College's undergraduates. The position is typically part-time, and combined with a part-time research post elsewhere in the University.
- Some senior non-academic College staff such as bursars are made fellows as a benefit of their employment.
- University Teaching Officers (lecturers, readers, and professors) are entitled to College fellowships. For lecturers and readers, the process is competitive - generally the most able academics get fellowships at the richest and most prestigious Colleges. Professors are allocated to Colleges by a centralised process to ensure fairness. These fellows may or may not provide small-group teaching to undergraduates in the College, for which they would be paid by the hour.
- Most Colleges grant fellowships for life after a qualifying period. Retired academics may therefore remain as fellows.
Except for research fellows, College fellows have no duties as such and are not paid. They will typically have a salaried post either with their College or the University.
The term "praelector" is used for some types of fellow.
Professional societies
Fellows are the highest grade of membership of most professional societies. Lower grades are referred to as members (who typically share voting rights with the fellows), or associates (who may or may not, depending on whether "associate" status is a form of full membership).
How fellowship is acquired varies from society to society. It is typically involves some or all of:
- A qualifying period in a lower grade
- Nomination by two existing fellows who know the applicant professionally
- Evidence of continued formal training post-qualification
- Evidence of substantial achievement in the profession
Learned societies
Exclusive learned societies such as the Royal Society have Fellow as the only grade of membership, others like the Faculty of Young Musicians have members holding the post of Associate and posts Honoris Causa
US universities
Some US universities, such as Harvard call the members of their Board of Trustees "fellows". This differs from the general academic use of the term, because this kind of fellow is a non-executive trustee rather than a working academic.
Graduate school fellowships
- See also: List of graduate school fellowships
Fellowships include:
Other uses
Historically, the word "fellow" was also used to describe a man, particularly by those in the upper social classes.
In Christianity, fellowship means individual Christians who are in communion with each other. Today the word fellowship is often used to designate a group, either run by a denomination or is interdenominational, aimed at fostering a sense of fellowship (that is, mutual support and common purpose) among Christians of a particular demographic. An example of a large fellowship would be the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.
In the USA, a period of medical training following on from residency is sometimes called fellowship.
In medical education, a fellow is generally a medical doctor who has finished a residency and is studying a specialty.
Alcoholics Anonymous considers itself a fellowship in the sense that it has no hierarchy or other organizational structure, and hence all members are equals.
The Fellowship of the Ring, a fellowship of nine different fictional characters (4 hobbits, 2 men, a wizard, elf and a dwarf) featured prominently in JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series.
External links
See also
"Fellow"