Ruth Ahnert
@ruthahnert.bsky.social
Digital humanist; literary historian; early modernist; collaborator; feminist; parent; FEA. Queen Mary University of London: & The Alan Turing Institute, UK. She/her
Pinned
Ruth Ahnert
@ruthahnert.bsky.social
· Nov 11
Hi to new followers, a bit about me: I’m an early modernist by training but I have worked more and more on collaborative digital humanities projects in recent years. Here’s a thread of a few things I’ve published recently.
Reposted by Ruth Ahnert
If you want to do an MA in London but have 'barriers accessing education or may face greater challenges while undertaking their degree' (specific criteria below), you can apply for a £3,000 tuition grant at Birkbeck. Lots of choices at @bbkhistorical.bsky.social:
www.bbk.ac.uk/student-serv...
www.bbk.ac.uk/student-serv...
January 9, 2026 at 9:31 AM
If you want to do an MA in London but have 'barriers accessing education or may face greater challenges while undertaking their degree' (specific criteria below), you can apply for a £3,000 tuition grant at Birkbeck. Lots of choices at @bbkhistorical.bsky.social:
www.bbk.ac.uk/student-serv...
www.bbk.ac.uk/student-serv...
Reposted by Ruth Ahnert
6 February deadline. Obviously a very difficult time in the history of academia to ask for voluntary labour, but our ability to publish in peer-reviewed journals relies upon it, and it's a great way of both using and developing expertise. Open to current Fellows of the Royal Hist. Soc. #Skystorians
Society invites applications to join new-look 'Transactions' editorial board - RHS
The Royal Historical Society seeks to appoint new members to the editorial board of its academic journal, Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, published by Cambridge University Press. These n...
royalhistsoc.org
January 8, 2026 at 12:29 PM
6 February deadline. Obviously a very difficult time in the history of academia to ask for voluntary labour, but our ability to publish in peer-reviewed journals relies upon it, and it's a great way of both using and developing expertise. Open to current Fellows of the Royal Hist. Soc. #Skystorians
Reposted by Ruth Ahnert
Job klaxon: for a medievalist working across English and history cis7.bbk.ac.uk/vacancy/lect...
Lecturer in Medieval Studies (2313) - Birkbeck, University of London
Birkbeck
cis7.bbk.ac.uk
January 8, 2026 at 1:35 PM
Job klaxon: for a medievalist working across English and history cis7.bbk.ac.uk/vacancy/lect...
Reposted by Ruth Ahnert
Event! How can innovative #AI methods for information retrieval aid digitization of large historical datasets? How can the intricacies of 18th- 19th-century print corpora help reveal shortcomings,cultural biases embedded in AI models? Sign up! Free online! englishassociation.ac.uk/thinking-for...
englishassociation.ac.uk
January 8, 2026 at 9:58 AM
Event! How can innovative #AI methods for information retrieval aid digitization of large historical datasets? How can the intricacies of 18th- 19th-century print corpora help reveal shortcomings,cultural biases embedded in AI models? Sign up! Free online! englishassociation.ac.uk/thinking-for...
Reposted by Ruth Ahnert
Hi folks. I'll be speaking at #MLA2026! It is session 438, The Humanities Funding Landscape, Saturday at 10:15AM in MTCC - 606. Come learn about our humanities programs @schmidtsciences.bsky.social. I'll also be talking a bit about my last (sad) days at the NEH. Grab me if you wanna chat!
January 6, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Hi folks. I'll be speaking at #MLA2026! It is session 438, The Humanities Funding Landscape, Saturday at 10:15AM in MTCC - 606. Come learn about our humanities programs @schmidtsciences.bsky.social. I'll also be talking a bit about my last (sad) days at the NEH. Grab me if you wanna chat!
Reposted by Ruth Ahnert
'Despite persistent myths, employment rates for humanities graduates are comparable to those of STEM graduates, as Humanities Indicators data shows. Early earnings differ but the salary gap narrows significantly mid-career, particularly for graduates who pursue further study'. 1/2
How universities can cultivate arts and humanities in practical, affordable ways
Are the arts and humanities still needed as universities retrench staff and cut costs? Patty Raun explains why curtailing or eliminating these disciplines is an egregious mistake
www.timeshighereducation.com
January 5, 2026 at 9:46 AM
'Despite persistent myths, employment rates for humanities graduates are comparable to those of STEM graduates, as Humanities Indicators data shows. Early earnings differ but the salary gap narrows significantly mid-career, particularly for graduates who pursue further study'. 1/2
Reposted by Ruth Ahnert
14 two-year postdocs for academics of any nationality who cannot continue their research due to US politics. Do share if you know of such.
Post-doc positions:
"Academic freedom is under pressure today. This requires rescue havens of free research. ... [we] invite early career researchers, whose work is restricted due to political pressure in the USA..."
uni-freiburg.de/frias/call-f...
"Academic freedom is under pressure today. This requires rescue havens of free research. ... [we] invite early career researchers, whose work is restricted due to political pressure in the USA..."
uni-freiburg.de/frias/call-f...
Call for Applications: Early Career Rescue Fellowship – Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies
uni-freiburg.de
December 19, 2025 at 5:19 PM
14 two-year postdocs for academics of any nationality who cannot continue their research due to US politics. Do share if you know of such.
Reposted by Ruth Ahnert
This is an exciting project on which I am an advisory board member: Uncovering rejects of legal deposit in 19th-century UK libraries. Basically: what did the legal deposit system *reject*.
cordis.europa.eu/project/id/1...
cordis.europa.eu/project/id/1...
Promiscuous Print: Legal Deposit Libraries, Rejected Texts, and New Methods for Negative Bibliography | PromPrint | Project | Fact Sheet | HORIZON | CORDIS | European Commission
PROMPRINT will uncover and analyze the rejects of legal deposit: the printed texts excluded from the ostensibly universal archive promised by copyright libraries. Legal deposit works to preserve every...
cordis.europa.eu
December 19, 2025 at 11:58 AM
This is an exciting project on which I am an advisory board member: Uncovering rejects of legal deposit in 19th-century UK libraries. Basically: what did the legal deposit system *reject*.
cordis.europa.eu/project/id/1...
cordis.europa.eu/project/id/1...
Reposted by Ruth Ahnert
Learn more about our award and tremendous team here: www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/r... @manchester.ac.uk
Researchers from the University of Manchester in partnership with the University of Oxford have been awarded funding from Schmidt Sciences for their project Envisioning Print with AI Computer Vision.
The Envisioning Print project brings together an expert team of textual scholars, book historians, computer scientists, library data experts, and research software engineers from the University of Man...
www.manchester.ac.uk
December 16, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Learn more about our award and tremendous team here: www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/r... @manchester.ac.uk
This. Please read the entire thread.
The collateral damage of people upset (often with good reasons) about generative AI is their digital humanities colleagues. It’s outpacing 2010 levels of vitriol, by a lot. The irony is we’re the best allies — we understand how the tech works and can translate between the doom and the hype. +
December 16, 2025 at 12:23 PM
This. Please read the entire thread.
Reposted by Ruth Ahnert
The collateral damage of people upset (often with good reasons) about generative AI is their digital humanities colleagues. It’s outpacing 2010 levels of vitriol, by a lot. The irony is we’re the best allies — we understand how the tech works and can translate between the doom and the hype. +
December 16, 2025 at 12:29 AM
The collateral damage of people upset (often with good reasons) about generative AI is their digital humanities colleagues. It’s outpacing 2010 levels of vitriol, by a lot. The irony is we’re the best allies — we understand how the tech works and can translate between the doom and the hype. +
@hannahsilvauk.bsky.social has just joined! Please give her a follow if you’re interested in AI and creativity. She is an amazing writer and performer who collaborates with AI.
One of my fantastic new collaborators on the NEW Text Machine project, Hannah Silva, is delivering what looks to be a fantastic course on creative writing and AI, ‘Writers not Users: A Masterclass on Living & Writing in the Age of AI’ poetryschool.com/courses/writ...
Writers not Users: A Masterclass on Living & Writing in the Age of AI • Poetry School
In this course led by Hannah Silva you will rethink the ways we engage with technology and AI on a daily basis as writers.
poetryschool.com
December 16, 2025 at 12:13 PM
@hannahsilvauk.bsky.social has just joined! Please give her a follow if you’re interested in AI and creativity. She is an amazing writer and performer who collaborates with AI.
Reposted by Ruth Ahnert
One of my fantastic new collaborators on the NEW Text Machine project, Hannah Silva, is delivering what looks to be a fantastic course on creative writing and AI, ‘Writers not Users: A Masterclass on Living & Writing in the Age of AI’ poetryschool.com/courses/writ...
Writers not Users: A Masterclass on Living & Writing in the Age of AI • Poetry School
In this course led by Hannah Silva you will rethink the ways we engage with technology and AI on a daily basis as writers.
poetryschool.com
December 15, 2025 at 10:18 AM
One of my fantastic new collaborators on the NEW Text Machine project, Hannah Silva, is delivering what looks to be a fantastic course on creative writing and AI, ‘Writers not Users: A Masterclass on Living & Writing in the Age of AI’ poetryschool.com/courses/writ...
One of my fantastic new collaborators on the NEW Text Machine project, Hannah Silva, is delivering what looks to be a fantastic course on creative writing and AI, ‘Writers not Users: A Masterclass on Living & Writing in the Age of AI’ poetryschool.com/courses/writ...
Writers not Users: A Masterclass on Living & Writing in the Age of AI • Poetry School
In this course led by Hannah Silva you will rethink the ways we engage with technology and AI on a daily basis as writers.
poetryschool.com
December 15, 2025 at 10:18 AM
One of my fantastic new collaborators on the NEW Text Machine project, Hannah Silva, is delivering what looks to be a fantastic course on creative writing and AI, ‘Writers not Users: A Masterclass on Living & Writing in the Age of AI’ poetryschool.com/courses/writ...
Reposted by Ruth Ahnert
New grant program announcement: You've heard me talk this morning about those 23 new DH awards from @schmidtsciences.bsky.social HAVI program? Well, we just announced our new RFP for 2026! Teams can be global too! Please consider applying. RFP here: www.schmidtsciences.org/opportunity/...
2026 Humanities and Artificial Intelligence Virtual Institute (HAVI) RFP - Schmidt Sciences
Overview [Read the full RFP] Schmidt Sciences is requesting proposals to the Humanities and AI Virtual Institute (HAVI), aimed at fostering research in the digital humanities with a particular focus ...
www.schmidtsciences.org
December 11, 2025 at 6:49 PM
New grant program announcement: You've heard me talk this morning about those 23 new DH awards from @schmidtsciences.bsky.social HAVI program? Well, we just announced our new RFP for 2026! Teams can be global too! Please consider applying. RFP here: www.schmidtsciences.org/opportunity/...
Forgot to say ‘and I’. Excited to begin work with these awesome colleagues.
Delighted to share that my co-PIs @danielwilson.bsky.social @mcollardanuy.bsky.social and Kaspar Beelen have been selected for a 2025 Humanities and AI Virtual Institute award from @schmidtsciences.bsky.social: www.schmidtsciences.org/humanities-a...
Humanities and AI Virtual Institute - Schmidt Sciences
www.schmidtsciences.org
December 11, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Forgot to say ‘and I’. Excited to begin work with these awesome colleagues.
Reposted by Ruth Ahnert
📣 We're Hiring!
At Schmidt Sciences, we envision a world where science is bold, collaborative and provides well-researched solutions for planetary challenges.
Check out our open roles: www.schmidtsciences.org/careers/
At Schmidt Sciences, we envision a world where science is bold, collaborative and provides well-researched solutions for planetary challenges.
Check out our open roles: www.schmidtsciences.org/careers/
December 10, 2025 at 5:06 PM
📣 We're Hiring!
At Schmidt Sciences, we envision a world where science is bold, collaborative and provides well-researched solutions for planetary challenges.
Check out our open roles: www.schmidtsciences.org/careers/
At Schmidt Sciences, we envision a world where science is bold, collaborative and provides well-researched solutions for planetary challenges.
Check out our open roles: www.schmidtsciences.org/careers/
Reposted by Ruth Ahnert
JUST ANNOUNCED: Schmidt Sciences has awarded $11M to 23 teams globally for our Humanities and AI Virtual Institute (HAVI).
These projects bring AI to history, archaeology, literature, and film, unlocking new understandings of human culture.
Learn more: buff.ly/tvTUYwY
These projects bring AI to history, archaeology, literature, and film, unlocking new understandings of human culture.
Learn more: buff.ly/tvTUYwY
December 11, 2025 at 3:39 PM
JUST ANNOUNCED: Schmidt Sciences has awarded $11M to 23 teams globally for our Humanities and AI Virtual Institute (HAVI).
These projects bring AI to history, archaeology, literature, and film, unlocking new understandings of human culture.
Learn more: buff.ly/tvTUYwY
These projects bring AI to history, archaeology, literature, and film, unlocking new understandings of human culture.
Learn more: buff.ly/tvTUYwY
Delighted to share that my co-PIs @danielwilson.bsky.social @mcollardanuy.bsky.social and Kaspar Beelen have been selected for a 2025 Humanities and AI Virtual Institute award from @schmidtsciences.bsky.social: www.schmidtsciences.org/humanities-a...
Humanities and AI Virtual Institute - Schmidt Sciences
www.schmidtsciences.org
December 11, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Delighted to share that my co-PIs @danielwilson.bsky.social @mcollardanuy.bsky.social and Kaspar Beelen have been selected for a 2025 Humanities and AI Virtual Institute award from @schmidtsciences.bsky.social: www.schmidtsciences.org/humanities-a...
Reposted by Ruth Ahnert
Fantastic talk from James Lee (Northwestern U Library) thinking about "archives as sensors" - love this idea. #ff2025
“What is the next biggest scientific discovery that can be made from a library collection (as a dataset)?” #FF2025
December 4, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Fantastic talk from James Lee (Northwestern U Library) thinking about "archives as sensors" - love this idea. #ff2025
Reposted by Ruth Ahnert
Applications now invited for the Society's new Applied History Fellowships with @ihr.bsky.social and DC Thomson: bit.ly/4ijiuII
Fellowships support recent post-doc historians and demonstrate the appeal of historical skills for employers. £12,000 for 6 months. Closing date: 31 Jan 2026 #Skystorians
Fellowships support recent post-doc historians and demonstrate the appeal of historical skills for employers. £12,000 for 6 months. Closing date: 31 Jan 2026 #Skystorians
Society launches call for new Applied History Fellowships, with the Institute of Historical Research and DC Thomson - RHS
In November 2025, the Society joins with partners the Institute of Historical Research (IHR) and publisher DC Thomson to launch a new Applied History Fellowship programme to support recent post-doctor...
bit.ly
December 2, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Applications now invited for the Society's new Applied History Fellowships with @ihr.bsky.social and DC Thomson: bit.ly/4ijiuII
Fellowships support recent post-doc historians and demonstrate the appeal of historical skills for employers. £12,000 for 6 months. Closing date: 31 Jan 2026 #Skystorians
Fellowships support recent post-doc historians and demonstrate the appeal of historical skills for employers. £12,000 for 6 months. Closing date: 31 Jan 2026 #Skystorians
Reposted by Ruth Ahnert
December 2, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Reposted by Ruth Ahnert
Alan Turing Institute staff decry ‘unjustified’ cuts to research
Internal documents detail extent of changes to projects and personnel at national AI institute
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-c...
Internal documents detail extent of changes to projects and personnel at national AI institute
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-c...
Alan Turing Institute staff decry ‘unjustified’ cuts to research - Research Professional News
Internal documents detail extent of changes to projects and personnel at national AI institute
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Alan Turing Institute staff decry ‘unjustified’ cuts to research
Internal documents detail extent of changes to projects and personnel at national AI institute
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-c...
Internal documents detail extent of changes to projects and personnel at national AI institute
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-c...
Reposted by Ruth Ahnert
The other problem with this is that research is a type of spread bet/lottery. You do lots of it and hope some of it pans out. If we had a perfect way of selecting which small bits of science and scholarship we "need", we'd have solved the funding problem. But we don't know this.
'Science minister Patrick Vallance has rejected concerns that focusing on “doing fewer things better” in research will lead to funding being concentrated in larger research-intensive universities from the Russell Group.' 1/3
Post-16 plan ‘not recipe for Russell Group domination’ – Vallance
Science minister dismisses as ‘bizarre’ fears that government push for ‘teaching-only’ specialists will further concentrate research activity in small number of institutions
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 26, 2025 at 9:11 AM
The other problem with this is that research is a type of spread bet/lottery. You do lots of it and hope some of it pans out. If we had a perfect way of selecting which small bits of science and scholarship we "need", we'd have solved the funding problem. But we don't know this.