Expertise and excellence in research into Scotland’s past
The Institute of Scottish Historical Research (ISHR) provides an intellectual and social focus for staff and a thriving community of postdoctoral and postgraduate researchers working on all periods of Scottish history from the early Middle Ages to the present. It is the largest institute for research into Scotland’s past and holds a central place in the life of Scottish historians at the University of St Andrews. The Institute was founded in 2007 by Professor Roger Mason and draws together the excellence and expertise of nearly twenty historians of Scotland, including Prof. T.C. Smout, the Historiographer Royal for Scotland. In 2013 the ISHR launched an initiative to attract scholars of international distinction to visit the institute for short periods to undertake intensive research.
The Institute hosts a number of events throughout the year attracting delegates and speakers from all over the world, including a fortnightly research seminar series, workshops and conferences with an emphasis on new discoveries and directions in historical enquiry.
The Institute has several major collaborative research initiatives under its auspices, including the Mediaeval St Andrews Project, the History of the Universities Project, the Scotland and the Wider World Project, the Scotland, Scandinavia and Northern Europe Database, and the Scotland and the Flemish People Project. The Insitute was formerly home to the Scottish Parliament Project. Staff working in the ISHR regularly attract research funding and grants to further their research into Scotland’s history.