Each year, the existing members of the HOTCUS steering committee stand down. The vacant positions are then subject to a new nomination and – if necessary, election – process.

All HOTCUS members are eligible to nominate themselves for all positions on the committee. Their nomination application form (available here) must be seconded by another HOTCUS member, and submitted to the committee secretary (Nick Witham, [email protected]) by 5:00pm, Monday 14 May 2018. Where ballots are required, they will take place online between 21 May and 1 June 2018. The new committee will then be presented to the membership at the HOTCUS AGM on Thursday 14 June 2018 at the annual conference at the University of Cambridge.

The eight committee positions are:

  • Chair (1-year term)
  • Vice-Chair (1-year term)
  • Committee Secretary (1-year term)
  • Treasurer (1-year term)
  • Membership Secretary (1-year term)
  • Events Secretary (1-year term)
  • Early Career Secretary (1-year term)
  • Postgraduate Secretaries x2 (2-year terms for those currently registered as PhD students)

This year four committee members will not be seeking re-election:

  • The Vice Chair (Zoe Colley)
  • The Committee Secretary (Nick Witham)
  • The Treasurer (Laura MacDonald)
  • One Postgraduate Secretary (Kate Ballantyne)

Nominations are especially encouraged for these four positions. The Early Career Secretary is a new committee position and is therefore also vacant.

Descriptions of the responsibilities of each committee position are available here. As well as completing their duties, committee members are expected to participate in 4 committee meetings per year (this can be in person or via Skype), and to help judge the annual HOTCUS prizes. Travel expenses are paid for the Postgraduate Secretaries and the Early Career Secretary, but not for the other committee members.

HOTCUS is dedicated to fostering a culture of inclusion and equality in our organizational structure. We seek to develop an intellectual and organizational environment built on the premise of equity in terms of gender, age, race, sexuality, disability, career stage, and employment status.

If you have any questions about the nomination and election process, please contact Nick Witham at the address above.