Post Doctoral Fellow | Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027-2028: Humanities Plural

Emory University is a leading research university that fosters excellence and attracts world-class talent to innovate today and prepare leaders for the future. We welcome candidates who can contribute to the excellence of our academic community.

About the role

The Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry is pleased to open applications for our Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships. At a moment when fields such as "history of the humanities" and "humanities theory" are coming into view, and as hybrid formations such as digital humanities, health humanities, and public humanities are taking humanities scholarship into new academic and extra-academic spaces, we seek scholars whose research expands our horizons for thinking about the humanities as they have existed or are unfolding in our current moment.

Applications are open to scholars in any field, area, or historical period. Projects need not explicitly foreground "the humanities" (or related formations such as "liberal arts") as an object of inquiry, but they should clearly address any core issue of humanities scholarship or learning, including its methods, its objects, its histories, its values and social valuation, its contradictions, its publics, or its institutional or social locations. Potential lines of inquiry include:

• What are the contexts, across time and space, where humanistic learning occurs and matters (e.g., formal or informal academic settings, places of worship, prisons, online spaces, museums)?
• Where is humanistic scholarship enlisted into serving other systems of knowledge and value (e.g., medical schools, think tanks, revolutionary movements, corporate boardrooms), and what sorts of work is it asked to do there?
• Which communities have forged programs or practices of humanistic learning without having access to formal or elite institutional structures?
• What are the distinct methods, epistemologies, aesthetics, and/or values that take shape in these sites?
• What gave rise to "theory," where and why has it taken root, and what is its future?
• How do or should humanistic methods function in hybrid formations, for example in digital humanities, environmental humanities, or health humanities?

The Fox Center will appoint two Mellon Postdoctoral Fellows for one year (August 1, 2027–July 31, 2028), with the possibility of renewal for one additional year. Fellows are required to be in residence during the academic year for the term of the fellowship. All postdoctoral fellows participate in a weekly interdisciplinary seminar, presenting their research at one of these meetings, and teach one undergraduate class in their area of expertise in the College of Arts and Sciences. If invited to continue for a second year, fellows will have additional teaching responsibilities and will receive teaching mentorship from Emory faculty in a relevant discipline.

Responsibilities

• Helps design and conduct research within a specified field while receiving advanced training from a designated Principal Investigator to enhance professional skills and research independence needed for pursuit of a career.
• Designs and evaluates experiments.
• Develops new ideas that promote current research.
• Prepares and publishes scientific manuscripts under the direction of the Principal Investigator.
• May be responsible for operation of specific equipment.
• May teach techniques to others, train, and supervise research staff.

Requirements

• A doctoral degree or equivalent (Ph.D., M.D., ScD., D.V.M., DDS etc) in an appropriate field.
• Excellent scientific writing ability and strong oral communication skills.
• The ability to work effectively and collegially with colleagues.
• Additional qualifications as specified by the Principal Investigator.

Qualifications

• All postdoctoral fellows must hold a PhD (or its international equivalent, such as the DPhil).
• Applicants may not have received their doctorate before January 1, 2024.
• Preference will be given to applicants who have not held prior postdoctoral fellowships.
• Applicants applying without a degree in hand must have successfully completed all degree requirements by June 30, 2027.
• Scholars from outside the United States are appointed under either the J-1 visa (Research Scholar status) or F-1 OPT (Optional Practical Training), depending on their circumstances.

Benefits

• Stipend of $62,000.
• Research budget of $2,000.
• One-time additional payment of $2,000 to defray moving costs to Atlanta.
• Competitive benefits including medical, dental, and vision care.

Schedule

Fellowships are for one year (August 1, 2027–July 31, 2028), with the possibility of renewal for one additional year. Positions are temporary appointments as a research trainee, with renewal expected if progress is satisfactory and funds are available. Appointments cannot exceed five years.

Application deadline: December 7, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. Deadline for receipt of letters of recommendation: December 11, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET.