Postdoctoral Fellow

The USC Mellon Humanities and the University of the Future Program seeks applications for a two-year Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from scholars in any area of the humanities or humanistic social sciences with an interest in academic administration.

The annual stipend will be $75,000, plus benefits and a yearly $2,000 research/travel allowance. To apply for the 2023–2025 fellowship, candidates must have completed all requirements for their doctoral degree after June 30, 2018 and before July 1, 2023.

The Program provides an opportunity for scholars in the humanities and humanistic social sciences to study how a college works within a large research university. Fellows spend the first semester becoming acquainted with the mission, responsibilities, and day-to-day work of the members of the USC Dornsife Leadership team. Fellows meet with the deans of undergraduate and graduate studies, the divisional deans for the humanities and the social sciences, and the leaders of other departments, including media/communications, diversity, advancement, the business office, and Dornsife’s public-facing program known as the Public Exchange. During the second, third, and fourth semesters, fellows work closely with a divisional dean and members of the leadership team to develop and complete at least one project that aligns with the fellow’s academic interests and advances the mission of USC Dornsife. Fellows will attend regular meetings, contribute to policy development, and collaborate with other scholars. During the time of the fellowship, a divisional dean and a faculty mentor will provide support for the fellow’s academic goals.

An applicant’s research must be based in the humanities or humanistic social sciences. We welcome proposals from applicants with interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary projects. Proposals may focus on any period and geographic region.

Applicants will be evaluated on their academic accomplishments, the significance and intellectual merit of their graduate scholarship, and their potential to contribute to the goals of USC Dornsife.

To apply, submit all materials via the application portal.

Applicants must complete the application form, provide names and email addresses of two recommenders, and upload separate pdf files of the following documents:

• Cover letter / Research statement (not exceeding 3 pages)
• Writing sample
• CV

Our application portal is unable to accept documents submitted by Interfolio or similar dossier services. Documents may not be updated or replaced after an applicant selects "submit."

As soon as applicants select "submit," the portal will automatically send emails with unique prompts to each of the recommenders so that they can upload a pdf file of a letter of recommendation. Please ask letter writers to add humanitiesfuture@dornsife.usc.edu to their contact lists to ensure the email prompts reach their inboxes.

The application deadline is 11:59pm (PT) on Tuesday, January 31, 2023.
The last day for recommenders to upload letters is Friday, February 3, 2023.

The selected postdoctoral fellow will be contacted before the end of March 2023.

For more information, please send an email to  humanitiesfuture@dornsife.usc.edu.