Postdoctoral Fellowship 2025-2026: Life/Story

Description The Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry is pleased to open applications for our one-year postdoctoral research fellowships. We invite applications from candidates from any humanistic discipline who are eager to be part of a community of scholars engaged in innovative and interdisciplinary research and conversations around our 2025-26 theme, Life/Story.   The Fox Center will appoint up to four postdoctoral fellows for the academic year 2025-26. Three positions are open field and one is in the field of poetics. Our postdoctoral fellowship in poetics reflects the importance of Emory’s Stuart A. Rose Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Book Library as a center for research in poetry.   Fellows will participate in a weekly interdisciplinary seminar, presenting their research at one of these meetings, and will teach one undergraduate course of their own design in the College of Arts and Sciences. They will also collaborate in the planning of Fox Center programming pertaining to the theme and engage in the Center's events. 

Fellowships are for a period of ten months, August 1, 2025 – May 31, 2026, and carry a stipend of $60,000 and eligibility for a wide range of competitive benefits. All Postdoctoral Fellows are required to be in residence for the term of the fellowship. The application deadline for applicants to submit their materials is December 9, 2024. The deadline for receipt of letters of recommendation is December 13, 2024.

Life/Story 

How do the humanities capture a life, and in what ways does this genre—the craft of unearthing and rendering a life story—shed light upon key moments in time, social and political movements, critical junctures in history, or elements fundamental to a particular culture and place? How are different methodologies and epistemologies mobilized in telling the story of a life that also offer broad social and political commentaries? How does a single biography, in any medium, shed light upon central themes of the human condition?  

We invite scholars whose research interests are resonant with such a panoramic view of “writing” a life. We envision that fellows may pursue research employing a range of historical, contemporary, social, cultural, artistic, and philosophical approaches to capturing a life, including but not limited to oral and archival histories, ethnography, philosophy, creative writing and film.

Qualifications

All postdoctoral fellows must hold a PhD (or its international equivalent, such as the DPhil). Applicants may not have held a doctorate for more than five years. Preference will be given to applicants who have not held prior postdoctoral fellowships. Applicants applying without a degree in hand must receive it by August 1, 2025. 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. If awarded a fellowship, the term of appointment for international scholars is August 1, 2025, to May 31, 2026. The Fox Center reserves the right to cancel awards if the recipient is unable to meet these conditions of completion and visa status.

Application Instructions

To complete the online application, you will need to provide the following: 

• Cover letter (2 pages maximum)
• Project description (1000 words maximum, including a timeline for the fellowship year)
• Title and course description for your proposed undergraduate seminar
• Curriculum vitae
• E-mail information for three recommenders
• Diversity and inclusion statement

Please note that as part of the University’s Interfolio system, each applicant is required to complete the Equal Employment Opportunity form and the Diversity and Inclusion Statement. The Fox Center will not have access to the completed forms.

Specific Instructions

Project description: Applicants should describe the specific research planned for the period of the Fellowship and the expected output and include a detailed timeline. They should also describe their engagement with the annual theme and how they would benefit from the interdisciplinary environment. Please remember that Fellows are expected to be in residence at the FCHI full-time each semester.

Course description: During the spring of their fellowship year, Postdoctoral Fellows are expected to offer an interdisciplinary undergraduate seminar on a subject of their choosing, which will be offered in the College through the Institute of the Liberal Arts, which hosts two disciplinary majors, Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS) 385 and American Studies (AMST) 385: https://ila.emory.edu/majors-minors/american-studies.html . Please be prepared to enter your course title and description when prompted.

Diversity and Inclusion Statement: Please describe your vision and experience teaching and mentoring students of diverse backgrounds.

Recommendation letters: Recommenders are automatically notified via Interfolio to submit/upload their letters to your file. Be sure to leave enough time so that your letters of recommendation are submitted by the deadline.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all required documents are uploaded to Interfolio and submitted. Incomplete applications cannot be considered after the deadline. 
 
Acceptance Procedures

Upon notification of an FCHI Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, recipients must agree to:  

(a)   conduct research in residence full-time at the FCHI for the academic year; 
(b)   take full responsibility for contributing to and maintaining an environment conducive to academic research while at the Center; 
(c)   submit a final report of progress to the Director at the end of the Fellowship; 
(d)   acknowledge the FCHI in all work resulting from research and writing done during the Fellowship; 
(e)   teach an undergraduate course in the spring term of the Fellowship year; 
(f)    attend all Fellows’ lunches, lectures, and programs sponsored by the FCHI during their terms of residence;     
(g)   immediately notify the FCHI of any other support or of any conflicts with the restrictions and conditions of this Fellowship Program. 

Please note: The Postdoctoral Fellowships aim to create a diverse community of scholars-in-residence at the FCHI and to introduce the University to promising work beyond its walls. As such, preference is given to applicants who are not affiliated with Emory. If for any reason a Fellow’s circumstances change and the grantee is unable to use the Fellowship during the academic year for which it was granted, the Fellowship will be forfeited. If the project involves human subjects, approval from the proper Emory Institutional Review Board Committee (IRB) is required before Fellowship funding can be released. For more information, please refer to this website: https://www.irb.emory.edu. If you have any questions, please contact the Fox Center at [email protected]. The FCHI regrets that it is unable to provide any assessments of unsuccessful applications.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

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 diversity and excellence of our academic community.

Emory University is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all Federal and Georgia State laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action.  Emory University does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Students, faculty, and staff are assured of participation in University programs and in use of facilities without such discrimination. The University also complies with all applicable federal and Georgia statutes and regulations prohibiting unlawful discrimination. All members of the student body, faculty, and staff are expected to assist in making this policy valid in fact. Any inquiries regarding this policy should be directed to the Emory University Office of Equity and Inclusion, 201 Dowman Drive, Administration Bldg., Suite 305, Atlanta, GA 30322. Telephone 404/727-9867 (V) 404/712-2049 (TDD).