Postdoctoral Fellow

The Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at the University of Notre Dame supports outstanding early-career scholars in science, engineering, and the liberal arts who seek to make a difference in the world.

For the 2027-2029 academic years, the College of Arts and Letters will appoint a cohort of eight postdoctoral fellows in residence at the University. The following units will host one fellow each: Department of Art, Art History, and Design; Department of English; Department of German, Slavic, and Eurasian Studies; Department of Philosophy; Department of Romance Languages and Literatures; Department of Theology; Initiative on Race and Resilience; and the Program in History and Philosophy of Science. For more information about each unit and potential areas of study within them, see the Program’s webpage.

The Program in History and Philosophy of Science at the Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values in the College of Arts and Letters at the University of Notre Dame invites applications for a postdoctoral fellowship in the history of modern science or the integrated history and philosophy of modern science.

Applicants should have completed a PhD in the history of science or the philosophy of science, or be near completion. We especially welcome applications from scholars of the modern physical sciences (notably physics, chemistry, earth sciences, and astronomy), and projects with transnational or global scope. Research in harmony with initiatives supported by the University’s Strategic Framework is also welcomed.  The selected fellow will have significant support and time to pursue independent research, writing, and scholarly networking, with the goal of generating significant progress toward a scholarly monograph. The successful applicant will also benefit from interactions with our program’s notable strength in the philosophy of modern physics, as well as our larger community of historians and philosophers of science and medicine. Teaching is not required, but there will be opportunities for teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the STS undergraduate minor and the HPS graduate program. The fellow will also participate in the intellectual life of the program, including attending our weekly colloquium talks in the first half of each semester, and the annual conference in the spring semester. This fellowship also offers faculty mentorship from senior historians of science and philosophers of science, dedicated office space, institutional IT support and library access.

These prestigious fellowships target exceptional early-career scholars interested in advancing their careers in an academic environment that is both committed to disciplinary expertise and vibrant in interdisciplinary exchange. The College will appoint the fellows for a two-year term. They will receive an annual salary of $75,000 and an additional $15,000 to cover expenses related to research endeavors and further training. Hosting units will provide fellows with office space and work together with the Director of Postdoctoral Studies in the College to identify primary faculty mentors for the fellows’ proposed research projects. Co-mentors with appointments at the University can be named at the discretion of the director and hosting units. Every six months, the director and hosting units will review the fellows’ progress in their research and discuss future plans.

Monetary support and faculty mentoring will be coupled with professional development and networking opportunities in and outside of the hosting unit. The Provost’s Fellows will be a part of a university-wide cohort of distinguished researchers who participate regularly in lectures, colloquia, and panel discussions designed to advance their research and career aspirations. 

Notre Dame has recently launched eight strategic initiatives intended to identify research areas where the University can make a significant impact. These initiatives will support dramatically expanded research efforts in the arts; data, AI, and computing; democracy; ethics; health and well-being; sustainability, and global Catholicism. The University also sustains premier research programs in traditional disciplines as well as having more than 30 university-wide interdisciplinary centers and institutes. Candidates for the Provost’s Fellowship are encouraged to explore these opportunities, as well as the areas of excellence and growth identified by hosting units, and to select a field of study in which they can excel. 

Eligibility: 

Applicants must have successfully completed (or plan to complete) a doctoral degree between June 2024 and June 2027. Earlier dates may be accepted if maternity or paternity leave, or Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave occurred within the past two years. Scholars of all nationalities may apply. We welcome candidates with or without permanent full-time research or teaching positions. Doctoral candidates and graduates of the University of Notre Dame, as well as current postdoctoral scholars at the University, are not eligible.

Application

Applicants should submit the following via the Interfolio website:

1. A cover letter including your research trajectory, your motivations for applying, and the fellowship’s role in furthering your career goals.  Your cover letter should not exceed 4 pages in length, double-spaced, with font size 12 and 1-inch margins.
   
   

2. Your curriculum vitae.
   
   

3. A statement describing your previous research accomplishments and your proposed research project(s) for the fellowship period. This statement may include the names of faculty from whom you would like to receive mentorship if you should be selected as a fellow, and why you think you would benefit from their expertise and experience. Please do not, however, reach out to faculty in the hosting department or institute to arrange a primary mentor or co-mentor prior to submitting your application. Your research statement should not exceed 5 pages in length, double-spaced, with font size 12 and 1-inch margins.
   
   

4. Candidates must submit a writing sample representative of their own work (no more than 10,000 words in length).
   
   

5. Candidates must also arrange for at least three letters of recommendation to be submitted via Interfolio by the deadline. Please do not ask your letter writers to email their letters directly. Applications without the full complement of letters will not be reviewed.

Timeline:

The application deadline is December 1, 2026, at 11:59 pm EST. Decision by March 1, 2027.

Frequently Asked Questions can be found on the Program’s webpage.

For further questions or concerns about the application process, please email [email protected].

 Timeline:

The application deadline is December 1, 2026, at 11:59 pm EST. Decision by March 1, 2027.

Frequently Asked Questions can be found on the Program’s webpage.

For further questions or concerns about the application process, please email [email protected].