Princeton University 2023-2026 Postdoctoral Fellowship

Appointed in the Council of the Humanities and academic departments, postdoctoral fellows pursue their research, attend weekly seminars, and teach half-time as lecturers for a term of three years.

In each of the first two years, fellows teach one course each semester; in their third year, only one course in either semester. Fellows must reside in or near Princeton during the academic year.

Five fellowships are to be awarded:

• Two or three Open Fellowships in any discipline represented in the Society
• One Fellowship in Humanistic Studies
• One Fellowship in East Asian Studies
• One Fellowship in Race and Ethnicity Studies

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants holding the Ph.D. at the time of application must have received the degree after January 1, 2021.
• Applicants not yet holding the Ph.D. must have completed a substantial portion of the dissertation – at least half – at the time of application. Successful candidates must fulfill all requirements for the Ph.D., including filing of the dissertation, by June 15, 2023.
• Candidates for/recipients of doctoral degrees in Education, Jurisprudence, and from Princeton University are not eligible.
• Applicants may apply only once to the Princeton Society of Fellows.

Aim and Benefits

• Fellows receive a competitive salary and benefits, a $5,000 research account, access to university grants, a shared office, a desktop computer and other resources.
• Fellows are expected to reside in or near Princeton during the academic year in order to attend weekly seminars and participate fully in the intellectual life of the Society.

Selection Criteria

• Selection is based on exceptional scholarly achievement and evidence of unusual promise, range and quality of teaching experience, and potential contributions to an interdisciplinary community. The Society of Fellows seeks a diverse and international pool of applicants, and especially welcomes those from underrepresented backgrounds.

Documents Required for Application

1. Cover Letter: 1½ pages maximum, single-spaced, addressed to the search committee. The letter should include a brief overview of your application.

2. Curriculum Vitae

3. Dissertation Abstract: no more than one page, single-spaced.

4. Writing Sample: one chapter of the dissertation or one published/forthcoming article related to your dissertation topic that best represents your intellectual interests. No more than 25 double-spaced pages (endnotes/bibliography/illustrations may be included in addition). If the text portion of the sample you wish to submit is longer than 25 pages, please edit for length and summarize the deleted portions.

5. Research Project for the Fellowship Term: two to three double-spaced pages; no bibliography necessary. We expect this research statement will usually take the form of a proposal for revising the dissertation in preparation for publication. However, if you have given serious thought to a second research project beyond the dissertation, and/or already prepared the dissertation for publication, you may devote some or most of the three pages to this new project.

6. Two Course Proposals: Briefly outline two sample courses you would be interested in teaching at Princeton. It is not necessary to include syllabi, but, in addition to the course descriptions, please provide sample reading lists. One proposed course should offer an introduction to a topic of your choice for first and second-year students from different fields (typically a 200-level course at Princeton). The other course should be a more advanced undergraduate seminar in your own discipline that would have broad appeal to juniors and/or seniors in your host department (300 or 400-level). The two course descriptions and reading lists together should not exceed three double-spaced pages.

7. For Applicants with Ph.D. Degree: a document confirming your completion of all requirements for the Ph.D. degree. This may be a formal Ph.D. certificate, an official transcript, or a letter from your dissertation advisor.

For ABD (All But Dissertation) Applicants only: a letter from the Department Chair or Director of Graduate Studies confirming your “progress to degree.” It is advisable that you request this document well before the August 2 application deadline.

How to Apply

To apply, visit Princeton University on puwebp.princeton.edu