Humanities and Social Sciences Postdocs 2010-11

This page is for post-doctoral positions that start in 2011

Note: Do NOT delete positions in the UK and Canada.

Note to applicants holding degrees from US universities: UK postdocs seem to have time stipulations (measured from the beginning of studies) that close them to anyone who had graduate education on the American scheme, had to work while going to school, or had a break in their education. Don't waste your time applying; they won't make an exception.

That's simply not true. Oxbridge JRFs (which are the bulk of what's posted here) are not representative of generalist UK postdocs, and in any case, most of the JRFs stipulate that consideration may be made for career breaks, medical issues and other breaks (and all of the colleges are quite aware that a US PhD has a different timescale than a UK PhD). Advising US students not to apply is very unhelpful advice. If in doubt; ask before applying. Simple, really.

See my edit below to the Cambridge Newnham College fellowship. The timeframe stuff is definitely not true in that case.

FORMATTING:

To keep this page consistent and easy to read, please adhere to the following guidelines (taken from last year's page):
 * 1) Please place new fellowship entries in alphabetical order. Note that "University of X" should be alphabetized by U as first sort, and X as second sort within the U listings.
 * 2) Please mark the title of the fellowship using the H2 header.
 * 3) Please include the deadline and a web link to the ad/website; PLEASE follow the format of other entries.
 * 4) For logging comments or updates, please begin your entry with a bullet point. Each entry should have a separate line.
 * 5) For substantive comments or updates about status, interaction, etc., please include the date at the beginning of your entry so that users can scan the info quickly for new entries.

For more information and answers to some questions about timing, materials requests, application numbers and fields, offers, etc. see last year's postdoc wiki at: http://academicjobs.wikia.com/wiki/Humanities_and_Social_Science_Postdocs_2009-2010

A helpful blog for finding post-doc fellowship opportunities: http://lucian.uchicago.edu/blogs/studentgrantsfellowships/

UC Berkeley has a useful listing of Postdoctoral Fellowships here: http://www.spo.berkeley.edu/Fund/hpostdoc.html

American Association of University Women

 * Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowships
 * One year support.
 * Postdoctoral fellowships are available in the arts and humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.
 * Deadline: Nov. 15th, 2010

ACLS African Humanities Program Fellowships

 * One year writing post-doc, with possible residential award.
 * Applicant must be a national of a sub-Saharan African country, and must reside and have an affiliation with an institution in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, or Uganda. PhD must have been received in the last five years.
 * Deadline: 1 Dec 2010 (electronic submission)

Cambridge University - Gonville & Caius

 * Junior Research Fellowship (4 years), open field
 * "graduates or research students, who have completed not more than four years of full-time research"
 * "Full submission of written work in support of the application is required at the time of application"; this means a submission of anything up to 30,000 words
 * Deadline: 5pm (BST) 30 Sep. 2010

Cambridge University - Kings College

 * Junior Research Fellowships (up to 4 years), Arts & Social Sciences
 * Applications are invited from researchers in the fields of Philosophy, Theology, History and Philosophy of Science, Economics, Sociology and Psychology.
 * Candidates "will usually" have their PhD and NOT MORE THAN 2 years post-doctoral research experience at 1 oct 2011
 * Deadline: 22 Oct 2010.

Cambridge University - Newnham College

 * Junior Research Fellowship (3 years) in 'History, Architecture and History of Art, Oriental Studies, [or] Divinity' (posting states 2010/11, commencing Oct. 2011)


 * Female candidates only


 * Deadline: 5 Nov. 2010


 * Second round notification 10 Dec 2010 with submission of extra material by 20 Dec 2010


 * Decision to be made by 4 Mar. 2010.


 * RE: time to degree, etc. From the website for this fellowship. "Both selection panels use the concept of "research age" in judging how long a candidate has been active in research, so that time out of research for professional or family reasons will not be a disadvantage."

Cambridge University - Jesus College

 * Junior Research Fellowship (3 years) in 'Arts & Social Sciences'
 * "Candidates who have undertaken more than four years of full-time research are unlikely to be considered"
 * Deadline: 1pm BST 17 September 2010, with written work requested from shortlisted candidates by 21 October.
 * Application and college website down as of 5.30pm BST 16 September 2010. This does not bode well...
 * Back up now (6:58pm BST)

Cambridge University - Sidney Sussex College

 * The College Council wishes to make elections to two Research Fellowships, each tenable for three years, to commence on 1st September 2011. One Fellowship is devoted to...the Arts and Social Sciences, the other to...the Sciences (including mathematics, engineering and the medical sciences). Interviews for short-listed applicants...beginning 29th November 2010.


 * Deadline: October 12th 2010

Centre for Advanced Study, Sofia, Bulgaria

 * For the academic year 2011/2012 CAS Sofia provides in-residence fellowships of two- to five- month duration to post-doctoral non-Bulgarian researchers. Junior as well as senior scholars are invited to apply.
 * The working language is English.
 * In addition to supporting focus-group research, CAS invites scholars to pursue their individual research projects during in-residence periods of up to five months. Fellows participate in the intellectual life and the scholarly community of the Centre while working on projects of their own choice. CAS Sofia assists Fellows in all practical matters concerning travel, residence and research in Sofia.
 * Deadline:November 1, 2010.

Columbia University Society of Fellows in the Humanities

 * Several postdoctoral fellowships in the humanities for the 2011-2012 academic year. "We invite applications from qualified candidates who have received the Ph.D. between 1 January 2007 and 1 July 2011. Fellows are appointed as Lecturers in appropriate departments at Columbia University and as postdoctoral research fellows. The fellowship is renewable for a second and third year."
 * Requires a $30 US application fee. Unconscionable.
 * I am not actively on the post-doc market, but I happened to see this. Charging a fee to apply for such a position is absolutely deplorable. If I were a post-doc candidate, I would refuse to apply for this. Seriously. I know the market is bad, but such exploitation of financially disadvantaged post-grads is wrong on a fundamental level and should not be countenanced. Ditto for Michigan Society of Fellows below.
 * Deadline: Postmark October 4, 2010.
 * Curious that the writing sample that they ask for is no more than 3,500 words. How many people have a self-contained paper/chapter at hand of this particular length? A standard article in a humanities journal is around 8,000 words. The average PhD chapter is probably somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 words.---I, too, am baffled by this odd word limit. I basically sliced and diced one of my chapters beyond real recognition. The articles I've got are too long and I wasn't about to send a seminar paper I wrote years ago.
 * I submitted a conference paper last year. I wasn't selected, so I can't say it's a fool-proof plan, but a rigorous, well-written conference paper can make a powerful writing sample.
 * I have also been frustrated by the 3500 word limit -- a paltry 11 ds pp. Does anyone know if the writing sample is expected to, in fact, resemble an uninterrupted argument, or is it also acceptable to do a creative mix of sample / summary?

Dalhousie University Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship

 * Izaak Walton Killam Postdoctoral Fellowships are awarded annually at Dalhousie University to recently graduated scholars of superior academic research ability in any discipline. Awards are tenable for two years and include travel costs, a research grant, and a conference travel allowance.
 * Applications due by December 15, 2010

Dartmouth College - Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship

 * One postdoctoral fellowship in the humanities and humanistic social sciences for the 2011-2013 academic years. PhD must have been completed between January 9, 2009 and June 30, 2011.
 * Applications due by October 1, 2010.
 * The following fields ARE NOT eligible: Anthropology, Art History, Film/Media Studies, French, History, Italian, Music and Native American Studies.
 * This may well be a stupid question - but what counts as a 'humanistic social science'? Political science? Linguistics? Sociology?
 * On the above question: I believe that the "humanistic social sciences" are not specific fields, but rather refer to humanistic methods and orientations toward research. For example, anthropologists, sociologists, and political scientists who do interpretive, qualitative and in-depth interviews or ethnographic observations likely qualify. Scholars who use large-N datasets and don't interact with humans, or texts, in their research would probably not qualify.
 * Does Dartmouth require a writing sample? There's no mention of it in the application guidelines.
 * FYI: I emailed the administrator to ask what would happen if my letters of reference didn't make it on time (my recommenders have the totally reasonable idea that jobs don't expect letters before October 1). She said that my application would still go through, but that the applications get sent out to the committee for review "the day after the deadline," and that if my file was missing letters, that would obviously put me at a disadvantage. I can only assume she means they get sent out Monday, October 4, since Oct. 1 is a Friday.

Duke University Program in Women's Studies

 * The Duke University Program in Women's Studies invites applications for two post-doctoral associates in Interdisciplinary Feminist Studies to complement their 2011-2012 theme of "The Future of the Feminist 1970's." We seek candidates with interdisciplinary experience in Women's Studies. We welcome empirical, textual, and theoretical specialization from a diverse array of academic fields, political and cultural contexts, and historical periods.
 * All applications materials (including all letters of recommendations) must be received by November 22, 2010.
 * Cross-posted at Queer/Women's/Gender Studies 2010-11

Duke University Thompson Writing Program Fellowship

 * candidates with a Ph.D. in any field and a demonstrated commitment to undergraduate teaching. Fellows are asked to draw on their disciplinary training and interests to design a seminar-style course introducing students to academic writing. Teaching load is five sections of Academic Writing per year, with each section limited to 12 students.
 * Applications received by October 15, 2010, will be guaranteed consideration.

Environmental Fellows at Harvard University

 * Purpose: The Harvard University Center for the Environment created the Environmental Fellows program to enable recent doctorate recipients to use and expand Harvard's extraordinary resources to tackle complex environmental problems. The Environmental Fellows will work for two years with Harvard faculty members in any school or department to create new knowledge while also strengthening connections across the University's academic disciplines.
 * The fellowship will provide an annual stipend of $55,000 plus health insurance, a $2,500 allowance for travel and professional expenses, and other employee benefits. The Harvard University Center for the Environment awarded four fellowships in 2010, and expects to award approximately four to five fellowships per year thereafter.
 * Candidates for 2011 Environmental Fellowships should have received their terminal degree between May 2007 and August 2011. (Fellows must have completed all requirements of their degree before starting work in September 2011.)
 * Candidates with a doctorate or equivalent in any field are eligible, and they may propose research projects in any discipline. Applicants without a Ph.D. may apply if they have studied in fields where the Ph.D. is not the typical terminal degree. All successful candidates will be able to demonstrate experience performing scholarly research.
 * Each candidate must secure a commitment from one or more Harvard faculty members to serve as a mentor and to provide office or lab space for the two-year fellowship.
 * Deadline: Applications and all letters of reference must be received by the Center for the Environment by 5 pm EDT, Friday, January 14, 2011. The Center will select a group of fellows and alternates by March 2011, and contact applicants with results at that time.

==Friedrich-Schiller-Universitat, Jena (Germany)==
 * Two year (with possibility of extension) post-doc in the History of Science (or similar)
 * German languages skills essential!
 * Post includes some admin/teaching as well as research
 * Deadline: 11 Oct. 2010

Harvard Humanities Center

 * One-year fellowship in "all fields within the humanities and the allied social sciences."
 * Applicants must have received the Ph.D. after May 2008. Applicants without the Ph.D. must demonstrate that they will receive the Ph.D. in or before June 2011.


 * Deadline: November 15, 2010.
 * Another $35 fee

Harvard Society of Fellows

 * "Candidates are nominated for Junior Fellowships, generally by those under whom they have studied. Applications are not accepted from the candidates themselves."


 * Nomination letters accepted until September 3, 2010.
 * Invitation to apply rec'd 9/8/2010 (via email and then by USPS)
 * Confirmation of receipt of materials via USPS September 8, 2010
 * Question: I know I was nominated, but have not been invited to apply. Is there a preliminary cutting-round at the nomination letter stage? A: I think you should contact them. I've not seen anyone mention an initial cut on previous wikis, and it seems like they should have sent you a web portal link by now.

Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, University of Helsinki

 * The Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies is inviting applications for 8–12 University Researcher/Postdoctoral Researcher Positions for a fixed-term appointment starting from 1 August 2011. 2–4 researcher positions may be reserved for scholars whose research interests are related to the theme of mortality.
 * The working language of the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies is English.
 * "The director of the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies will determine the length of the individual appointments (between one and three years) on the basis of the applicants’ research plans."


 * Deadline: 8 September 2010 at 15.45 local Helsinki time

Johns Hopkins Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Humanities

 * This year's topic is "Concepts of Diaspora"
 * "Applicants should have completed the Ph.D. in one of the following fields: History, English, History of Art, Musicology, Classics, Anthropology, German and Romance Languages and Literatures, Comparative Literature, History of Science and Technology, Near Eastern Studies, no earlier than June 30, 2006 and no later than June 30, 2011"


 * Deadline: November 11, 2010.
 * Cross-posted at Queer/Women's/Gender Studies 2010-11
 * This one had over 450 applicants last year - good luck to us all!

John David Stout Research Fellowships at Victoria University of Wellington

 * "This Fellowship provides a full time opportunity to write within an academic environment for the year of tenure. The Fellowship is based in the Stout Research Centre, a multi-disciplinary research centre in New Zealand Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. It is open to researchers in any area of study relating to New Zealand society, history and culture.
 * Deadline: September 10, 2010.

London School of Economics - Research Officer Post-doctoral Position

 * Post-doctoral Research Officer to undertake research duties on a major research project funded by the European Research Council “Useful and Reliable Knowledge in Global Histories of Material Progress in the East and the West from the Accession of the Ming Dynasty (1368) to the First Industrial revolution (1756-1846)”.
 * The successful candidate will specialise in the following region: Islamdom. Candidates should possess a PhD in Economic History and strong language skills in Arabic and-or Persian.
 * Post will end June 1, 2012


 * Deadline: August 18, 2010

Max Planck Two Year Postdoctoral Fellowship

 * "The future research fellow should hold a PhD in anthropology, history of science or related field, and must be familiar with neuroimaging research"
 * To work on the “Neurological Adolescent" project.
 * Deadline: 15 Oct. 2010

Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship

 * Stipend: $25,000, plus funds for research costs of up to $3,000 and for university fees of up to $5,000
 * Tenure: one year beginning summer 2011
 * Completed applications must be submitted through the ACLS Online Fellowship Application system (http://ofa.acls.org) no later than 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, November 10, 2010.
 * Notifications will be sent in late March 2011.
 * "ACLS will award 65 Fellowships in this competition for a one-year term."
 * "This is the first stage of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation/ACLS Early Career Fellowship Program*" (NOTE: Early Career Fellowship is NOT being offered for 2010-11). *Recipients of Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship and other national fellowships will be eligible to apply (for Early Career Fellowship) in Fall 2011 if they have completed their dissertations within their fellowship tenure or by August 31, 2011, whichever comes first.

National Endowment for the Humanities - Research Fellowship

 * $4,200 per month.


 * application deadline, May 4, 2010


 * Notification early December 2010

Penn Humanities Forum - Mellon Postdoc

 * "Five (5) one-year Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships are available for the 2011-2012 academic year for untenured scholars in the humanities who received or will receive their Ph.D. between December 2002 and December 2010."
 * The theme is "Adaptations."
 * Applications due October 15, 2010.

University of Pennsylvania - McNeil Center for Early American Studies

 * The McNeil Center will appoint a Postdoctoral Fellow for a two-year term beginning 1 July 2011
 * Applicants must have earned the PhD no earlier than 2006 in American History, American Literature, American Studies, or a closely allied field and must have completed all requirements for the degree when the term of appointment commences.
 * While this fellowship is particularly appropriate for projects designed to turn a doctoral dissertation into a publishable monograph, any project dealing with the histories and cultures of North America in the Atlantic world before 1850 will be considered. Proposals dependent on the use of Philadelphia-area archives and libraries are particularly welcome.
 * The postmark deadline applications is 1 November 2010.

University of Pennsylvania Mellon Teaching Postdoctoral Scholarships

 * For the class of 2011-2013: Music Theory, Art History (Renaissance and/or Baroque), History (19th-20th century U.S. International history, or Environmental History), East Asian Studies (Religion or Popular Culture), and South Asian Studies.
 * Eligibility is limited to applicants who have received the Ph.D. within two years of the time they would begin their appointment at Penn, that is, no earlier than August, 2009. Penn Ph.D.'s are eligible.
 * The stipend for 2011-2012 is $48,000. The fellows will also have a one-time $5,000 budget for research support.
 * Deadline: NOVEMBER 30, 2010
 * Question: If you are not in one of the exact areas listed, is it worth applying? Has Penn historically offered fellowships to candidates in fields other than those on their list? --that is, Art History other than Ren/Bar, History other than US, etc. --? [I would also like to know this!]
 * Since I do U.S. Environmental History and don't want any competition for this... I'm going to say nope, don't even bother. Seriously though, unless someone from the selection committee decides to weigh in on this wiki, you're just going to have to make your own decision.  The application looks pretty straight forward so you can probably crib most of the required documents from your other application packets.  There's no fee.  It's the Ivy League.  So, is it worth the old Hail Mary pass?

Princeton Society of Fellows

 * 5 3-year postdoctoral fellowships. Must have received degree between January 1, 2009 and October 1, 2010. Can be ABD untill June 15, 2011 but will require 'letter of progress'.
 * Applications accepted between August 16 and October 1, 2010.
 * 1 open; 2 in "Humanistic Studies"; 1 in LGBT Studies; 1 in Race and/or Ethnicity Studies.
 * Apparently a candidate can only apply once in their career: "If you have already applied to the Society of Fellows, you may not apply a second time. We therefore recommend that candidates wait until they have completed a substantial portion of the dissertation (approximately half) before applying."
 * Note that they are serious about this (new) rule of only applying once and it applies across types of SOF fellowships (for example, if you have ever applied to an "open" fellowship and now want to apply to a more specialized one, you can't. This was confirmed through contacting the director of SOF.)
 * I'm confused. Can you explain what you mean by this rule applying across types of SoF fellowships? For example, if you've applied ("been nominated') for a Harvard SoF, which is an open fellowship, does this mean you're now ineligible to apply to the Princeton SoF?
 * No. Princeton SoF has "open" and "targeted" fellowships. So if you applied, for example, to the LGBT fellowship and were rejected, then you can't apply to the "open" one. But it's all Princeton... thank goodness, they don't have jurisdiction over other schools yet!
 * Okay. That's fine.
 * Screw that. No grandfathering?
 * 9/18 - I can't open their website. Is anyone else having this problem. I feel silly contacting them if it's just me. Thanks!
 * I have no problem entering their site or the form. Try clearing your history or using another browser.
 * Does anyone who didn't graduate from an Ivy league or a UC school have any hopes of getting this? I think not. The list of current and previous fellows, and the schools they graduated from strikes me as a disheartening commentary on the state of market, and on higher education in general. If the Ivies just trade their students and faculty around, what's the point of any of it? It would be such a wonderful fellowship to have, for so many reasons, but I, for one, have decided to put my energies into something within the realm of possibility.
 * To the poster above: I got my degree from a non-Ivy, non-public-Ivy university, and I was interviewed as a finalist.

Rutgers Center for Cultural Analysis

 * Two external fellowships with awards of $45,000
 * Topic: Public Knowledge: Institutions, Networks, Collectives


 * Download application form.


 * Deadline: emailed or postmarked by January 7, 2011.

Rutgers University Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Humanities

 * Three two-year postdoctoral fellowships supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, one each in the Departments of English, History, and Women's and Gender Studies. Fellows will receive $50,000 annually as well as an annual research allocation of $2,000; they will also receive Rutgers University health benefits.
 * Fellows will pursue research and teach three courses during the two-year term in the department of their appointment.
 * Applications must be received by January 17, 2011. Candidates must have received the Ph.D. after August 31, 2006; applicants must have finished all requirements for the Ph.D. by June 1, 2011.
 * It seems like only the Department of English is set up to accept applications at this point. Or am I missing something on their application portal?

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship

 * The SSHRC 2010-2011 postdoc now has its own wiki page here

Stanford University Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship of Scholars in the Humanities

 * Up to 6 2-year postdoctoral fellowships. Must have received the PhD between January 1, 2008 and June 30, 2011.
 * Eligible fields: Classics, History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies.
 * Applications due November 15, 2010.

University of Alberta Postdoctoral Fellowships

 * The University of Alberta offers two postdoctoral fellowships: the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Postdoctoral Fellowships and the Grant Notley Memorial Postdoctoral Fellowship
 * Deadline:November 29, 2010 is the deadline for prospective postdocs to submit all documents to departments.


 * Be aware that this program does not normally reimburse relocation costs, and that the cost of living in Edmonton, Alberta is high. Grocery prices are at least a third higher than in any comparable U.S. city.

University of British Columbia Killam Postdoctoral Research Fellowship

 * The UBC Killam Postdoctoral Research Fellowships are provided annually from the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Fund for Advanced Studies and are available for most fields of research. The fellowships are awarded for a maximum of two years. The number of awards varies between four and six per year.
 * Deadline:Mid-October to early November - check with the UBC department or unit of interest regarding internal deadline

University of Calgary Killam Postdoctoral Awards

 * Selected by a special multi-disciplinary committee of the University Graduate Scholarship Committee, the recipient of this fellowship is an exceptional new scholar who has obtained a PhD degree within the two years preceding the competition. The fellowship enables the Fellow to work at the University of Calgary, consolidate his/her research training and develop and initiate original research in his/her discipline as well as participate in and contribute to the activities of his/her host department or unit.
 * Currently, the fellowship is valued at $45,000 for twelve months, plus a research allowance of $6,000.
 * Deadline:

University of Chicago Society of Fellows

 * Four-year postdoctoral teaching appointments as Harper and Schmidt Fellows who hold the rank of Collegiate Assistant Professor.
 * Fellowships are open to scholars in all disciplines and areas of specialization who will have completed all requirements for their Ph.D. degree no later than August 31, 2011.
 * Online applications must be completed by November 1, 2010.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellowships in the Humanities

 * Two Post-Doctoral Fellows for two-year appointments starting in Fall 2011
 * Open to scholars in all humanities disciplines, but we seek applicants whose work falls into one of the following broad subject areas: Race and Diaspora Studies, History of Science/Technology, Empire and Colonial Studies, Memory Studies
 * Completed applications must be submitted, and letters of support must arrive, by 5:00 p.m. on October 29, 2010.
 * (9/22) You must have PhD in hand to apply. I confirmed this via email correspondence. No ABD candidates, even those who will finish at the end of this semester or spring
 * Do they interview? Any idea how many people applied last year?

University of Manchester (UK)

 * Three-year postdoctoral research associate position assisting a Professor's project on early modern British/Scottish History
 * To work on "the Scottish contribution to the formation of Britain between 1603 and c.1760, including Scottish migration to England" and archive work with Scottish Parliamentary papers; paleography skills essential.
 * Deadline: 22 Sept. 2010 note short deadline

University of Michigan Society of Fellows

 * Postdoctoral fellowship in the humanities, must have "received the Ph.D. or comparable professional or artistic degree between June 1, 2008 and September 1, 2011."
 * Application fee of $30. Ridiculous.
 * The fee is deplorable. I would refuse to apply. Disgusting.
 * Such fees are quite common.
 * Only recently have these fees started to appear. (8/25)
 * Over 800 applicants last year. Ridiculous indeed.
 * Applications due by 1pm Eastern Time October 18, 2010.

University of Oxford All Souls College

 * Five year, non renewable post-doctoral research fellowship
 * For "Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theoretical Sciences (including Mathematics)
 * For candidates who started post-graduate education after 1 August 2003 (negotiable for career breaks etc)
 * Deadline: 24 September 2010
 * Decisions made 19 Feb 2011, appointments start 1 Oct 2011
 * Is this correct? Link not working. [yes! link redirected, as obviously they were too cheap to renew their jobs.ac.uk advert ;)]
 * Ewww. They make their "early career" decision based on when you STARTED?

University of Pittsburgh Early Career Fellowship

 * "The Humanities Center at the University of Pittsburgh invites applications for an early-career residential fellow for the academic year 2011-12. We seek a colleague of outstanding promise, at work on a major project in any area of the humanities or allied areas of inquiry. Applicants must have PhD in hand at time of application."
 * Stipend will be $40,000, plus benefits, with a fund of $5,000 available for research and relocation expenses. The fellow will be provided with an office and assisted in finding housing in Pittsburgh. The fellow will be required to reside in Pittsburgh while holding the fellowship, to present a lecture and colloquium, and to participate regularly in the activities of the center. If there is a course the fellow wishes to develop and teach, this is welcome, but it is not required.
 * Applications due: November 16, 2010 for the academic year 2011-12.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Solmsen Post-Doctoral Fellowships

 * Up to four external, academic-year Solmsen Post-Doctoral Fellowships each year to scholars outside UW-Madison working on literary and historical studies of the European Classical, Medieval, and Renaissance periods up to about 1700.
 * Applicants must be in possession of the doctorate at the time of application. The award provides a stipend of $40,000, office space, support services, and access to all university facilities.
 * Applications are due on October 15th.

Valparaiso University Lilly Fellows Program

 * Three two-year residential postdoctoral teaching fellowships in the areas of Humanities and the Arts for 2011-2013 for scholars seriously considering academic vocations in church related institutions.
 * Fellows will teach seven courses over a two year period; engage in scholarship or creative work; participate in a two year colloquium; work with a VU faculty mentor; and interact with representatives from a national network of church related institutions.

Washington University in St. Louis Mellon Post-Doc ('Modeling Interdisciplinary Inquiry')

 * The Fellows will receive a two year appointment with a stipend beginning at $44,450 per year.


 * Postdoctoral Fellows plan and pursue their own continuing research in association with a senior faculty member at Washington University, and, over the course of their year appointment teach three undergraduate courses in the home discipline and collaborate in an interdisciplinary theory and methods workshop.
 * Application deadline is December 1, 2010.

Williams College, MA - Gaius Charles Bolin Dissertation/Post-Doc and Post-MFA Fellowships

 * Up to three scholars or artists are appointed each year
 * Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, those who are first-generation college graduates, women in predominantly male fields, or disabled scholars.
 * The Fellows will receive a two year appointment with a stipend of $33,000 per year and up to $4,000 for research-related expenses.


 * Deadline: December 1, 2010.

Application Fees
What do you say that we all agree to never hire a scholar who has won a postdoc at a program with an application fee? (re Michigan, Harvard or Columbia)

No one likes a fee, but there's nothing unusual about them. Although it is not their sole purpose, fees help to keep out the weaker applications. If you're really a fit for the post-doc and you really want it, then you'll apply and pay the fee. If you're just applying for the sake of applying, then maybe the fee will stop you from submitting the application and wasting everyone's time. In the whole scheme of things, and I'm sure that the person who is so upset with the fee will disgree with me on this, $30 is chump change.

As you have predicted, I do disagree. These fellowships (Columbia, Harvard and Michigan) aren't themed fellowships so I'm not really sure how one would know whether they fit or not (besides the fact that they can pay the extra $$.) As for whether or not you really want it, doesn't the sheer bulk of required materials for the application take care of that aspect? Really, who applies only for the sake of applying? Lastly, and most importantly, do you really think that these schools have seen fewer applications because of the fees? or is it more likely that they are profiting greatly from the fact that so many people do not have proper employment?

I totally disagree with the person who said that there is "nothing unusual about [these application fees]" and agree with other person on here. These fees are in fact very unusual. I have never seen them before and most applications don't require them. It is NOT chump change. Applicants looking for a post-doc or entry-level academic position are already in a very difficult financial situation and have to apply to many positions because the odds are very bad to begin with and the criteria to weed out applicants are so arbitrary. These schools are extremely wealthy and shouldn't be milking prospective applicants in this way.

And yet you think the appropriate channel for your bitterness about this is to penalise the candidates who fork out?


 * IMHO it's not channeled bitterness but organised resistance against an unfair labor practice. Next they will charge for all employment applications.
 * IMHO organising resistance against the candidates who pay the fees get the positions is hardly a very well-thought-through political strategy. If you want people to think you're being something other than bitter, you (whoever made the comment about 'not hiring a candidate who had paid an application fee') might want to take it out on the institutions rather than your colleagues who, due to the same pressures you are suffering, are forced to pay the fees. There are plenty of people who don't think it's fair and who can't afford it, but will fork out nonetheless. What do you think you would achieve by punishing them for making that decision?

Is there a scholarship for those who can't afford fellowship application fees? $30 is more than I can afford. (That's a week's groceries or a month's gas bill.) I'm not being facetious; if someone knows about a scholarship fund that helps cover application fees, please advise. Otherwise, I guess I'll apply for the second-class fellowships. Agreed that this is unfair labor practice. Brings back fond memories of applying to colleges; I could only apply to a limited number because of fees then too. Some of us cannot participate in a world where $30 is 'chump change'. Personally, I'd like to see us collectively refuse to pay such fees. In the meantime, please suggest scholarships that might help cover fees.
 * There is a scholarship, but it costs $45 to apply...

Out of curiosity I came to see what's up in this year's postdoc wiki. I agree with the above posters who have argued against the fees. It's just so wrong considering the fact that those institutions are filthy rich. Last year I avoided all the postdocs that asked for money and only applied for ones that were free. And guess what? I won a highly respected one (definitely not 2nd class!). Don't let those big names suck you in and suck you dry. And for those who are willing to dish out the $30 or whatever, you do know, I hope, that the reason why the fee is set at $30 and not at $100 is to be low enough so that some fools will pay for it.

So now everyone who pays the application fee is a "fool"? Even the people who WIN the fellowships? -- Dear Cave-Dweller: I'm sorry to inform you that the 5 or 6 who win each year already know the faculty extremely well. For them, the $30 is kissing ass and is a symbolic gesture of giving one's soul to enter a club. For the rest, it's the 'idiot tax', as the poster below aptly stated. The overwhelming majority of the 1200+ applicants each year have fantasies of rubbing themselves against a brand name. Sincerely yours, Enlightened One.

As the saying goes, "A fool and his money are soon parted," or would you prefer we call it an "idiot tax?"

Enlightened One and others: Actually, it is NOT true that the fellowship winners already know faculty extremely well, or that they already belong to some kind of club. A colleague of mine won one pretty much out of the blue this year. She was chosen because she has a good CV, an excellent dissertation, and really really good letters of recommendation. She did not know any of the institution's faculty, nor is she wealthy, foolish, or soul-selling. She's just a scholar looking for as many opportunities as she can find in a really bad job market. The benefits of being a fellow at one of these institutions far outweigh the $30 fee. And believe me, the years of hard work, excellent research, and a graduate education we've all undergone will cost us far more than the application fee. Yes, the fee is unfortunate, but I think the hyperbolic conversation here is unnecessary.

Dear Apologist, I understand your point, but of all your friend's accomplishments the single and primary sine qua non is the fact that she could afford the fee (that does put her in a kind of club, no?). It is not hyperbole or exaggeration to say that a great number of us can't afford to donate $$ to these schools--it is the plain and simple truth. For this reason alone, the competition is unfair and no one will know whether the best candidates have even been considered. I do think these fees are unfortunate, as they really do add up. But going on the job market costs money. There's postage and copying costs, not to mention transcripts (one postdoc application without a fee requested official transcripts and actually ended up costing me more than Columbia or Michigan). At later stages there's getting to conferences, hotel rooms, interview clothes... I've definitely needed to tap into student loans for this career phase. But temporary poverty is a decision we all made--we all chose graduate school, it wasn't imposed on anyone. I don't have much sympathy for those who don't have $30 for an application fee. That just sounds like poor financial planning for the job market phase.

Student loans to pay application fees...nice.

JRF's
Is it just me, or are there considerably fewer JRFs this year? I know it's early days yet, but still...

If memory serves, Oxford announce most of theirs towards Oct-Nov. I'm surprised Christ's Cambridge hasn't come up yet, though.

Killam fellowships
Does anyone know anything about these? Can you only apply to one? Is it mostly Canadians who actually end up getting them?

I am not Canadian and have recently won one. My impression is that you can apply to any school that might sponsor you; department support is necessary to become a finalist, I believe.

University of Minnesota?
Has anyone heard of this fellowship: http://www.grad.umn.edu/postdocfellowship/

It has NO details listed and I e-mailed the address for more info and it bounced. Some kind of cruel Minnesota joke?

I shot a message to the contact listed at the bottom of the page sometime last fall and, sometime thereafter, got a message back indicating that they weren't offering any postdocs for the 2010-11 AY. Page has not been updated since then as far as I can tell. UMinn does offer the semester-long quadrant fellowships:

https://h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=41180

I also emailed them last fall and was told that they didn't know when the postdocs would be offered again (they were last offered 2009-2010). I asked a friend on faculty there, and she couldn't get any more info either

General Discussion
Is it uncouth to contact current postdocs to get their insight into the application? It's easy to find info on some of the Mellon postdocs (ACLS, Illinois, Washington U.) on their websites. Or are they just as clueless as me?


 * Gentle poster (sorry, I had to write that), I'm of two minds about this. On the one hand, I think that there are no rules about seeking information about how to construct a good application from any source, including current fellows and the administrators. (Sometimes, you can get tips from emailing the folks who run these competitions). It's really up to the fellow you contact whether to respond to your email message. On the other, I worry that contacting a fellow might be perceived as trying to curry favour. That's a risk that might not be worth taking. So, I would say that it's not "uncouth" as you put it, but it might be risky. It's a personal judgment call. If you do decide to contact a current fellow, I think it would be considerate to keep your message brief and professional in tone, and include a caveat that you realize that you might be putting them in an awkward position, and you understand if they prefer not to respond (i.e. give them an out).