Humanities & Soc Sci Postdocs 2008-2009

Note: These postdocs begin in 2009

Last year's wiki page

Back to Academic Job Search

Suggestions for Syntax, etc.:
 * 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 use 3 equal signs both before AND after the title of the fellowship.
 * 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 an asterisk (*) to create 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.
 * 6) If you wish to ask a question about a dated log entry, or otherwise indent an entry, use the colon  plus the asterisk to indent and bullet your (Question) entry underneath the relevant log entry.
 * 7) Note that pressing return on your keyboard is not sufficient to create a line break.  You can use list formatting symbols, such as the asterisk or colon listed above, or the number sign (#) to create a numbered list, depending on what formatting you want to use.  You can also manually create a simple hard line break by using   .  Otherwise, you can simply press return twice to create a line break with double spacing.<br

All Souls College, Oxford University
( Deadline September 19, 2008)
 * Long "short list" to be drawn up on or by November 1, 2008
 * Anyone heard anything (Oct 31)
 * Short list completed and sent by email (11/3)

American Academy of Arts and Sciences
(info Deadline 17 October 2008)

Cambridge University Library, Munby Fellowship
(info Deadline September 5, 2008)
 * No interviews
 * THE LINK IS BROKEN
 * Link was taken down when the deadline passed.

Christ Church, Merton and St. John's Junior Research Fellowships, Oxford.
(info Deadline: 12 noon, 8th December 2008)

Columbia University Society of Fellows in the Humanities
( Deadline October 6, 2008)


 * 10/16 received self-stamped postcard acknowledging the application is complete.


 * 11/03 $30 charge on my credit card bill. it's that martini time of year in morningside heights.


 * 11/06 I didn't get a postcard - didn't include one - but they charged me so I know they got it! :) Did the ack. postcard give any details on timeline?

Dartmouth University, Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship, Leslie Center
( Deadline: October 15, 2008)

11/13 Has anyone heard anything? 11/14 Nope

Duke University, Thompson Writing Program
(info Deadline: October 31, 2008)
 * 11/14 - received confirmation with race/gender monitoring form. Timeline is notification of search status by mid-December

Emmanuel College, Cambridge University, JRF
(info Deadline: October 9, 2008)
 * original info said shortlist would be contacted 18th November, anyone heard anything?

Freiburg Institute of Advanced Study
(info Deadline August 1, 2008)

Harvard Society of Fellows
(info Nomination deadline September 5, 2008)

Request for nominee information and samples due in September, decisions for finalist interviews to be made by end of November, final decisions to be made by the middle of December.


 * 10/7 Received post card confirming materials received.


 * 10/24 From last year's wiki, it looks like people were starting to get interviewed around now. Has anyone heard anything beyond an ack. of receipt?


 * 10/25 Nothing yet. Seems like they got started a bit later than last year, so likely people will begin to hear back about interviews next week.


 * 10/25 As far as I know, interviews are actually already underway.


 * 10/26 Oof. How were interviewees contacted?


 * 10/27 The information I have from the SoF says that interviewees will be contacted by phone and that this is an on-going, gradual process through the end of November. Interviews will be scheduled and "conducted from late September through early December" at the SoF's offices in Cambridge.


 * 11/7 Anyone interview yet? They should be about 1/4 to 1/2 done with interviews, right?


 * 11/16 talked to a former Fellow right before turning in the application, who confirmed what is said by 10/27 re: "late September through early December". interviews finish first week of december.  also have a friend/colleague who was called for interview back in late october, and i think it's tomorrow, which means they were scheduling pretty far in advance.  nothing confirmed, but my sense is that those of us who have not yet been called for interview, won't be.

Harvard Academy Scholars Postdoc

 * Does anyone know when their interview notifications begin?
 * 11/12 received rejection. email said they received 300+ applications.
 * 11/12 Ditto.
 * 11/14 Ditto

Harvard Humanities Center Postdoctoral Fellowship

 * $35 application fee. Gotta love that.  I'm debating whether it's worth applying.  Does anybody happen to have any particulars about their search criteria?  I see that both of their current fellows are in the Art History department.
 * Well, $35 is better than the $60 they charged last year!!
 * Credit crunch.

Hertford College, Oxford, Drapers' Company Junior Research Fellowship
(info Deadline: 14 November 2008)

Historic New Orleans Collection, Dianne Woest Fellowship in the Arts and Humanities
(info Deadline August 1, 2008, fellowship to commence after January 1, 2009)

The Huntington Library Postdoctoral Fellowships, NEH, Mellon, and Barbara Thom
(info Deadline December 15, 2008)

Johns Hopkins, Mellon Postdoc: Concepts of Diaspora
(info)

The Library Company, Philadelphia, Postdoctoral Fellowships
(info Deadline, November 1, 2008)

Michigan Society of Fellows Post-Doctoral Fellowship
(info Deadline September 30, 2008)

It charges every applicant 30 bucks. (Did it do this last year?) It asks our very busy mentors to upload letters directly up to its website. I am not sure if it accepts a dossier.

Yes, the 30 bucks was charged last year, and the year before that, and the year before that. . . Such is the record of my optimism. No dossiers accepted, to my knowledge.

Does anyone know if we are required to submit 3 separate writing samples for a grand total of 20 pages? Or 1-3 samples that are each under 20 pages? I can't seem to figure out the language online. Thanks!


 * A: I'm assuming 1-3, each under 20. The other option is too unreasonable.


 * Q: I just "submitted" under the assumption that I should pull my material together, and not wait around for my lovely, overworked referees. But it told me I submitted an "incomplete" application. Will my referees now not be allowed to submit references?


 * A: Yes they will.  Although you won't be able to look at the references, they are registered as part of your application.  Thus, you haven't submitted anything yet, and won't be allowed to until the references are submitted by your referees.


 * A: You can't submit until the letters are already in. I got an email saying my app was incomplete right after I submitted, wrote them and asked and they said it was just a technical glitch and I was good to go.  So you can assume the same I think.


 * Thanks!


 * Q: Does anyone know what the decision timeline is on this?  I know the deadline has only recently passed, but I guess  the whole point of the Wiki is to fill the information vacuum.

A: Last year's wiki has people finding out at the end of January. But you'll have to dig through the archived history to see whether interviews occurred before then.


 * A: There are no interviews. Winners are notified at the end of January, with no intermediate steps.

National Humanities Center Fellowship
(info Deadline 15 October, 2008)

The Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, NEH Two-year Post-Doctoral Fellowship
(info Deadline November 1, 2008)

Penn Humanities Forum, Mellon Postdoc
(info Deadline October 15, 2008)

Princeton Society of Fellows
(info Deadline October 1, 2008)


 * Received ack. of complete dossier via mail, decisions and interview invitations will be made by the end of January (10/27)

St John's College, Cambridge University, JRF
(Deadline 1 October 2008)
 * shortlist contacted (11/13)
 * by email or phone?
 * email rejection

Selwyn College, Cambridge University, Centenary Fellowship
(info Deadline September 5, 2008)


 * short list of semi-finalists have been notified (10/16)

Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University, JRF
(Deadline 15 October 2008)
 * Anyone heard anything? (11/18)
 * not I

University of Chicago, Harper and Schmidt
(info Deadline: November 3, 2008)


 * Q: The deadline is slightly later this year than last. Anyone know if we'll hear anything before the holidays?

University of Texas at Austin, Institute for Historical Studies
(info Deadline January 15, 2009)

University of Virginia, Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture Postdoctoral Fellowship



 * The website says the application information will be posted in "the coming weeks"


 * 11/12 Website says: In the face of increasing financial uncertainty, the Institute regrets that it will not be able to offer new graduate-level and postgraduate-level fellowships for the 2009–2010 academic year.

Washington University in St Louis, Mellon Postdoc
(info Deadline December 1, 2008)


 * The website says "Dec 1 2007" -- is there an updated listing somewhere?


 * Current ad posted last week on H-NET (ad), guess they have forgotten to update their website.(8/17)

Discussion and Comments

 * QUESTION - I have no idea how to format this, sorry. I'm wondering if others have any interest in gathering a list of postdocs with no campus interview.  Would it be possible to mention it with each listing?  Maybe it's just me, but the constant travelling gets to be not worth it after a while.
 * I think such a list would be difficult to run (separately to this one), but feel free to note on any postdoc listings 'this one does not do campus interviews' or something similar. I'm not sure that complaining about the hassle of interviews is something that many people would be sympathetic to: plenty of us WOULD love to get an interview!!
 * Fair enough, but the 'close but no cigar' treatment gets old fast too. Just thought people might find it more time-effective, but I definitely hear your point.
 * Can we (meaning someone more technologically inclined than myself) borrow the model from last year, where the History lists the fellowship modified?
 * Happy to, but not sure how! And some jerkoff just DELETED the whole wiki page from last year...


 * QUESTION -- Can anyone tell me where I can find information on how many applicants there are for the various postdocs? (I'm trying to communicate the difficulty of actually getting one to my significant other.)
 * Last year's page has some figures for particular fellowships. Ballpark figures for the prestigious societies of fellows (Harvard, Princeton, Columbia) put it at around 800 apps. I believe. Rejection letters sometimes mention the number of applicants, for fellowships in history last year that I applied to (rather than humanities in general), they had 250-300 applications.
 * The numbers usually mean nothing to your significant other, but good luck anyway.


 * I see that above someone says some jackoff deleted last year's wiki page? Quelle disgustement. If that is true, you can still view the History, which will show you what it looked like. If you do so, please restore the page. Thanks!