Postdoctoral Fellow, USC Society of Fellows in the Humanities

The USC Society of Fellows in the Humanities invites applications for our 2023-2025 cohort of postdoctoral fellows.

Each year the Society admits five postdoctoral fellows, who are appointed for two-year terms. The fellows pursue research and teach three courses over four semesters, with one semester for full-time research. They are expected to reside in the Los Angeles area during the academic year and to participate in the scholarly life of the Society, the host department, and the university.  The salary for postdoctoral fellows is $65,000 per year plus fringe benefits, with an additional research and travel account of $6,000 per year. For more information about the USC Society of Fellows in the Humanities, visit our website, https://sofh.usc.edu

The USC Society of Fellows in the Humanities is an interdisciplinary community that supports advanced research by postdoctoral fellows and faculty members, promoting intellectual exchange and interdisciplinary approaches to research and teaching in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. Fellows meet regularly in formal and informal settings to present and discuss advanced scholarly research. Postdoctoral fellows are affiliated with the Society as well as with a USC department of their choice and have faculty mentors in both. Postdoctoral fellows in the humanities engage with each other as well as humanities departments, institutes, and centers at USC and in the broader Los Angeles area.

Applicants will be evaluated on their academic accomplishments, the significance and intellectual merit of their research project, and their potential to contribute to the intellectual life of the Society of Fellows, their affiliated department, and the community of scholars at USC. 

The application for the 2023–25 cycle is now open. The portal closes at 5pm PST on Monday, November 21, 2022.

To apply for the 2023–2025 cohort, candidates must have received their Ph.D. no earlier than July 1, 2019 and must have completed their doctoral degree by August 1, 2023. Scholars who received their doctorates from the University of Southern California are not eligible to apply. Non-U.S. citizens are eligible to apply for this program. Applicants’ research and teaching must be in the humanities and humanistic social sciences.

Applicants should submit:

• A complete application.
• A cover letter (up to three pages single-spaced). The letter should indicate the applicant’s primary field of research and desired departmental affiliation. It should also outline in brief the research the applicant intends to complete at USC. Scholars working across disciplines may indicate the various fields their research addresses and, if desired, additional possible departmental affiliations. In addition to the Society of Fellows in the Humanities, the University of Southern California is home to multiple institutes, centers, and programs in the humanities (see https://dornsife.usc.edu/levan-institute/humanities-at-usc/). If an applicant’s research interests align with those of any of these programs, please indicate this in the cover letter. If the dissertation has not been completed, the letter should detail its progress, timeline to completion, and scheduled or proposed defense date should the fellowship be awarded.
• A C.V.
• A writing sample from the dissertation/book project, such as a chapter or article, published or unpublished (up to forty pages excluding notes and bibliography).
• Evidence of completed Ph.D. or progress-to-degree letter from the adviser or Director of Graduate Studies.
• The names of two recommenders.

Please submit PDF files. Candidates are responsible for ensuring that all accompanying documents are properly uploaded. Once submitted, applications and documents cannot be changed or updated

Applications must be submitted via our application portal. Applications sent by email will not be accepted.

For more information, including FAQs and eligibility, please visit our website, https://sofh.usc.edu. Additional questions can be directed to Isabella Carr at societyoffellows@dornsife.usc.edu.