Postdoctoral Fellowships
Frederick Douglass Institute Fellowship Program
Location: University of Rochester, Frederick Douglass Institute and Department of Black Studies, Rochester, NY
Open date: December 11, 2024
Salary: $60,000 salary and $3,500 research funds per year
Deadline: January 31, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
Description
2025-26 Theme: Black Palestinian Studies and Black Trans Studies
The Frederick Douglass Institute (FDI) and the Department of Black Studies at the University of Rochester invites applications from recent PhD Graduates in the humanities or social sciences for two residential postdoctoral fellowships in the 2025–26 academic year.
This year, we are especially interested in scholars who are working at the cutting-edge of Black Studies—particularly focused on Black Palestinian Studies and Black Trans Studies. Please note, however, this fellowship is open to all who work in the field of Black Studies. We are interested in scholars whose work aligns with our faculty research—engaging with questions emerging from environmental justice and Black health, Black geographies and ecologies, Black aesthetics and culture, and issues of Black gender and sexuality.
The FDI Fellowship has historically been an opportunity designed to assist junior scholars advance their research, develop mentoring relationships, and prepare for professorial positions. This is a one-year fellowship with the possibility of renewal for an additional year only, after a successful review.
Responsibilities and Expectations
Fellows will participate in the intellectual life of the Frederick Douglass Institute and Department of Black Studies.
Fellows will focus on their own research projects and will be required to teach one course in their area of specialization per year.
Fellows will have the opportunity to present their work at the FDI Work-in-Progress Research Seminar Series, the Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies, and the Humanities Center.
All fellows receive office space, full access to the University’s facilities, and opportunities to interact and collaborate with scholars relevant to their projects within the University. Fellows must be in full-time residence during their tenure, and they are required to be engaged in scholarly activity on a full-time basis. Fellows are expected to be available for consultation with students and colleagues, make at least one formal presentation based upon their research per year, and contribute generally to the intellectual life of the Department and broader university community.
Qualifications
Postdoctoral fellowships are awarded to scholars who hold a PhD in Black Studies or a closely related field that contributes to Black Studies.
Applicants are expected to have their PhD in hand before the fellowship begins on July 1, 2025.
Applicants should not be more than five years post-PhD graduation and should not currently hold a tenure-track or tenured position.
Application Instructions
All Application materials should be submitted online via Interfolio by January 31, 2025.
As part of your application, please include the following:
- Cover letter (maximum 2.5 pages) that describes your:
- Research project and specific goals for the fellowship period'
- Teaching experience and a brief description of a proposed course you would offer (100- or 200-level undergraduate elective in Black Studies)
- Writing sample (one dissertation chapter or one published article)
- Curriculum Vitae
- Three letters of recommendation (submitted via Interfolio) that comment upon the value and feasibility of the work proposed
Review of applications begins on February 1, 2025. The fellowship awards will be announced in early March 2025.
For questions, please reach out to Search Chair Jordache A. Ellapen by email at jellapen@ur.rochester.edu.