Research Fellow University of Michigan

Position description

Dr. Melynda Price, Director of the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at the University of Michigan and the co‑director of the Monuments Workshop at the University of Kentucky, is seeking to hire a postdoctoral fellow to assist with interdisciplinary research on monuments and memorial sites. The full‑time position can be in residence at the University of Michigan, hybrid, or remote, with an annual salary range of $65,000–$68,000 plus fellow benefits.

This project aims to contribute to several key areas, including: (1) compiling research that serves as an evidentiary foundation for monument and memorial cases; (2) generating resources to help communities and public entities leverage existing preservation resources; and (3) expanding scholarly efforts to understand and characterize the monument and memorial landscape in the United States.

Under the supervision of Dr. Price, the postdoc will assume mentored responsibility for advancing scholarly and site‑specific projects within the Workshop. The primary focus is the generation of scholarship that can serve as an evidentiary foundation for legal work through archival and qualitative research related to sites, cases, and policies. The postdoc will also generate research outputs such as presentations, public materials, and manuscripts for publication.

The fellow will also be responsible for supervising students and trainees and collaborating with community practitioners who contribute to these efforts. While housed at the University of Michigan, the postdoc will work closely with faculty, staff, and students at the University of Kentucky. Occasional travel for team meetings and site visits is expected.

The candidate must have a PhD degree in a field relevant to this project (e.g., law, history, political science, sociology, geography) prior to the start date of the Research Fellow appointment. A J.D. is not required.

• Record of scholarly publication, including first‑authored journal articles
• Expertise in archival research, and a background in social science, legal, or humanistic research methods
• Experience with community‑engaged research
• Prior supervision of research team and/or coordination of research activities
• Current knowledge of issues related to monuments, memorialization, historic preservation with a particular interest in law and legal studies.

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