Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship Humanities Plural

Emory University:
Arts and Sciences:
Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry Location

Atlanta, GA

Aug 17, 2026

The Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry is pleased to open applications for our Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships. We invite applications from scholars in any humanistic discipline who are eager to be part of a community engaged in interdisciplinary conversations around our theme of Humanities Plural.

At a moment when fields such as "history of the humanities" and "humanities theory" are coming into view, and as hybrid formations such as digital humanities, health humanities, and public humanities are taking humanities scholarship into new academic and extra-academic spaces, we seek scholars whose research expands our horizons for thinking about the humanities as they have existed or are unfolding in our current moment.

Applications are open to scholars in any field, area, or historical period.

Projects need not explicitly foreground "the humanities" (or related formations such as "liberal arts") as an object of inquiry, but they should clearly address any core issue of humanities scholarship or learning, including its methods, its objects, its histories, its values and social valuation, its contradictions, its publics, or its institutional or social locations.

• What are the contexts, across time and space, where humanistic learning occurs and matters (e.g., formal or informal academic settings, places of worship, prisons, online spaces, museums)?
• Where is humanistic scholarship enlisted into serving other systems of knowledge and value (e.g., medical schools, think tanks, revolutionary movements, corporate boardrooms), and what sorts of work is it asked to do there?
• Which communities have forged programs or practices of humanistic learning without having access to formal or elite institutional structures? What are the distinct methods, epistemologies, aesthetics, and/or values that take shape in these sites?
• What gave rise to "theory," where and why has it taken root, and what is its future?
• How do or should humanistic methods function in hybrid formations, for example in digital humanities, environmental humanities, or health humanities?

The Fox Center will appoint two Mellon Postdoctoral Fellows for one year (August 1, 2027-July 31, 2028), with the possibility of renewal for one additional year. Fellowships include a stipend of $62,000, a research budget of $2,000, and a one-time additional payment of $2,000 to defray the costs associated with moving to Atlanta, and competitive benefits including medical, dental, and vision care.

Fellows are required to be in residence during the academic year for the term of the fellowship.

All postdoctoral fellows participate in a weekly interdisciplinary seminar, presenting their research at one of these meetings, and teach one undergraduate class in their area of expertise in the College of Arts and Sciences. If invited to continue for a second year, fellows will have additional teaching responsibilities and will receive teaching mentorship from Emory faculty in a relevant discipline.

The Final date to receive applications for applicants to submit their materials is December 7, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. The deadline for receipt of letters of recommendation is December 11, 2026,  PM ET.

All postdoctoral fellows must hold a PhD (or its international equivalent, such as the DPhil). Applicants may not have received their doctorate before January 1, 2024. Preference will be given to applicants who have not held prior postdoctoral fellowships. Applicants applying without a degree in hand must have successfully completed all degree requirements by June 30, 2027. Scholars from outside the United States are appointed under either the J-1 visa (Research Scholar status) or F-1 OPT (Optional Practical Training), depending on their circumstances.

The Fox Center reserves the right to cancel awards if the recipient is unable to meet these conditions of completion and visa status.

To complete the online application, you will need to provide the following:

• Cover letter (2 pages maximum)
• Project description (1000 words maximum)
• Writing sample (20-25 pages)
• Syllabi for two undergraduate courses
• Curriculum vitae
• E-mail information for three recommenders

Please notethat as part of the University’sInterfoliosystem, each applicantis required to complete the Equal Employment Opportunity…