Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in South Asian Religions

Location

Hanover, NH

With the generous support of the Mellon Foundation, the Leslie Center for the Humanities at Dartmouth College invites applications for a two-year residential postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Religion. We seek applicants with specialization in South Asian religions and whose work engages with karmic traditions (Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism). The department welcomes pre‑modern as well as contemporary fields, as well as a variety of methodologies such as anthropological, historical, literary, or material religion.

We are also advertising a fellowship hosted in the Department of French and Italian Studies at Dartmouth College. The Leslie Humanities Center advances the study of meaning, purpose, and creativity in the human experience. It supports humanities research and projects that engage students, faculty, staff, and visitors at Dartmouth College and beyond. As part of that mission, the Center appoints a new cohort of Mellon Postdoctoral Fellows in the Humanities each year who are also affiliated with a primary academic department or program.

The Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship program fosters the academic careers of scholars who have recently received their Ph.D. degrees by providing the time and resources for them to pursue their research while gaining mentored experience as teachers and members of the departments and/or programs in which they are housed. The program also benefits Dartmouth by complementing existing curricula with underrepresented fields.

Fellows have access to a variety of college resources such as the library, the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Social Sciences, the Dickey Center for International Understanding, the Hood Museum of Art, and the Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts. Fellows are expected to be in residence at Dartmouth during the regular academic year for the full two years of the fellowship, although occasional travel may be approved.

The compensation for the 2027‑29 fellowship will be similar to the current year: an annual stipend of $67,600 plus benefits, an annual research allowance of $5,000, and a relocation stipend of $2,500. Specific terms will be defined at the time of appointment. In addition, fellows teach one course in their home department(s) or program(s) in the second year of their residency.

This course may be offered at any level from introductory to advanced topics that contribute something new to the Dartmouth curriculum. The selection of the course will be made in consultation with the home department(s) or program(s). Fellows do not teach basic language courses. Postdoctoral fellows are eligible for certain benefits, as well as professional development opportunities with the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies.

Dartmouth is committed to academic excellence and encourages the open exchange of ideas within a culture of mutual respect. Dartmouth welcomes people with different backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives and believes that diversity in all its forms enhances academic excellence. Applicants should address in their fellowship statement how their research, teaching, service, and/or life experiences prepare them to serve Dartmouth’s commitment to academic excellence in an environment that is welcoming to all.

Applicants must hold a Ph.D., or be ABD, in a relevant humanities discipline. To be eligible for the fellowship, applicants must have their degree conferred between January 1, 2025, and June 30, 2027. Applicants must focus on materials customarily associated with research in the humanities or employ methods common in humanistic research. Fellows do not need to be U.S. citizens, but the Mellon Foundation prefers that fellowships be awarded to individuals likely to make their careers in the United States.

Please submit the following documents electronically by Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 11:59 p.m. EST.

All materials must be uploaded by the deadline. Please note that the system will close at this time even if an application is incomplete. Only applications completed with all required documents by the deadline will be reviewed. Do not submit materials via e‑mail or postal mail; only information submitted via Interfolio will be considered. Recommendation letters will be requested at a later date for finalists.

Please contact us with any questions.