Ruth J. Simmons Center Study of Slavery & Justice and John Carter Brown Library Joint P

Description

The Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice at Brown University and the John Carter Brown Library (JCBL) invite applications for a postdoctoral research associate position focused on any area/theme of historical scholarship around racial slavery, and/or Indigenous dispossession and slavery. The postdoctoral research associate position is also open to scholars working on the relationships between African slavery and Indigenous slavery and dispossession as well as related issues of freedom and sovereignty.

Combining the mission and resources of the Simmons Center and the JCBL, we expect to support a single postdoctoral research associate doing advanced research for a year (12 months) in residence beginning July 2026. The Simmons Center-JCB postdoctoral research associate position is expected to be offered annually in recognition of our collective commitment to advance scholarship in critical areas. Applications representing a wide range of disciplinary perspectives are welcome.

The Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice is a scholarly research center with a public humanities mission. Recognizing that racial and chattel slavery were central to the historical formation of the Americas and the modern world, the Simmons Center creates a space for the interdisciplinary study of the historical forms of slavery while also examining how these legacies shape our contemporary world.

The John Carter Brown Library is an independent research library focused on the early Americas located on the campus of Brown University. The JCBL's collection of more than 50,000 rare books, maps and manuscripts encompasses more than two hundred languages and spans over three centuries of early American history. With collections that focus on European colonialism the JCBL is particularly well suited for research in African and Indigenous slavery, freedom, and sovereignty.

Brown University seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce to maintain the excellence of the University, and to offer our students richly varied disciplines, perspectives, viewpoints, and ways of knowing and learning.

Applicants must have completed doctoral work by the time of application and should expect to submit a letter of application explaining how the combined resources of the Simmons Center and the JCBL would provide particular and distinctive support to the applicants’ research. The postdoctoral research associate will be asked to participate in the intellectual community at Brown, in and through the Simmons Center and the JCBL, to include an opportunity to share their research at a jointly sponsored event.

Search opens November 1, 2025. Applications received by February 1, 2026 will receive full consideration. The position salary is $72,000 and includes benefits and a modest research account.

For this position, Brown offers only the J‑1 visa classification to scholars who need immigration sponsorship in order to enter the U.S. and commence lawful employment under the terms of their appointment.

Applicants must have completed doctoral work by the time of application and should expect to submit a letter of application explaining how the combined resources of the Simmons Center and the JCBL would provide particular and distinctive support to the applicants’ research. The postdoctoral research associate will be asked to participate in the intellectual community at Brown, in and through the Simmons Center and the JCBL, to include an opportunity to share their research at a jointly sponsored event.

Selected candidates who have not completed all requirements for their doctoral degree by the position start date will be appointed as a Research Associate at a reduced salary until all degree requirements are completed.

Applicants should apply online via Interfolio. Please include a cover letter, current CV, a writing sample, and three confidential letters of reference. Please address in your cover letter how you will contribute to the research and/or teaching missions of Brown's diverse and inclusive university community.