CfA: 2025-27 Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Asian Studies

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With the sponsorship of the Society for the Humanities, the Department of Asian Studies invites applications for a two-year Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship position beginning August 1, 2025. The fellowship carries a stipend of $62,000/year.

We seek a scholar specializing in Southeast Asia (including Vietnam) with a PhD in Asian Studies or a humanistic field related to it (e.g., religion, literature, intellectual history, and media and technology studies). We are especially interested in candidates who work in transborder and transcultural scholarship of any historical period(s).
The postdoc will teach a lower-level and an upper-level course each year. The postdoc will also play a central role in the Area Studies Programs (East Asia Program, South Asia Program, and the Southeast Asia Program) and other cross-campus initiatives by offering interdisciplinary courses and programming (such as lecture series) relevant to their specific field.

Diversity and Inclusion are a part of Cornell University’s heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, and we do not tolerate discrimination based on any protected characteristic, including race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex/gender, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, age, creed, religion, actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person), arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual’s genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.

Cornell University embraces diversity and seeks candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff to all identities and backgrounds. We strongly encourage individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants eligible for the Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic years include those who have received the Ph.D. degree after August 1, 2021 and no later than June 30, 2025.  Applicants who do not have the Ph.D. in hand at the time of application must include a letter from the committee chair or department stating that the Ph.D. degree will be conferred before the term of the fellowship begins. International applicants are welcome to apply, contingent upon visa eligibility.

Application Procedures

The following application materials must be submitted via Academic Jobs Online position #28057 by November 15, 2024.

  1. Information Cover Sheet (will be generated via your AJO account):
    (a) Full name and home institution
    (b) Date (or expected date) of Ph.D.
    (c) Research interest(s)
    (d) Referees’ names and emails
  2. Cover Letter
  3. Curriculum vitae
  4. Detailed statement of research interests (1,000 – 2,000 words)
  5. Course proposal with sample syllabus for introductory, 2000-level course
  6. Course proposal with sample syllabus for upper, 4000-level course
  7. One writing sample [30-page limit]
  8. Diversity statement [optional – submit a separate statement or embed the information into other parts of your application materials]
  9. Letter of degree conferral (only for applicants who do not have the Ph.D. in hand by January 4, 2025)
  10. Three letters of recommendation.  Please ask referees to upload their letters directly through the link provided by Academic Jobs Online. Letters must be received on or before November 15, 2024

For further information contact: humctr[at]cornell.edu 

Society for the Humanities

The Society for the Humanities was established at Cornell University in 1966 to support research and teaching in the humanities. It is intended to be at once a research institute, a stimulus to educational innovation, and a continuing society of scholars. The Society and its Fellows have fostered path-breaking interdisciplinary dialogue and theoretical reflection on the humanities at large.

Mellon Postdoctoral Fellows are invited to attend all of the Society’s events, and are expected to participate in the Society’s weekly Wednesday Fellows Seminar and luncheon.

societyhumanities.as.cornell.edu