UMN CLA Presidents Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (PPFP) at University of Minnesota Twin Cities College of Liberal Arts in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Job Description:

The Presidents Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (PPFP)

College of Liberal Arts University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Welcomes Applications for a...

• Postdoctoral Fellow in American Studies
• Postdoctoral Fellow in Just Environments, The Department of Geography, Environment & Society

As part of a continuing commitment to build a culturally diverse intellectual community and advancing scholars from underrepresented groups in higher education [including, but not limited to, individuals from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and others], the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota is pleased to announce its participation in the Presidents Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (PPFP), made possible by the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, the Office of Equity and Diversity, and the Office of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

As part of the University of California Partnership for Faculty Diversity, the goal of the University of Minnesota program is to offer a rewarding postdoctoral experience that includes the possibility of a transition to a tenure-track faculty position after two years. The University seeks applicants whose research, practice, teaching, and service will contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education and at the University of Minnesota.

About the Positions
At the University of Minnesota, postdoctoral associates are academic employees who conduct research and/or advance their artistic praxis and are supported by a network of mentors who will welcome fellows to the our schools/departments, partner with them on advancing their research agenda/body of work, expose them to new research techniques and/or practices, work towards their full integration into the program, and connect them to resources beyond their home departments. This one-year fellowship is renewable for a second year. Renewing for a second year has been the norm with previous fellows of the PPFP at the University of Minnesota.

Postdoctoral Fellow in American Studies

The Department of American Studies postdoctoral fellowship is open to scholars with diverse interests and sub-fields within American studies. The Department of American Studies at the University of Minnesota is one of the leading programs of its kind in the United States and globally, having a distinguished record of cutting-edge work leading and transforming American studies and other fields. Our department is ranked as the second-best American studies department at a public institution in the country, and ranked fifth in the nation. We provide undergraduate and graduate students with knowledge and skills that address the vital and timely questions that local, global, regional, and transnational societies face today. We are home to eight core faculty, and over 50 affiliated faculty who specialize in fields ranging from history, American Indian studies, geography, and more. We value collaboration, collegiality, and highly interdisciplinary scholarship and practice.

The department seeks a scholar whose work is aligned with advancing American Studies as a field through their interests and whose research encourages critical, comparative and relational analyses and substantively engages with race, gender, class, sexuality, and/or disability. Areas of particular interest for this position include race and empire; new media studies, including digital humanities; and intersectional approaches to the environment, nature, and technology, including medical humanities.

The responsibilities of this postdoctoral position are focused on research and publication/dissemination that allow the fellow to continue growing their work in ways that are productive to their research agenda and that are also aligned with the interests of the department. The postdoctoral fellow is expected to participate in department activities that include attending department meetings, contributing to positive faculty and student relationship development, and building connections across the University of Minnesota system wherever possible and in ways that can advance the fellows research while being mutually beneficial with other faculty members, researchers, students, and communities served by the University of Minnesota.

The Department of American Studies highly values supporting the research and professional growth of the postdoctoral fellow. Fellows are not required to teach or advise students.

The candidate should hold a background in the humanities, social sciences, or interdisciplinary studies, and the PhD/doctoral degree in American Studies or a related field, is required by the start date of the appointment.

Mentorship/Selection for American Studies

The fellow will be matched with a faculty mentor from the Department of American Studies core or affiliate faculty list. Our department is committed to providing mentoring support to fellows that will allow them to thrive as scholars, teachers, and leaders. The fellow and mentor will meet throughout the year to discuss research trajectories; professional and teaching goals; professional development; grant writing; and work/life balance.

Please feel free to name potential faculty mentors in your research statement. However, in the online PPFP application portal, please enter Elliott Powell (ehpowell@umn.edu) as the acting faculty mentor for your application. In the preliminary application process, the acting faculty mentor will generate automated mentor letters of support for all applicants. After reviewing all applications, the search committee will contact the list of applicants who have been selected for the second phase of the search.

Postdoctoral Fellow in Just Environments, The Department of Geography, Environment & Society

The Department of Geography, Environment & Society (GES) invites applications for a Presidents Postdoctoral Fellowship in the area of Just Environments. Applications are sought from scholars whose research engages the nexus of society, environment, and justice in or across any geographical regions, including the global South, and which expands, diversifies, or complements department and University expertise in social and environmental justice, critical environmental studies, political ecology, climate justice, decolonial or postcolonial geographies, Indigenous studies, Black studies, Latinx studies, and the political economy of development. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to engage with exciting programs across the university, including the Institute on the Environment (IonE), the Race, Indigeneity, Disability, Gender, and Sexuality (RIDGS) Initiative, the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA), and the Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change (ICGC).

Presidential Postdoctoral Fellows are not required to teach, nor advise students. At the end of the postdoctoral fellowship period, the fellow will be considered by GES for a full-time, tenure-track assistant professor position.

The candidate should hold a background in the social sciences, humanities, or environmental studies. A PhD/doctoral degree in Geography or a closely related field is required by the start date of the appointment. Individuals whose expertise aligns with perspectives that have historically been marginalized, or whose research, practice, teaching, and service contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education are encouraged to apply.

GES is a leading comprehensive Geography program comprising 21 research and teaching faculty serving 50 graduate students and teaching over 4000 undergraduate students each year. The department has a world-class reputation for cutting-edge research across the breadth of geographical inquiry.

We strive to support the research and professional growth of postdoctoral fellows. The successful candidate will engage in academic and public debates about just environments and substantively contribute to the intellectual life of the department and University. The postdoctoral fellow is expected to participate in department activities that include attending department meetings and symposia, contributing to positive faculty and student relationships, and building connections across the University that advance the fellows research and benefit other faculty members, researchers, students, and communities served by the University.

Mentorship/Selection for GES

The fellow will be matched with a faculty mentor from the GES core or affiliate faculty list. Our department is committed to providing mentoring support to fellows that will allow them to thrive as scholars, teachers, and leaders. The fellow and mentor will meet throughout the year to discuss research trajectories; professional and teaching goals; professional development; grant writing; and work/life balance.

Please feel free to name potential faculty mentors in your research statement. However, in the online PPFP application portal, please enter Bruce Braun (braun038@umn.edu) as the acting faculty mentor for your application. In the preliminary application process, the acting faculty mentor will generate automated mentor letters of support for all applicants. After reviewing all applications, the search committee will contact the list of applicants who have been selected for the second phase of the search.

Eligibility and Evaluation of all PPFP Applicants to the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota

• Preferred applicants will have completed their doctoral degree in their field within the past 10 academic years and no later than July 1, 2025.
• The primary criterion for selection is evidence of scholarship and creative work competitive for a potential tenure track appointment in the postdoctoral fellows department/school.
• An important secondary criterion is the support of the proposed department/school and mentor(s) to host the fellow, and the extent to which the candidates research, teaching, and service will contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education and at the University of Minnesota.

Award Details for 2025-27 PPFP

• Salary: $65,000, plus health benefits
• $4,000 for research funds, $500 for travel to system campuses, $1,000 for travel for the fellow and mentor for PPFP events (per year)
• Office space and computer
• School mentoring and workshops
• Expectation of a tenure-track position at the end of the fellowship, subject to satisfactory performance, departmental review and vote, and college approval.
• Relocation expenses

Required Application Materials

For full consideration, please be sure to include the following materials in your application:

• Thesis abstract one page
• Research Proposal 700-1,000 words (not including references and citations) describing the project you would like to work on over the term of your postdoctoral fellowship period. In your research proposal, please list faculty mentors you would like to work with. Note that each participating unit has designated an acting faculty mentor to endorse your application when it is submitted via the UC Portal System. Through the selection process, participating units will work closely with applicants to identify an appropriate mentor or mentoring committee to work with during their postdoctoral appointment.
• Education and Background Statement 500-700 words describing your personal background, contributions to diversity and equal opportunity through your academic career, relevant professional/non-traditional academic experience, and rationale for your postdoc commitment.
• Curriculum vitae
• Sample of work sample publication or unpublished paper for PhDs, please limit to 35 pages (not including references and citations)
• Name, institutional affiliation, and email addresses of two references

How do I apply and what are the deadlines?

Please note the University of Minnesotas PPFP deadline is November 1, 2024.

• Application instructions can be found on the University of California website
• Apply online via the PPFP website
• Questions? Contact ppfp@umn.edu

Closing Date: November 1, 2024, 11:59 PM. Review of applications will begin immediately. Units may ask you to submit additional materials as they engage in their selection processes.

About the College of Liberal Arts

Established in 1868, the College of Liberal Arts supports the University of Minnesota's land-grant mission as home to disciplines in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. With 31 departments on the Minneapolis campus, it is the largest college in the University of Minnesota system. The College of Liberal Arts is committed to intellectual freedom, the pursuit of new knowledge, and the belief that the liberal arts are the foundation of academic learning. CLA prepares students to be independent and original thinkers, to be innovators in their chosen fields, to create meaning in their lives and in their lifes work, and to become productive citizens and leaders in their communities and the world. Core values of CLA include freedom of thought and expression respect, diversity, and social justice excellence in all we do and efficiency and adaptability in the achievement of our mission.

Diversity & Equal Opportunity

The University of Minnesota recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Learn more about diversity at the University of Minnesota, as well as the College of Liberal Artss commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Background Check

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check and eligibility to work in the United States. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.

About the University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities is among the largest public research universities in the United States, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, communication agencies, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.

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