Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellow

The John B. Hurford ’60 Center for the Arts and Humanities at Haverford College invites applications for a two-year, full-time Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship to begin Fall 2025. We seek a scholar interested in discard studies and the relation between waste and life systems.

Candidates may have a wide range of theoretical and interdisciplinary interests, such as science and technology studies, environmental studies, geography, cultural studies, literature, visual and performance studies, biology, anthropology, political science, sociology, and philosophy. We are interested in all geographical areas. During the first year of the program, the Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow will participate in a faculty seminar on “Waste:Life” led by Craig Borowiak (Political Science), which will bring together faculty from a variety of disciplines. The seminar will explore the relationship between waste and life through multiple lenses. Drawing from Discard Studies, the seminar will push beyond conventional waste management frameworks to evoke broader reflection on the systems and power dynamics that generate, represent, and distribute both waste and life. It will also explore creative repurposing of waste, whether through art, compost, engineering, or the circular economy. Some of the questions we will explore include: What do waste and life mean in different disciplinary and cultural contexts? Are those meanings shifting? How is it that some life gets rendered essential whereas other life is treated as excessive, wasted, or destined for wastelands? How are ecosystems altered by waste flows, and in what ways is waste generative of life? How might the presence of valued life forms in waste zones (e.g., new marine ecosystems within the Pacific Garbage Patch, endangered species finding refuge in garbage dumps) change the way we relate to such spaces?  

In the second year of the fellowship, the Fellow will organize and present a spring symposium related to their scholarly field funded by the Hurford Center. During each of their four semesters at Haverford College, the Fellow will teach one course at the introductory/intermediate level or advanced level and engage a diverse student body. While the Fellow is under no obligation to organize any additional activities – they are to focus on their own writing and protect their time—we encourage the Fellow to make use of our proximity to Philadelphia and engage with artists, activists, and intellectuals in the Greater Philadelphia area and through these connections, enrich the seminar. 

The fellow will have an office in the interdisciplinary VCAM (Visual Culture Arts and Media) building, the College's 24/7 creative hub for students, faculty, staff, and the wider community. Home to Haverford's Visual Studies Program, the Haverford Innovations Program, and the John B. Hurford ’60 Center for the Arts and Humanities, VCAM features a host of flexible spaces for teaching and making, including a Film/Media Edit Studio, Maker Arts Space, two Create Spaces, Artist Residency Studio, Object Study/Media Production Classroom, and exhibitions spaces. 

Candidates who have earned their Ph.D. no earlier than 2020 and will have completed all requirements for the Ph.D. by May 1, 2025, are eligible to apply. Candidates should submit application materials via Interfolio (http://apply.interfolio.com/158793). Materials should include a cover letter, research statement, C.V., and a syllabus for an advanced undergraduate seminar on a topic of your own choosing. Candidates who advance to the second round will be asked to submit a writing sample and two recommendation letters. These candidates will be contacted directly by email with instructions for submitting the additional materials.

All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. EST on January 9, 2025.

Questions about the position can be directed to Kelly Jung, at hjung1 [at] haverford.edu. For technical questions about Interfolio, please contact Interfolio directly at 1-877-997-8807 or help [at] interfolio.com. 

Haverford College is a leading liberal arts college located 9 miles from the center of Philadelphia. The idyllic residential campus is home to 1,435 exceptional undergraduate students who are motivated by their deep intellectual curiosity, respectfully collaborative spirit, and commitment to improving the world around them. The diverse neighborhoods comprising the greater Philadelphia area are home to many cultural icons and recreational spaces, with direct public transportation access from Haverford’s campus and excellent access to many cities on the East Coast. The concentration of higher education institutions in the region provides excellent opportunities for facilitating professional connections.

Haverford College is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, and providing equal opportunities and access to all individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, disability, or veteran status. Women, non-binary and transgender individuals, people of color, Indigenous people, and those with other or multiple historically marginalized and/or underrepresented identities are especially encouraged to apply. Haverford College and our consortial partners are located on Lenape lands.