Submitted: 09/15/2025
Submitted By: Michelle Thornton
Department: Anthropology
Institution: University of Notre Dame
Job type: Postdoc
Apply by: 10/31/2025
Application Email:
Application URL: https://apply.interfolio.com/171503

ANTHROPOLOGY
In the spring of 2025, the University of Notre Dame announced the creation of the Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, a university-wide initiative to support outstanding early-career scholars in science, engineering, and the liberal arts who seek to make a difference in the world.

The College of Arts and Letters will appoint and host a cohort of six postdoctoral fellows for the 2026-2028 academic years. Each of the following departments will host one fellow each: Department of Anthropology, Department of Music, Department of Philosophy, Department of Political Science, Department of Theology, and the Institute for Latino Studies.
The Department of Anthropology is excited to be part of the Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program for this new cohort. We are a dynamic, integrative, four-field department that emphasizes a holistic understanding of human phenomena. The department has three-self identified areas of excellence: Health & Well-being, Movement of Peoples, and Environment & Culture. Within these domains, we are leaders in exploring the connections between cultural contexts, social experiences, and health. We focus on critical issues in the global world, including crises emerging from forced displacement of communities due to conflict and climate change and how humans use culture to buffer against and remain resilient to environmental shifts. We are particularly interested in welcoming a postdoctoral fellow who can contribute to our department’s strengths in these areas of excellence, which complement Notre Dame’s Strategic Framework.

These prestigious fellowships target exceptional early-career scholars interested in advancing their careers in an academic environment that is both committed to disciplinary expertise and vibrant in interdisciplinary exchange. The College will appoint the fellows for a two-year term. They will receive an annual salary of $75,000 and an additional $15,000 to cover expenses related to research endeavors and further training. Hosting units will provide fellows with office space and work together with the director of postdoctoral studies in the College to identify primary faculty mentors for the fellows’ proposed research projects. Co-mentors with appointments at the University can be named at the discretion of the director and hosting units. Every six months, the director and hosting units will review the fellows’ progress in their research and discuss future plans.
Monetary support and faculty mentoring will be coupled with professional development and networking opportunities in and outside of the hosting unit. The Provost’s fellows will be a part of a university-wide cohort of distinguished researchers who participate regularly in lectures, colloquia, and panel discussions designed to advance their research and career aspirations.
Notre Dame has recently launched eight strategic initiatives intended to identify research areas where the University can make a significant impact. These initiatives will support dramatically expanded research efforts in the arts; data, AI, and computing; democracy; ethics; health and well-being; sustainability; poverty; and, global Catholicism. The University also sustains premier research programs in traditional disciplines as well as having more than 30 university-wide interdisciplinary centers and institutes. Candidates for the Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship are encouraged to explore these opportunities, as well as the areas of excellence and growth identified by hosting units, and to select a field of study in which they can excel.

Eligibility:
Applicants must have successfully completed (or plan to complete) a doctoral degree between June 2023 and June 2026. Earlier dates may be accepted if maternity or paternity leave, or Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave occurred within the past two years. Scholars of all nationalities may apply. We welcome candidates with or without permanent full-time research or teaching positions. Doctoral candidates and graduates of the University of Notre Dame, as well as current postdoctoral scholars at the University, are not eligible.

Timeline:
The application deadline is October 31, 2025, at 11:59 pm EST. Decision by March 2, 2026.

For more information about each unit and potential areas of study within them, see the Program’s webpage.
Frequently Asked Questions can be found on the Program’s webpage.
For further questions or concerns about the application process, please email alprovostpostdocs@nd.edu.