Applications being accepted for 2009-2011 • Deadline: Jan. 23, 2009

The Dean of Arts & Humanities is now accepting applications for the 2009-2011 Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Humanities, established with a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.  At least one new fellow will be appointed for 2009-2011 to teach and carry out research in a sponsoring department in the humanities.  Mellon Fellows must have received their Ph.D. no earlier than July 1, 2006 and no later than June 30, 2009.  Compensation will be approximately $59,500 annually and will include standard benefits.

Applicants must designate an academic department as their host; they should review the list of eligible units to find the best match for their interests.  Only departments that administer teaching programs may host Mellon Fellows.  Applicants who wish to perform research in a program or center without a teaching program may indicate a secondary affiliation.  Appointment will be for two years and will combine the Lecturer and Postdoctoral Scholar-Employee titles to total 100 percent.  Applications must be postmarked by the deadline of January 23, 2009.

Term of Appointment

For a two-year appointment effective July 1, 2009, at least one Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow will be selected from among the applicants.  Fellows will be expected to teach one course per semester for four consecutive semesters (not including summer sessions).  Salary will be approximately $59,500 a year with standard benefits.  New Fellows will receive a $1,500 computer and technology allowance; in each year of their appointment, Fellows will receive a flexible research fund of $5,000 to cover costs such as travel and research assistance.

Eligibility, Application, Nomination, and Selection

This year’s eligible applicants must have received their Ph.D. no earlier than July 1, 2006 and no later than June 30, 2009.  Applicants may not hold an appointment in a tenure-track position, and Mellon Fellows may not hold any other appointment during the period of the fellowship.  Fellowship awards are contingent upon eligibility to work in the United States.

Applications must include the following: 

• Application form (PDF)
• A brief (1000-word maximum) description of the applicant's teaching and research experience and of the contributions he or she could make to the curriculum of the designated teaching program.
• Research proposal (1000-word maximum).
• Curriculum vitae, including actual or projected Ph.D. completion date.
• Three letters of recommendation, which are to be sent directly to the Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship Committee by the writers themselves or by a dossier service.

Please send completed applications to:

        Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship
        University of California, Berkeley
        College of Letters and Science
        201 Campbell Hall # 2920
        Berkeley, CA 94720-2920 

Applications must be postmarked by Jan. 23, 2009. Late applications will not be considered. The dean will route applications to each candidate’s designated host department for evaluation. Potential host departments will then nominate no more than two candidates to the dean, who will supervise the final selection of Fellows. Criteria for selection include excellence and potential in research and teaching; some consideration may also be given to the ways in which outstanding candidates might strengthen or enrich the humanities at Berkeley.  Fellows will be announced in March 2009.

Questions may be addressed to mellon@ls.berkeley.edu.

Academic host departments (required)

African American Studies
Anthropology
Art Practice
Classics
Comparative Literature
East Asian Languages and Cultures
English
Ethnic Studies
French
Gender and Women’s Studies
German
History
History of Art
Italian Studies
Linguistics
Music
Near Eastern Studies
Philosophy
Rhetoric
Scandinavian
Slavic Languages and Literatures
Spanish and Portuguese
Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies

Programs and centers for secondary affiliation (optional)

Ancient History and Mediterranean Archaeology
Arts Research Center
Beatrice Bain Research Group
Buddhist Studies
Celtic Studies
Center for New Media
Center for New Music and Audio Technologies
Center for the Study of Sexual Culture
Center for the Tebtunis Papyri
Dutch Studies
Film Studies
Folklore Program
Jewish Studies
Medieval Studies