University of Michigan

Position Title/Short Description

Full Text of JOE Listing:

The Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies (WCED) at the University of Michigan invites scholars who have received their Ph.D. since 2018 to apply for the WCED Postdoctoral Fellowship. This two-year fellowship supports multidisciplinary research on the broad historical, political, economic, and societal conditions under which democracy and autocracy either emerge and endure or falter and fail.

Up to two awards are available for the 2020-22 fellowship. WCED Postdoctoral Fellows are expected to focus on their own research, participate in occasional WCED workshops and events, and present at least one public lecture during their two-year fellowship, while in full-time residence at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. A teaching opportunity may be possible during the second year of the fellowship, if desired.

We welcome applicants from all disciplines, though the majority of past applicants and Fellows have come from political science, sociology, and history. Fellows must have successfully defended and filed their dissertation before beginning the fellowship. Eligibility is restricted to those who have received their Ph.D. after January 1, 2018.

Fellowships carry an annual salary of $50,000 and up to $7,000 in research funds during the post-doctoral appointment. Fellowship recipients will be eligible for U-M health, dental, and life insurance options (beginning September 1, 2020 through August 31, 2022). Fellows have full access to U-M library resources.

Fellowship applications must be received by January 15, 2020, 11:59 PM EST. Applicants will be notified in March 2020. The fellowship period is from September 2020 – August 2022.