Internal Call to HUMA Units:
HRC Postdoctoral Associate
Deadline: Friday, December 4, 2026
In order to advance the Humanities Research Center’s culture of interdisciplinary conversation and collaboration, the HRC invites departments, centers, and programs in the School of Humanities and Arts at Rice University to submit a proposal to house one HRC postdoctoral associate.
Eligibility:
- The proposal should come from a unit’s chair or director, not individual faculty members. Units currently housing and funding their own postdoctoral associate(s) are welcome to apply but must state why they need HRC support for another position.
- Units with their own endowments that support or are able to support postdoctoral associates are welcome to have their postdocs join our community but are ineligible for this call (i.e., an HRC-funded postdoctoral associate).
- Departments, centers, and programs fully outside the School of Humanities and Arts are ineligible to apply.
Requirements and position specifications:
Proposing units should be prepared to commit between $3,000 and $5,000 for relocation and/or research funds per year.
Joint proposals between units are also welcome (though not required), particularly in cases where they promote collaboration between units or forge new connections between departments, centers, or programs.
One proposal will be selected based on the following criteria:
- How it develops or strengthens emerging and promising areas of instruction and inquiry within the School;
- The unit’s need for such a position and ability to support the postdoctoral associate through mentoring and research funding.
This position is for the period from July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2028, with the possibility of renewal for a second year (subject to performance review and funding availability). It is a full-time position with a 1/1 teaching load and is benefits-eligible. The HRC postdoctoral associate will receive an annual salary of $70,000.
Due to restrictions attached to our funding source, this line can only support candidates who hold a Ph.D. Applicants must have their terminal degree (Ph.D.) in hand by June 30, 2027, and no earlier than January 1, 2024.
Application materials:
To submit a proposal to host a Humanities Research Center postdoctoral associate, the eligible unit must submit the following materials:
1. A statement of purpose and need (no more than 3 pages), which must include:
- Specification of need for the postdoctoral associate, including how they will address a curricular or intellectual gap; this section should outline a pre-existing course the associate would be able to teach or co-teach in their first semester at Rice (FWIS courses for the first semester are strongly encouraged);
- how they may contribute to interdisciplinarity in the Humanities and Arts at Rice; and
- specification of available funds for support of the postdoctoral associate.
2. A brief mentorship plan (no more than 2 pages), identifying a designated faculty mentor, professional development plan, and progress assessment methods and benchmarks (see example from the Medical Humanities).
Deadline:
Proposals for the HRC postdoctoral associate placement are due on Friday, December 4, 2026.
Timeline:
A decision will be made by mid-December and calls for postdoctoral associate applicants will be published in January 2027. Applications will be due in February. A joint committee with selected members from the HRC and the host unit will be assembled by the application due date. The joint committee will review, interview, and select finalists. The selected postdoctoral associate will be notified by April 2027.
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL
Questions? Email Gabriela Garcia at gabriela.garcia@rice.edu.