Public Humanities Graduate Internship Program

HRC Public Humanities Graduate Associateship

Deadline: Monday, March 30, 2026, 11:59 PM CT
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Position Summary

The Humanities Research Center (HRC) is an internationally recognized hub that fosters innovative humanities and arts research at Rice University and builds collaborations with local, national, and global partners.

We invite applications for the HRC Public Humanities Graduate Associate position for AY 2025–26. This position is open to PhD students in the School of Humanities and Arts who are currently in their fourth year and will be in their fifth year of study in 2026–27. The HRC Graduate Associate will gain experience in administration; program building, coordination, and evaluation; project and grant management; and communications. They work under the supervision of the HRC's Associate Director.

This position provides full fifth-year funding to the selected candidate and carries a stipend of $37,000 with an expectation of 20 hours of work per week during the Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 academic terms. The selected candidate may not hold any other concomitant assignments (teaching, administration, etc.) during the term of the position and is expected to make progress toward dissertation completion. The graduate associate will be given priority if applying for sixth-year funding with the School of Humanities and Arts for AY 2027–28.

Applications are due by Monday, March 23, 2026, 11:59 PM. Interviews will be conducted in person or via Zoom depending on the applicant’s availability. The expected starting date will be in Fall 2026.

Minimum skills required:

  • Dependability and flexibility
  • Ability to follow through and complete assigned tasks
  • Good organizational skills
  • Good verbal and written communication skills
  • Good customer service skills
  • Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (e.g., Word, Excel) and Google Workspace (e.g., Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets)
  • Graphic design and photography skills are a plus but not necessary

Career development:

This position will directly prepare the Graduate Associate for careers associated with:

  • Higher education administration
  • Nonprofits
  • Program-building and project management
  • Communications and outreach

The hands-on experience gained through this position can be applied in settings as varied as universities, community organizations, cultural institutions, government/public sector, nonprofits and philanthropic organizations, and select functions in industry.

Essential functions:

  • Contributes to the development, implementation, administration, and evaluation of the center’s operations and programs
  • Assists in the administration and management of grant and fellowship programs, including, but not limited to, the following: screening submitted proposals; coordinating the review and evaluation process of proposals; and developing policies, procedures, and resources for applicants and reviewers
  • Manages the HRC Graduate Council
  • Proactively coordinates and implements logistical aspects of center events, conferences, workshops, guest speakers, and internal meetings, with the HRC center assistant
  • Implements and manages the day-to-day operations of the Public Humanities Graduate internship program
  • Develops and maintains a database of career resources and opportunities for Humanities PhDs
  • Liaises with external parties, both maintaining and developing new relationships with alumni, community partners, and relevant organizations
  • Manages graduate internship program assessment, including coordinating program review, measuring the program’s impact, and making recommendations for program improvement
  • Contributes to program outputs, including reports, memos, digital posts, fact sheets, and slide decks
  • Other reasonable duties as assigned

Additional benefits/opportunities:

  • Interdisciplinary intellectual community
  • One-on-one career mentorship
  • Workspace at the HRC
  • Working with a diverse team of scholars, students, and staff
  • Developing a wide range of transferable skills applicable to various work settings

Work schedule:

  • Flexible, based on the student’s schedule each semester
  • Part-time: 20 hours per week
  • In-person at least two days a week

Eligibility:

  • Fifth-year PhD student in the School of Humanities and Arts
  • Must be in good standing

Application materials:

  • Abbreviated CV (up to 3 pages) OR resume (up to 2 pages)
  • Cover letter (up to 2 pages) that addresses the candidate’s specific interest in and preparation for the position
  • Brief endorsement from dissertation advisor. The faculty member endorsing the application should upload their endorsement letter to the following Box folder by the application deadline: https://rice.app.box.com/f/72c5733d08e54b6a8348f38396e71f8a.

Application instructions:

Deadline: Monday, March 30, 2026, 11:59 PM

APPLY NOW