SNF Agora Postdoc

Requisition #: A-119168-3

Status: Full Time

Type: Fellowship

School: Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences

Department/Program: SNF Agora Institute

Location City: Baltimore

Location State: MD

Location Zip Code: 21218

Closing Date: Open until filled

To apply: apply.interfolio.com/119168

General Description

The SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University invites applicants for two post-doctoral fellows to join the inaugural cohort of the Agora Academy during the 2023-2024 academic year. The Academy is hosted by Johns Hopkins University's SNF Agora Institute, which is an academic and public forum dedicated to strengthening global democracy through civic engagement and informed, inclusive dialogue. The postdoctoral program is a one (and possibly two) year program intended to support recent doctoral degree recipients whose scholarship engages with questions and topics directly related to the institute's mission. The Agora Academy seeks fellows who would engage actively with and benefit from a multidisciplinary scholarly community that enables them to extend their research and public engagement in new directions, with the active mentorship of SNF Agora Institute faculty.

Agora Academy Fellows will contribute actively to the academic mission of SNF Agora. They will carry out their own research, participate in seminars, and be full members of the SNF Agora intellectual community. As part of their commitment to the institute, they are expected to either teach a course or participate actively in a research/practice project of the institute, reside in the locality, and regularly engage in SNF Agora activities, including weekly Tuesday and Thursday seminars.

One of the central goals of the SNF Agora Institute is to foster conversations and collaboration that don't happen elsewhere. Agora Academy Fellows must have a strong academic record and be on a trajectory to contribute to key disciplinary conversations, but also be excited about being part of a community that is not simply made up of academics, whether that helps them integrate other perspectives into their scholarship, employs their scholarship to help strengthen democracy in tangible ways, or both.  We strongly encourage applicants to think creatively about how their research interacts with scholars in other disciplines and efforts to strengthen democracy in the world and, thus, support the SNF Agora mission. Getting your work into the public domain is not the same as having impact. How do you hope to have impact? Are there civic and political entities, including movements, parties, governmental organizations, media, etc. that you could partner with? Do you have ideas that could contribute to public debates around democracy as well as academic ones? This work should be in addition to and not a replacement for a strong academic trajectory.

Fellows will be appointed initially for a one year term, and will have the opportunity to apply to extend their fellowship for a second academic year. They will receive a stipend of $70,000 and a modest moving and research budget. Postdoctoral Fellows may additionally apply for funds for support towards a book workshop, should they have a sufficiently well-developed book manuscript during their fellowship.

SNF Agora is a multidisciplinary institution. In the first year, we will be accepting applications from sociologists and political scientists. In future years, we will cycle through other academic disciplines.

Qualifications

Applicants to the fall 2023 program must have received a doctorate or equivalent terminal degree in April 2020 or later; applicants without a terminal degree must demonstrate that they will receive one by August 2023.

Application Instructions

1. An up to date CV.
2. A short (250 word) personal statement explaining how your research agenda, skills, and background fit you to contribute to a multidisciplinary community of scholars and practitioners engaged with democracy.
3. A research statement (maximum 2,500 words) explaining both your existing research and a detailed proposal for how you will spend your time at SNF Agora. Please make sure to explain both (a) in reference to broader themes of the SNF Agora mission, and (b) in terms that will be accessible to everyone in a multidisciplinary community.
4. A writing sample (approximately 10,000 words), which can be either an article or an extract from a dissertation or longer work.
5. The names, affiliations and email addresses of your three referees. Letters of recommendation must be received no later than January 31, 2023. We will not consider applications that are incomplete.  Please give your referees plenty of advance notice of the letter deadline.

The Johns Hopkins University is committed to equal opportunity for its faculty, staff, and students. To that end, the university does not discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status or other legally protected characteristic. The university is committed to providing qualified individuals access to all academic and employment programs, benefits and activities on the basis of demonstrated ability, performance and merit without regard to personal factors that are irrelevant to the program involved.

Pre-Employment Information

The successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check.

If you are interested in applying for employment with The Johns Hopkins University and require special assistance or accommodation during any part of the pre-employment process, please contact the HR Business Services Office at [email protected]. For TTY users, call via Maryland Relay or dial 711. For more information about workplace accommodations or accessibility at Johns Hopkins University, please visit accessibility.jhu.edu.

Johns Hopkins has mandated COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, as applicable. The COVID-19 vaccine does not apply to positions located in the State of Florida. Exceptions to the COVID and flu vaccine requirements may be provided to individuals for religious beliefs or medical reasons. Requests for an exception must be submitted to the JHU vaccination registry. For additional information, applicants for SOM positions should visit https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/ and all other JHU applicants should visit https://covidinfo.jhu.edu/health-safety/covid-vaccination-information/.

The following additional provisions may apply depending on which campus you will work. Your recruiter will advise accordingly.

The pre-employment physical for positions in clinical areas, laboratories, working with research subjects, or involving community contact requires documentation of immune status against Rubella (German measles), Rubeola (Measles), Mumps, Varicella (chickenpox), Hepatitis B and documentation of having received the Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccination. This may include documentation of having two (2) MMR vaccines; two (2) Varicella vaccines; or antibody status to these diseases from laboratory testing. Blood tests for immunities to these diseases are ordinarily included in the pre-employment physical exam except for those employees who provide results of blood tests or immunization documentation from their own health care providers. Any vaccinations required for these diseases will be given at no cost in our Occupational Health office.