Principal Duties
The Center for American Political History and Technology (CAPT) invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow specializing in the historical intersections of politics, media, and technology. This is a two-year, full-time, 12-month position beginning between July 1, 2025 and September 1, 2025. Candidates must have a Ph.D. in hand by the start date.
As part of Purdue University's Center for American Political History and Technology (CAPT), the Fellow would work with CAPT director, Kathryn Cramer Brownell, and CAPT Faculty Fellows to pursue interdisciplinary research that advances CAPT's mission to better understand the past, present and future of American democracy in the modern information age. The Fellow would also help develop broader CAPT programming plans, grant applications, and public engagement initiatives.
The successful applicant will have the opportunity to pursue original research commensurate with their own background and interests and will also be invited to join existing CAPT scholarly and public-facing projects around political polarization, mis/disinformation, and media and civic literacy. Specific duties will include the following: pursuing a scholarly research project, crafting a public engagement initiative, grant writing, participating in the intellectual life of the center, the College of Liberal Arts, Purdue University and the broader community.
The position comes with an annual salary of $65,000 and is benefits eligible.
Qualifications
Required: Ph.D. in American history, or related fields including history of science and technology, American studies, political communication, media effects, and information studies; evidence of potential for producing peer-reviewed publications and contributing to the development of funded research.
Preferred: An engaged scholar experienced with grant-writing, securing fellowships and program building.
Application Procedure
Applicants must submit electronically (1) a letter of application that includes an overview of proposed scholarly research and public engagement projects; (2) a CV that includes the names of at least three professional references and date, or intended date, of Ph.D. completion; and (3) a writing sample (10-15 pages). Applicants are encouraged but not required to submit a sample of work that showcases their research agenda and their ability to communicate their research findings to a broader public. Please submit materials here in SuccessFactors, the Purdue system for job applications.
Review of materials will begin December 15, 2024, and will continue until the position is filled.
Please direct questions to Prof. Kathryn Cramer Brownell at brownell@purdue.edu.
Purdue University is an EOE/AA employer. All individuals, including minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply.