Post Doctoral Fellow

University of Maryland • College Park, MD

1d • $75,000 - $80,000

About The Position

The appointment is initially for a 12-month basis at the above base annual salary. This position may be extended based on performance and funding availability. Your appointment entitles you to participate in any or all of the benefits available to faculty employees of the university, such as health insurance, retirement, and tuition remission. Additionally, you will have access to funding for project travel, travel to professional conferences, a laptop, or other work-related expenses with approval from the PI and Co-PI. The College of Information strives to be a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and welcoming environment. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from people who identify as members of underrepresented, underserved, and/or marginalized communities. About the Indigenous Futures Lab: The Indigenous Futures Lab, under the direction of Co-PI Shelbi Nahwilet Meissner. The Indigenous Futures Lab is a hub of Indigenous research, evaluation, and relationship-building that centers Indigenous knowledges and co-creates Indigenous futures through Indigenous-led scholarship and activism, while building coalitions that center the land and wider relations. The Lab aims to dismantle colonial legacies and empower communities to envision and build their own paths to prosperity and sustainability. Staff and the Postdoc on the project will have the opportunity to grow and learn at regular events such as the hybrid Bead, Weave, and Read weekly workshops that offer a creative space of making and artistry that weaves tradition and innovation together, and the Indigenous knowledges speaker series that facilitate cross-cultural understanding and dialogue through invited local and guest talks. About CAFe: The UMD Center for Archival Futures (CAFe) within the College of Information (iSchool) endeavors to develop and disseminate community-centered approaches to the use of and care for digital objects and data over time. The Center brings together a range of faculty who take a holistic view of digital curation as a research area, education domain, and growing profession that transcends disciplines and organizational contexts. The Center for Archival Futures conducts research, education, and partnership building. About the UMD iSchool: The University of Maryland College of Information, also known as the UMD iSchool, is a top-ranked research and teaching college in the field of information science, located just outside Washington D.C. Faculty, staff, and students combine principles of information science with cutting-edge technology to foster access to information, improve information interfaces, and expand how information is used in an evolving world. Throughout all of our endeavors, we are committed to utilizing information and technology for good - to connect communities, empower individuals, and create opportunities. Our proximity to Washington D.C. and many federal repositories is an asset to our research capacities and partnerships in archives, data curation, and data reuse work. Transforming Indigenous Archival Search, a collaborative Mellon-funded project, seeks a Postdoctoral Fellow intimate with Indigenous community work, Indigenous methodologies and evaluation, Indigenous archives, and/or reparative description to join our project and the Indigenous Futures Lab. The Fellow will be mentored by the project PI, Diana Marsh and Co-PI Shelbi Nahwilet Meissner. They will co-lead with the Co-PI the design, implementation, analysis, and write-up of an Indigenous evaluation program. In addition, they will facilitate project meetings with a wide range of project partners, including our Indigenous Description Group, Advisory Board, SNAC Working groups, UVA collaborators, a project Consultant, and Tribal and First Nations archives and archivists to implement and evaluate a wide range of culturaltechnical upgrades and linked data approaches to increasing visibility and findability of Indigenous archives. Finally, they will work with project staff on deliverables such as new national standards, Indigenized Archives 101 training, and Indigenous SNAC Instructor training. If selected, you will gain build networks with a wide range of project stakeholders and Indigenous professionals, and learn key research and technical skills. Candidates who have Native or Indigenous backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in information studies, Indigenous studies, or a related field
• Demonstrated success in working collaboratively on project teams
• Excellent organizational skills and strong work ethic
• Excellent written communication skills
• Experience with or knowledge of Native and Indigenous community work and protocols

Nice To Haves

• Conceptual knowledge and experience working with archival information systems and/or archival description standards
• Familiarity with ontology development and structured data standards, such as controlled vocabularies and thesauri
• Knowledge of or experience working with community archives or Indigenous knowledge systems or ontologies

Responsibilities

• Co-design and lead Indigenous evaluation implementation and analysis with the Co-PI
• Attend and co-lead project meetings, stakeholder meetings, site visits, and team training sessions, including coordinating regular meetings with Community Leads; assisting with facilitating IDG meetings and work with SNAC Working groups, and UVA collaborators
• Collaborating with PI and Co-PI on project write-up and presentations for academic, archival, and community audiences.
• Work with PI/co-PI and other project staff to design Archives 101 training modules and virtual community archival search training webinars, as well as Indigenized instructor training with the SNAC Trainer.
• Lead Indigenous professional archival outreach and community outreach and project dissemination with PI and Co-PI.

Benefits

• health insurance
• retirement
• tuition remission
• funding for project travel
• travel to professional conferences
• a laptop
• other work-related expenses with approval from the PI and Co-PI

What This Job Offers

• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree