Mellon Postdoctoral Research Associate
About The Position
The Center for Cultural Landscapes in the University of Virginia School of Architecture invites applications for a one-year Postdoctoral Research Associate position associated with the Outsider Preservation Initiative (OPI), an interdisciplinary research, regranting, and public humanities project focused on descendant-centered preservation, historic Black settlements, and community-engaged research. The successful candidate will contribute to a dynamic research environment examining the relationships among technology, public history, planning, and preservation in historically marginalized communities. We seek a scholar with strong expertise in qualitative research, visual communication, and data analysis, and an interest in an interdisciplinary and applied research environment. The Postdoctoral Associate will work closely with the Director, faculty, students, descendant communities, and external partners to advance web development, the re-granting process, and research on planning and preservation practices, cultural landscapes, program impact, and narrative justice. Postdoctoral employment is temporary and is normally limited to individuals who have been awarded a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate within the previous five years and who will be involved in full-time research or scholarship at the University. Employment as a Postdoctoral Research Associate is viewed as training and is preparatory for a full-time academic or research career, is supervised by a senior scholar, and allows the appointee to publish the results of his/her research or scholarship during the training period. Performing research and co-creating scholarship with the Center director is central to the training experience. This is a 12-month appointment with the possibility of renewal contingent upon satisfactory performance and the availability of funding. Start date is flexible, though preference may be given to candidates available to begin during the upcoming academic year beginning in September 2026.
Requirements
- Doctoral degree in planning, historic preservation, history, geography, anthropology, African American studies, public humanities, cultural heritage studies, digital humanities, data science, or a related field
Nice To Haves
- Experience involving undergraduate and graduate students in research projects
- Demonstrated expertise in qualitative research methodologies
- Experience with database development and management, digital humanities, GIS, spatial analysis, or computational/social data methods
- Strong writing, organizational, and collaborative skills
- Evidence of scholarly research and publication potential
- Interest in community-engaged and descendant-centered research practices
- Familiarity with ethnography, preservation policy, land use planning, housing, or cultural landscape studies
- Experience with database creation and analysis
- Experience with NVivo, ArcGIS/QGIS, Python/R, or web-based research platforms
- Web and graphic design experience
- Experience with tracking and studying program performance
Responsibilities
- Collecting and organizing data associated with CCL communities of practice
- Co-publishing research with Center Director, Andrea Roberts, PhD
- Conducting qualitative and mixed-methods research related to preservation, planning, cultural landscapes, measuring impact, and descendant communities
- Leading data analysis, visualization, GIS mapping, and digital research infrastructure development to support public engagement, website development, and publishing
- Assisting with the development of the OPI interactive web portal and related digital humanities initiatives
- Producing scholarly publications, reports, and public-facing materials
- Assisting with grant writing
- Supporting integration of research into teaching in urban and environmental planning classes
- Participating in Center programming, workshops, lectures, and public engagement activities
Benefits
- Access to university research resources
- Opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
