Postdoctoral Scholar - Social Sciences

Tufts University • Somerville, MA

9h • Hybrid

About The Position

The Center for Expanding Viewpoints in Higher Education (CEVIHE) at Tufts University seeks to host a Postdoctoral Fellow whose research and teaching explore an emerging or underexamined area of the social sciences that engages consequential and contentious political, cultural, or moral questions. We invite applications from scholars whose work sheds light on difficult or contested issues in public life and advances understanding of how societies navigate disagreement about values, institutions, and public policy. Relevant research areas might include the political, social, or institutional dynamics that shape how controversial ideas and movements emerge and gain traction; the conditions under which certain perspectives become influential or marginalized in academic, political, or media environments; or the ways citizens, organizations, and institutions engage disagreement over contentious public questions. Applicants may come from disciplines such as political science, sociology, economics, psychology, communications, or related social science fields. Tufts University, founded in 1852, prioritizes quality teaching, highly competitive basic and applied research, and a commitment to active citizenship locally, regionally, and globally. Tufts University also prides itself on creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community. Current and prospective employees of the university are expected to have and continuously develop skills in, and dispositions for, positively engaging with a diverse population of faculty, staff, and students.

Requirements

• Hold a Ph.D. in a relevant field by the start of the appointment.
• Demonstrated research and teaching interests in the social sciences.
• Scholars whose work examines how societies, institutions, or communities navigate disagreement over contested public questions, including the political, social, or institutional conditions under which certain perspectives emerge, gain influence, or are marginalized.
• Analytical rigor and methodological clarity.
• Capacity to teach courses that engage students in evaluating competing empirical and normative claims on consequential policy or social issues.
• Interdisciplinary approaches.
• Willingness to contribute to CEVIHE’s broader programming on pluralism and open inquiry.

Nice To Haves

• Teaching evaluations may be submitted if available.

Responsibilities

• Develop two courses in emerging or underexamined areas of the social sciences that engage consequential and contentious political, cultural, or moral questions.
• Develop an independent research program.
• Gain teaching experience in a supportive academic environment.
• Participate in CEVIHE seminars, workshops, and related intellectual programming.
• Maintain an office at CEVIHE and be part of a cohort of postdoctoral fellows.
• Be mentored by two faculty members affiliated with CEVIHE to support research, teaching, and professional development.
• Work in person at least four days a week.
• Contribute to the CEVIHE community through attendance at a weekly lunch series, informal mentorship of undergraduates, and participation in occasional Center events.

Benefits

• Opportunity to develop an independent research program.
• Opportunity to gain teaching experience in a supportive academic environment.
• Mentorship by two faculty members affiliated with CEVIHE.
• Part of a cohort of postdoctoral fellows representing various departments and programs.
• Possibility for extension pending performance and availability of funds.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees