"Moon Family Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2026-27"

Job Description

The James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies at the University of Pennsylvania announces a Moon Family Postdoctoral Fellowship for the 2026-27 academic year. The postdoctoral fellowship is open to scholars from any discipline with a research and teaching focus on Korea.

The fellowship is the 12-month period between August 1, 2026 and July 31, 2027 and carries a minimum stipend of $67,000 as well as conference travel funds up to $2,000. The postdoctoral fellow will also receive a shared office space and access to libraries and other resources at Penn. The fellowship may be renewed for a second year, based on satisfactory performance, the existence of funding, and programmatic need.

The fellow will be required to: 1) reside in the Philadelphia area; 2) teach one Korea-related course per year; 3) give a public presentation for the Korean Studies Colloquium; 4) mentor the Kim Center graduate and undergraduate fellows; 5) participate in the Kim Center events and related activities at Penn; and 6) organize a Korean Studies Conference (either in Fall 2026 or in Spring 2027).

Eligibility

The applicant who is awarded the fellowship must complete all requirements for the Ph.D. degree (dissertation deposited) by July 31, 2026.

Application Requirements

Cover Letter (including a description of research projects to be carried out during the fellowship, and teaching interests/experiences)

CV

Writing Sample (a published/publishable article or a dissertation chapter)

One Korea-related course syllabus

Two Letters of Recommendation (uploaded to the Interfolio directly by the recommenders)

Applications will be accepted only via Interfolio here. The application must be submitted by 5 p.m. EST on Feb. 17, 2026. Award decisions will be made by early April 2026.

Questions can be directed to: Seok Lee, Associate Director of Academics Email: seok2@sas.upenn.edu