Postdoctoral Fellow in Plant Humanities at Dumbarton Oaks

Postdoctoral Fellow in Plant Humanities at Dumbarton Oaks

Company: Harvard University

Job Location: Cambridge, 02138

Category: Humanities

Type: Full-Time

School: Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Department/Area: Dumbarton Oaks

Position Description

Dumbarton Oaks invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow in Plant Humanities to further the goals of the Plant Humanities Lab, an open-access digital tool that features peer reviewed cultural histories of plants from the perspectives of the humanities, arts, and sciences. Dumbarton Oaks is committed to ongoing development and enhancement of the tool as an Open Education Resource for faculty and students in 'plants and people' courses, and for a broad audience.

As part of the Plant Humanities team, the Postdoctoral Fellow will focus on three main areas:

• Research, Content Creation, Editing, and Project Management
  • The Fellow will research and produce new plant narratives for the Plant Humanities Lab, using the rare book collection at Dumbarton Oaks and other special collections, as well as large digital repositories such as iDigBio and the Biodiversity Heritage Library. It is expected that the research will also generate public-facing articles, (e.g. for JSTOR Daily where we publish a Plant of the Month feature) and peer-reviewed articles. The fellow will also manage the editorial process for external submissions.
• Support and Development of Open Access Digital Resources
  • The fellow will collaborate with software developers to maintain and enhance the Plant Humanities Lab, by supporting the development of new resources such as an open access video course and a series of instructional resources for faculty and students. The fellow will also work with faculty at diverse institutions to support the adoption of the Plant Humanities Lab in the classroom.
• Teaching and Public Outreach
  • The fellow will contribute to research, development, and implementation of education and public outreach projects related to the Plant Humanities Initiative that may include online exhibitions, development of syllabi and lesson plans, a museum and garden tour focused on plants, etc. The Fellow will also teach in the Plant Humanities Summer Program.

The Fellow will build skills in digital humanities, special collections, and innovative pedagogy, while participating in a growing interdisciplinary network of researchers at Dumbarton Oaks, nationally, and internationally. The Fellow will participate fully in Dumbarton Oaks' dynamic community of scholars and will devote 20% of the fellowship time to personal research.

This is a one-year fellowship appointment, with the possibility of renewal for two additional years. Applicants must have fulfilled all the requirements for the PhD by the time of application. The Postdoctoral Fellow reports to the Executive Director.

The Postdoctoral Fellow will have access to the outstanding resources of the institute and become part of the larger research community at Dumbarton Oaks. The Fellowship carries a stipend of $67,600 per year with an additional $3,000 annual, taxable research allowance. The Post-Doctoral Fellow will be eligible for medical insurance through the Dumbarton Oaks Fellows' plan and will be provided with an office space, access to the library and museum collections, and complimentary weekday lunches, among other privileges of our community of fellows.

Basic Qualifications

• PhD in the humanities, humanistic social sciences or organismal plant sciences with a focus on plants and people. History, Art History, History of Science, Literary Studies, Anthropology, Food Studies, Ethnobotany, the Environmental Humanities, Plant Ecology and Plant Diversity Science are all pertinent areas of inquiry, but we welcome applicants from diverse disciplinary backgrounds who have a strong commitment to humanistic modes of inquiry and interpretation in dialogue with science.
• Excellent writing skills.
• Excellent research skills.
• Experience working with special collections and digital repositories.
• Teaching experience, especially at the undergraduate level.

Additional Qualifications

• Experience writing for diverse audiences.
• Some editorial experience, in print or digital publications.
• Digital skills, including mapping and visualization software and Linked Open Data, would be useful but the fellowship with provide training as needed.

Special Instructions

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, CV, a brief research proposal, and the names of three referees with their contact information. Applications must be received by May 15, 2026.

Contact Information

Yota Batsaki
Executive Director and Lead, Plant Humanities Initiative

1703 32nd St NW
Washington DC 20007

Contact Email: FellowshipPrograms@doaks.org

Salary Range

The Fellowship carries a stipend of $67,600 per year with an additional $3,000 annual, taxable research allowance.

Minimum Number of References Required: 2

Maximum Number of References Allowed: 3

Keywords

digital humanities, humanities, special collections, public outreach