"Postdoctoral Researcher"

Postdoctoral Researcher

Location: Notre Dame, IN

Open Date: Dec 19, 2025

Deadline: Feb 06, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time

Description:The Department of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame is seeking a postdoctoral researcher focusing on racial and ethnic politics in the United States for the academic year 2026-2027. This postdoctoral fellowship is part of the university's Moreau Postdoctoral Fellowship and New Faculty Development Program (https://postdocs.nd.edu/moreau-postdoctoral-scholars/). The Moreau Program seeks to increase the number of scholars who will contribute to the intellectual vibrancy, cultural competency, and excellence of the University of Notre Dame.

Qualifications:
We seek applications from outstanding scholars of American racial and ethnic politics, defined broadly to include Black Politics, Latino Politics, the politics of other racial minority groups, attitudes of and toward racial and ethnic minority groups, and the role of racial and ethnic identities and attitudes in political behavior, policy making, and other aspects of the American political process. The individual selected for this postdoctoral fellowship will be affiliated with the University of Notre Dame's Rooney Democracy Institute and will have the opportunity to be involved in the university's Democracy Initiative (https://strategicframework.nd.edu/initiatives/democracy-initiative/) and to be involved in one or more of the Rooney Institute's research labs (https://rooneyinstitute.nd.edu/research/research-labs/). They also will have the opportunity to attend and present at the Rooney Democracy Institute Seminar Series (https://rooneyinstitute.nd.edu/events/seminar-series/), will have office space in the Department of Political Science, and will be part of a cohort of visiting researchers affiliated with the Rooney Institute as well as with the Moreau Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.

The successful applicant will have a Ph.D. in Political Science conferred before the appointment begins in August 2026. The initial term of the fellowship is for one year. The individual selected for the fellowship will have the option of renewing their appointment for a second year, conditional on satisfactory performance. There also will be an opportunity for the individual to interview for a tenure-track faculty position in the Department of Political Science before the end of their term as a postdoctoral fellow.

The primary focus of the postdoctoral position is on research, but there may be the opportunity to teach a course if that is something in which the postdoctoral fellow is interested. This position carries an annual salary of $65,000 and an annual research fund of $5,000.