Funding: Postdoc Fellowship of Soc. Sci (U. Wisconsin-Madison)

Deadline for Applications: December 1, 2018

The Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia (CREECA) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison invites applications for two Wisconsin Russia Project post-doctoral research fellowships for social scientists, funded with a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. The fellowships will commence January 15, 2019 and run through July 14, 2020.

Fellows are expected to conduct research about Russia in one or more of the five topic areas: 1) Education, labor markets, and inequality; 2) Law and society; 3) Political economy; 4) Identity, place, and migration; and 5) Demographic change. CREECA especially seeks applicants with expertise in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) modeling and/or public policy issues, though these are not absolute requirements for consideration.

Fellows will be paired with UW-Madison faculty mentors with expertise in the appropriate topic. In addition to conducting research that will lead to scholarly publications, fellows will be expected to present their work in CREECA’s lecture series, to participate actively in the Wisconsin Russia Project, and to participate in a social science workshop for US and Russian scholars that will take place in summer 2020 (dates TBD).

Fellows must devote full time to the Wisconsin Russia Project and may not accept any other major activities that require frequent and/or prolonged absence from UW-Madison during the tenure of their fellowship.

Eligibility: Due to the January 2019 start date, we regret that the University of Wisconsin-Madison is not able to offer visa support for this round of postdoctoral fellowships; all applicants for this round must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. [A second competition is anticipated for appointments running September 1, 2019-August 31, 2020 that will be open to citizens of other countries.] Applicants must have a PhD in hand prior to January 2019, and they must have received the degree no earlier than January 1, 2014. Applicants who have not yet obtained their degree but plan to do so prior to January 2019 must furnish evidence (e.g. in their letters of reference) that they are well on track to have the degree in hand by that date. UW-Madison doctoral candidates and those holding PhDs or other doctoral degrees from UW-Madison are ineligible.

Base rate (twelve-month salary): $65,000. Fellows will also receive a modest stipend for travel to academic conferences. In consultation with CREECA and relevant academic departments, fellows may have the opportunity to teach a course in Russian studies at UW-Madison during their tenure and would receive additional compensation for this. Fellows will be eligible for basic health insurance through the State of Wisconsin. Fellows must be prepared to cover their travel expenses to arrive in Madison for the fellowship.

All applicants are required to submit the following materials:

1) A cover letter. The letter should describe the research the applicant will conduct during the fellowship (including topic, data and methodology, and expected output by the end of the fellowship period), should indicate which topic area(s) of the five listed above the project falls under, and should identify a UW faculty member who would be an appropriate mentor for the applicant. Applicants with GIS and/or public policy expertise should describe their relevant background.
2) A current curriculum vita;
3) An article-length writing sample;
4) Three letters of recommendation from faculty members who can evaluate the applicant’s work and proposal.

Applicants should combine the first three items listed above into a single PDF, name the file using the convention “Applicant’s Last Name _CCNY Postdoc application” and email the PDF as an attachment to: russiaproject@creeca.wisc.edu

The three letters of recommendation should come either directly from the recommenders or from a dossier service. They should not be submitted by the applicant. Recommenders should submit the letters as email attachments to: russiaproject@creeca.wisc.edu

If necessary, materials may be sent in hard copy to:

Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia (CREECA)
Attention: Postdoctoral Fellowship Competition
210 Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI 53706-1397

Deadline: for full consideration, all materials must be received by December 1, 2018.