Postdoctoral Fellow in Care Studies and Scholarly Publishing

Position Description

About the Position

The ideal candidate for this position is a recent PhD with expertise in an aspect of the field of care studies and an interest in the development of open-access scholarly publishing and scholarly communication. This fellowship is particularly appropriate as a bridge from doctoral study into publishing. No prior professional editorial experience is required. Start date for this position will be June 1, 2027.

The Fellow will allocate 30 percent of their time to supporting RCGE’s scholarly digital projects, including the ongoing development of its digital community and the design and execution of a series of workshops intended to help authors prepare their articles for publication and 20 percent of their time to their own research and writing projects, which should have some connection to the broad field of care studies. The Fellow will allocate the other half of their time as the managing editor for Care in Common, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal launching under a pilot program to test the Libraries' capacity to provide editorial and hosting support for open-access journals. We expect to support the Fellow’s professional development and to train the successful candidate in editorial management systems, production standards, and the norms of journal operations.

Responsibilities

Digital Scholarly Projects

Working-Papers workshops
● Work with RCGE team to recruit participants in topical workshops.
● Monitor submission and circulation of papers.
● Serve as the primary point of contact for all workshop participants.

Digital Community Development
● Recruit posts and assist in the production of the blog Care Talk.
● Continue the development of the Directory of Researchers.
● Contribute to the production of the regular RCGE newsletter.
● Develop a library of pedagogical resources for those wanting to incorporate care studies into K-12 or post-secondary teaching.
Assessment
● Assessing website analytics to determine the impact of communications and dissemination strategies.
● Develop quantitative and qualitative tools to assess the impact of RCGE-supported scholarship during the NEH grant period.
● Work with Directors and Grant Manager on final report of grant activities.

Editorial Management

Peer review management
● Conduct initial screening of submissions for scope, completeness, and adherence to journal guidelines; flag potential ethics or integrity concerns for the editors.
● Identify, invite, and secure qualified peer reviewers; monitor review timelines; send reminders; and keep authors informed of manuscript status.
● Manage the full editorial workflow in Scholastica, the journal's editorial management platform, including configuring forms, templates, and automated communications.
● Serve as the primary point of contact for authors, reviewers, and the editorial board on all process questions.

Manuscript preparation and production handoff
● Copyedit accepted manuscripts for grammar, clarity, consistency, and house style; verify citations and references.
● Prepare final article files, including typeset PDFs and valid JATS XML, for delivery to Duke University Press and the Scholarly Publishing Collective.
● Create and deposit article metadata and ensure metadata quality supports discovery and indexing.

Program development (pilot assessment)
● Document all workflows, timelines, and costs to create a replicable playbook for supporting additional journals.
● Track and report metrics (submission volume, time-to-decision, time-to-publication, reviewer acceptance rates) to inform the Libraries' assessment of the pilot.
● Recommend process improvements, tools, and staffing models for a potential permanent editorial services program.

Research & Writing
● Work individually or in collaboration with the Revaluing Care team to pursue your own research and writing goals.
● Present a working paper (i.e., an article or chapter in progress) to the RCGE Working Papers Seminar.
● Contribute at least one blog post based on this paper.

Required Qualifications
● PhD in any discipline.
● Demonstrated project management ability and exceptional attention to detail.
● Excellent written communication skills and experience with scholarly writing conventions and citation practices.
● Experience navigating academic peer review as an author, reviewer, or editorial assistant.
● Ability to communicate diplomatically and professionally with scholars at all career stages.
● Willingness to learn new technical skills, including editorial management software, XML markup, and metadata standards.

Preferred Qualifications
● Subject expertise related to the journal’s focus (care work, care ethics, feminist economics, labor studies, or adjacent fields).
● Experience with journal editing, editorial assistance, or scholarly communication work in any capacity (including graduate journals).
● Familiarity with any of: Scholastica or comparable editorial management systems (OJS, ScholarOne, Editorial Manager); JATS XML or other structured markup (HTML, LaTeX, TEI); copyediting and style manuals (Chicago in particular); open-access publishing models and licensing (Creative Commons).
● Ability to communicate in formal written Spanish and/or Portuguese.

What the Fellowship Offers
● Mentorship and the opportunity to develop intellectual and professional networks in the field of care studies.
● Structured training in editorial management, production standards, and publishing operations, with mentorship from Duke University Libraries staff and partners at Duke University Press.
● Direct experience designing a publishing program from the ground up — experience directly relevant to careers in university presses, library publishing, scholarly communication, and editorial management.
● The opportunity to combine publishing work with continued scholarly engagement through the Revaluing Care in the Global Economy project.

To Apply
Submit a CV including contact information for three references as well as a cover letter describing your interest in scholarly publishing, your connection to the field of care studies, and your own research objectives during the tenure of the postdoc. Applications from candidates in all disciplines are welcome; we especially encourage applications from those whose scholarly interests connect to the journal's mission. Materials are due via Academic Jobs Online by 1 December 2026.

Duke University
is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment
opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability,
gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information,
national origin, ethnicity, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy
related conditions), sexual orientation, or military status.

Duke University aspires to create a community built on collaboration,
innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on
the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich
diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes.
To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the
community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all
individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of
our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.