Postdoctoral Research Associate and Editor, Public Humanities and Digital Publishing

POSITION SUMMARY

The Cogut Institute for the Humanities at Brown University invites applications for a two-year, non-renewable Postdoctoral Research Associate in Public Humanities and Digital Publishing. This position will also serve as founding editor of a newly created public-facing digital publication of the humanities at Brown. The publication will include articles, op-eds, interviews, creative work, podcasts, and videos for scholarly and general audiences alike.

This position supports the Cogut Institute’s mission to enhance and promote the humanities at Brown and beyond. The founding editor will shape a newly created digital platform to showcase the Institute’s activities and communicate the value of humanistic inquiry and practice. They will also work with student contributors to guide their training in editing and publishing.

We are looking for someone with a humanistic background who is interested in bringing academic work into public view and bringing the public into academic conversation. Backgrounds in journalism, creative writing, research, or editing are all welcome. We are especially interested in candidates who see themselves as scholar-practitioners: researchers with an active public practice.

The associate will work closely with the staff at the Cogut and also have the opportunity to work with and contribute to Brown’s Center for Digital Scholarship (CDS) and Brown University Digital Publications (BUDP).

RESPONSIBILITIES

Editorial Direction and Production. Provide critical editorial leadership in shaping the publication’s content types and in soliciting, commissioning, and editing work from faculty, fellows, students, and other contributors, developing pieces from idea through to publication. Set and maintain a publishing schedule and develop and manage editorial and production workflows, contributor guidelines, and content structures.

Project management responsibilities include:

• Coordinating contributors, tracking projects, assigning tasks to student editors, and setting deadlines to maintain a steady flow of new content
• Coordinating with the Institute’s design and development partners to keep work on schedule and to standard
• Serving as website manager: uploading content, maintaining the integrity of the site, communicating with the developer, and training student editors.

The associate will also help grow the publication’s reach and readership through curation, framing, promotion, and public writing that carries humanities scholarship into wider conversation — moving scholarship out of the monograph and into public discussion across multiple platforms. This includes cultivating an ongoing network of contributors across the Brown humanities community and beyond to sustain a reliable pipeline of strong work.

Research and Teaching. Pursue an independent program of research or practice in the associate’s area of expertise. Participate in the Cogut Institute’s weekly Fellows Seminar in the first year and contribute to its interdisciplinary community. Teach one course in the first or second year (timing to be determined in consultation with the Director and depending on job-market considerations).

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Applicants must have completed all requirements for a Ph.D. in the humanities or a related field two weeks prior to the position start date (July 1, 2027), and their degree must have been conferred on or after July 1, 2024.
• Individuals who have more than three years of previous postdoctoral or comparable full-time experience at any institution are ineligible.
• Editorial experience: commissioning, editing, and shaping others’ writing into finished, publishable work
• Demonstrated public-facing practice translating humanities scholarship for broad audiences, across digital and multimodal formats
• Strong project-management skills, with the ability to run work to a schedule across many contributors
• Familiarity with content management systems and digital production workflows
• Excellent written and verbal communication, and the ability to work effectively across academic, communications, and technical teams

Preferred

• Experience running or editing a publication, magazine, journal, podcast, or comparable public-facing platform
• A demonstrated record of building an audience or contributor community for scholarly or creative work
• Familiarity with user testing, analytics, and SEO practices, and the ability to translate findings into recommendations that guide the platform’s continued evolution.
• Experience producing content across formats — text, audio, and video, including podcasts and short films
• Copyright and media permissions experience

TERMS

This is a two-year, full-time appointment reporting to the Director of the Cogut Institute, with salary and benefits in accordance with Brown’s postdoc collective bargaining agreement, plus $2000 in annual research funds. The associate will teach one course in either the first or second year of the appointment, as determined in consultation with the Director. For this position, Brown offers only the J-1 visa classification to scholars who need immigration sponsorship in order to enter the U.S. and commence lawful employment under the terms of their appointment. The appointment begins July 1, 2027.

This position offers the opportunity to build community around a new digital initiative from the ground up, to gain hands-on experience in editorial and project management, and to help shape emerging forms of public humanities knowledge production — while communicating the value of academic scholarship to the public at large and helping position Brown as a leader in that effort.

TO APPLY Please submit the following materials:

• A CV that includes any editorial, public-facing, or media work alongside your scholarship
• A cover letter, to include a description of how you would contribute to the research and/or teaching missions of our diverse and inclusive university community.
• A sample of public-facing writing (a link to a published work is welcome)
• A one-page, single-spaced research statement describing the scholarship you intend to pursue in the next two years.
• Contact information for three references.

Submit materials to https://apply.interfolio.com/193815. Applications received by January 4, 2027, will receive full consideration. The position remains open until filled.