The Michael Ridley Postdoctoral Fellowship in Digital Humanities, 2016

This is a two-year postdoctoral fellowship, named in honour of the former chief librarian and chief information officer of the University of Guelph, Michael Ridley, who did much to promote the digital humanities at the University of Guelph. As co-sponsors of this Fellowship, the College of Arts and the University Library seek a recent PhD with an established digital humanities research agenda. This fellowship will be awarded for the period January 2016 – December 2017. It is valued at $47,500, with a yearly research allowance of $5,000. Postdoctoral fellows will also receive office space, access to the services of the host institution, and administrative and research assistance as needed.

The successful applicant is expected to pursue the research project submitted in their application, and to help promote the digital humanities at Guelph. Specifically, their duties will include 1) conducting original research; 2) creating and organizing a digital humanities speakers' series for teaching or research, and contributing to the University’s week-long summer workshops; 3) acting as a consultant for University faculty and graduate students interested in developing expertise in the digital humanities; 4) providing consultation and guidance on digital humanities technology, pedagogy, and space in the McLaughlin Library; 5) engaging with staff in relation to the application of digital technologies in Library initiatives and the planning of a digital scholarship centre; 6) teaching one course in the digital humanities per year, either at the senior undergraduate or graduate level.

Application Criteria

The successful applicant will have demonstrated experience and expertise in humanities computing (broadly understood), and will have completed a PhD in the humanities or information science within the last five years. The successful candidate will be cross-appointed between the College of Arts and the unit that best reflects his/her discipline.

Applicants must have a PhD in hand at the time of application. They must submit ALL of the following by the postmark deadline (September 30th, 2015):

an application letter (1,500 words or less) outlining the candidate’s experience in digital humanities/information science and the research project they propose to undertake while at Guelph;
a current CV;
a graduate transcript;
two confidential letters of recommendation sent directly to us before the deadline.

Electronic applications are welcome, provided that original hard copies of the transcripts and reference letters are submitted by mail by the postmark deadline (September 30th, 2015).

Criteria for selection are the quality and originality of the proposed research and its relevance to the digital humanities/information science, the candidate’s fit with the mandate to promote the digital humanities at Guelph, and the candidate’s record of scholarly achievement. The selection committee will include representatives from the College of Arts and the University of Guelph Library.