Postdoctoral Fellowship

The Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation invites applications for the Institute’s Postdoctoral Fellowship for the 2024-25 academic year. We welcome individuals from a variety of disciplines and perspectives who are interested in building a scholarly understanding of cities.

Fellowships at the Mansueto Institute provide exceptional emergent scholars with a unique nurturing environment that includes advanced technical training, a platform for interdisciplinary research, mentoring by senior faculty, and a community of people studying and working on issues impacting cities from a diversity of areas and perspectives.

Postdoctoral fellows come to us with a variety of backgrounds, including traditional social science disciplines such as economics, political science, and sociology, as well as allied disciplines such as public policy, urban planning, and data science. Learn more about our current fellows.

Appointments

Institute Postdoctoral Fellowships are full-time, year-long appointments that can be renewed for a second year, subject to a mutual agreement.

Positions are structured between the Mansueto Institute and one of the University of Chicago’s Departments or Schools.

Appointments require commitment and supervision by a UChicago Faculty member and their Department or School at the University of Chicago.  Fellows may work with faculty director of the Mansueto Institute, Christopher R. Berry, or other faculty who work at the intersection of cities and another discipline. With this in mind, applicants should identify a faculty member or members at the University of Chicago who they would like to work with and include that information in their application.

Candidates who are unable to identify an appropriate school or department at the University of Chicago can still apply for the Fellowship; in these cases, the Mansueto Institute will work with the applicant to identify a potential faculty mentor. Learn more about our current fellows.

Fellowship Benefits and Expectations 

Institute fellows will enjoy:

• the freedom to pursue their own original research and projects;
• a discretionary budget for research expenses and relocation costs;
• interdisciplinary career development, mentorship and support;
• resources for organizing and hosting an annual working group on a theme of special strategic interest

As part of their professional development, fellows are expected to:

• Actively interact and collaborate with other researchers, faculty and students at the University and beyond, preferably in multi-disciplinary teams;
• Giving at least two public talks, lectures, or performances on campus in the course of the academic year;
• Currently, full-time fellows will receive a yearly salary of $67,500/year, with benefits but less any deductions required by federal, state or University regulations.

Selection Criteria

Postdoctoral Fellowships are traditional academic appointments housed in the Institute as well as a Department or School.  These Fellowships require that applicants hold a PhD by the fellowship’s start date.

Fellows are encouraged to seek a letter of support from a UChicago faculty member.

Apply by completing the application form below, including submitting the following materials:

• a cover letter specifying the candidate’s specific interest in the Institute’s mission and their proposed academic Department or School at the University of Chicago, including a faculty member or members with whom they would like to work;
• a 1-page research statement, specifying their intended work at the Institute and how it is expected to advance urban scholarship
• an up-to-date c.v., including links to current work and projects;
• 3 letters of reference.
  • Letters of reference may also be submitted sent directly to ehlee@uchicago.edu.

All recommendation letters and application materials must be received by this deadline. Women, minorities, people with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply.

Applications for the 2024-2025 academic year are now open. Review of applications will begin December 15, 2023.

Please submit any questions to: ehlee@uchicago.edu.

All University departments and institutes are charged with building a faculty from a diversity of backgrounds and with diverse viewpoints; with cultivating an inclusive community that values freedom of expression; and with welcoming and supporting all their members.

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages diverse perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange. The University’s Statements on Diversity are at https://provost.uchicago.edu/statements-diversity.

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University’s Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-834-3988 or email equalopportunity@uchicago.edu with their request.