Faculty Research Fellowship at the Center for Academic Pluralism
Start Date: September 3, 2024—negotiation possible.
End Date: No later than May 31, 2025.
Heterodox Academy (HxA) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that advances the principles of open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement to improve higher education and academic research. With a growing membership of over 6,000 professors, administrators, and graduate students, HxA helps colleges and universities live up to their highest ideals — and resist the destructive temptations of groupthink and tribalism. Working for change in higher education, HxA communicates and engages with faculty, students, administrators, philanthropists, journalists, and the general public; develops research, tools, trainings, and events; and facilitates online and on-campus communities.
Thanks to the generous support of the Templeton Religion Trust and other donors, in 2023 HxA launched the Center for Academic Pluralism (CAP), an arm of HxA whose mission is to explore the theoretical and empirical foundations for pluralism in higher institutions of research and education, and share our findings with scholars, opinion leaders, and lay public around the world.
The scope of questions to address concerning pluralism in academia is vast. At the center of CAP’s activities is the work of its Faculty and Postdoctoral Fellows. We are excited to recruit a cohort of Fellows for the 2024-2025 academic year. Fellows will be expected to:
- Conduct original research on pluralism in academia
- Participate in CAP’s weekly discussion and research seminar in its Manhattan office
- Write and present for public audiences about their research in HxA outlets and at HxA-sponsored events
- Give advice and feedback, where appropriate, on HxA’s internal research projects
- Contribute to a collaborative annotated bibliography of scholarly and popular resources on pluralism in academia
- Be available to engage with HxA’s Campus Community Network and present as a member of HxA’s Speakers Bureau.
Faculty Fellowship privileges
Fellows appointed for a full-time nine-month Faculty Fellowship will receive an award of $100,000 that can be used for course buyouts or to supplement a Fellow’s existing salaries; however, this award cannot be used for fringe benefits, which should continue to be supported by the Fellow’s home institution. Fellows will also receive office space in CAP’s office in Manhattan for their use and a budget for the purchase of research materials.
For those unable to commit to a full nine-month appointment, semester-long and shorter appointments will be considered, with the award amount prorated accordingly. Applicants should state any such preference in their cover letter.
Renewal is possible after a Fellow's initial term has concluded but cannot be guaranteed.
Applying for a Faculty Fellowship
In order to apply for a CAP Faculty Fellowship, applicants must hold a tenured, emeritus, tenure-track, or otherwise permanent position at an accredited institution of higher education or a well-established research institution such as a think tank (e.g, Brookings Institute, Hoover Institution, AEI, etc.).
To apply, applicants should assemble the following:
- An up-to-date CV.
- A cover letter outlining your general interest in CAP’s mission, and how a term at CAP would fit into your academic goals.
- A research proposal not to exceed 2,000 words. Proposals should identify specific questions to investigate, briefly contextualize those questions in relation to existing research and CAP’s mission, explain how the applicant’s own plan might yield progress on those questions, and enumerate specific deliverables and outputs of the research plan.
Please submit these materials using the online form.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning December 1, 2023, with fellowship offers anticipated no later than March 31, 2024.
If you have any questions about the Faculty Fellowship, please write fellowships@heterodoxacademy.org.