Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in Science & Technology Studies

Overview

With the sponsorship of the Society for the Humanities, the Department of Science & Technology Studies invites applications for a two-year Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship position beginning August 1, 2026.

The Department of Science and Technology Studies at Cornell University invites applications for a two-year Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in the area of “Science, Technology, and Governance.” The geographical area of research is open; we are particularly interested in those working in the period between 1900 and the present. Open to scholars with PhDs in Science and Technology Studies and related fields whose research engages with both the social and epistemic dimensions of science and technology.

Recent events have drawn particular attention to the ways that technoscientific knowledges and practices have been co-constituted with the modern state. At the same time, we are seeing renewed attention to the roles played by scientists, non-governmental organizations, and social movements in shaping science and technology and contemporary modes of governance.

Possible research programs include, but are not limited to, the social and epistemic dimensions of:

* Expertise and the Politics of Regulatory Science
* Environmental Politics and Governance
* Public Health Politics
* Science, Technology, and Social Movements
* Patronage and Control of Science and Technology
* The Politics of Quantification and Modelling
* Senses and Surveillance
* Science, Technology, and National and/or International Security
* Knowledge, Ignorance, and Governance

The Postdoctoral Fellowship is for two years. The Mellon Fellowship is conceived as 65% independent study and research and 35% teaching. Mellon Fellows will teach one course per semester. These courses will be small innovative seminars of their design or a section of Science, Technology, and Governance in the geographical region of their specialty.

We imagine that the successful candidate’s research would be of considerable interest to colleagues in Anthropology, History, or Sociology (depending on their methods) as well as Government, the Policy School, and/or the relevant sciences.

As is our custom in STS, a postdoctoral fellow would be assigned a faculty mentor upon their arrival. This mentor, together with the chair and other faculty, would offer detailed feedback on scholarship as well as provide professional guidance. Fellows would have a shared office within Morrill Hall and would be expected to attend our weekly brown bag gatherings as well as colloquia and other talks. We are proud, in STS, of thoroughly enmeshing Postdocs and visiting scholars in the daily life of the department: isolation—particularly for post-docs—is a real issue in academia and we in STS have long been committed to making sure that every member of our department finds our work environment to be supportive, welcoming, and nourishing.

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

* Applicants eligible for the Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 academic years include those who have received the Ph.D. degree after August 1, 2022 and no later than June 30, 2026. Applicants who do not have the Ph.D. in hand at the time of application must include a letter from the committee chair or department stating that the Ph.D. degree will be conferred before the term of the fellowship begins.
* International applicants are welcome to apply, contingent upon visa eligibility.