For many recent graduates, a postdoctorate position is a logical next step in developing a scholarly career. Postdocs typically provide a stipend, applied research or teaching opportunities, an incubation period for scholarly writing, and mentorship or training components. According to the Association of American Universities, the postdoctorate is defined as a position in which :

• the appointee was recently awarded a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate (e.g., Sc.D., M.D.) in an appropriate field; andthe appointment is temporary; and
• the appointment involves substantially full-time research or scholarship; and
• the appointment is viewed as preparatory for a full-time academic and/or research career; and
• the appointment is not part of a clinical training program; and
• the appointee works under the supervision of a senior scholar or a department in a university or similar research institution (e.g., national laboratory, NIH, etc.); and
• the appointee has the freedom, and is expected, to publish the results of his or her research or scholarship during the period of the appointment.

Postdoctorate applications need to be prepared and submitted well in advance of anticipated graduation. The majority of application deadlines in the US fall between October and January, though deadlines they can occur as early as September and as late as February, as well as during the summer months. Be advised that opportunities outside the US may operate according to a different schedule.

Depending on the type of position, applications typcially consist of a research proposal and/or statement of teaching philosophy. Applicants need to provide these materials to their referees with ample advance notice. It is advisable, if not essential, that applicants contact proposed mentors prior to application in order to establish a preliminary work plan. Explore the links below for more information on postdoctorate opportunties and guidance preparing an application.

Please be advised the AAA is not responsible for either these websites or the information they provide but merely supplies the information as a service to the anthropological community.

 

Postdoctorate opportunities

Humanities and Social Sciences Postdocs 2012-2013

Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship and Grants Deadlines

 

Application advice

The Postdoc Experience: High Expectations, Grounded in Reality

Pursuing Postdoctoral Training

Tips for Finding Post-Doctoral Positions

The Postdoc App: How It's Different and Why

Postdocs Timeline

How to get a postdoc

 

Application Materials

• The cover letter

The CaPS Guide to Writing a Cover Letter

• The curriculum vitae

The CaPS Guide to Writing a C.V.

The CV Doctor is Back

The CV Doctor Returns – English

The C.V. Doctor: C.V. For a Faculty Member in the Sciences

Creating and Maintaining Your CV

• The research statement

Developing a Winning Research Statement

Writing a Research Statement

• The teaching philosophy

The Teaching Philosophy/Teaching Statement

Writing Your Teaching Philosophy

Writing a Philosophy of Teaching Statement

Rubric for Statement of Teaching Philosophy

Writing a Teaching Philosophy

4 Steps to a Memorable Teaching Philosophy

• Example statements for anthropology 

Statement of Teaching Philosophy - Yolanda Covington-Ward

Statement of Teaching Philosophy - Kerim

Statement of Teaching Philosophy - Peter Collings, Department of Anthropology, University of Florida

Teaching Philosophy - Brian A. Hoey, Ph.D.

Statement of Teaching Philosophy - Dustin M. Wax