Digital and Computational Studies Postdoctoral Fellow, Bowdoin College

Bowdoin College, in support of its Digital and Computational Studies (DCS) Initiative, invites applications for a Digital and Computational Studies Postdoctoral Fellow starting Fall 2017. The appointment will be for two years with the possibility of renewal for one additional year. The ideal candidate may come from any discipline and will have a demonstrated commitment to integrating digital and/or computational methodologies in their scholarship and instruction. Candidates whose research focuses on an aspect of the relationship of digital technologies with hermeneutics, history, education, ethics, the environment, or social practice are especially encouraged to apply.

The rising importance of digital and computational methods is transforming higher education and, in particular, the traditional view of the liberal arts. The liberal arts, broadly speaking, also have the power—perhaps the responsibility—to participate in and shape the development, use, and interpretative capabilities of these tools. Bowdoin has a vibrant DCS community working together to integrate new technologies and forms of creative expression and knowledge production into our curriculum and our scholarship. The DCS steering committee includes faculty from Art History, Chemistry, Computer Science, Digital Humanities, Earth and Oceanographic Sciences, English, Government, Mathematics, and Romance Languages. We have established a thriving Digital Humanities course cluster, and staff from the library, academic technology and IT support courses and projects in collections management and film studies, digital mapping and literary analysis, social media analysis, text analysis with high performance computing, and scientific computation, to name a few.

Responsibilities:

The Digital and Computational Studies Fellow will be both a resource and a catalyst for broadening these efforts.

  • Teach one course per semester; typically one introductory level course, which may include co-teaching, plus one DCS topics course each year, possibly cross-listed in another discipline. Preference for teaching that integrates at least two of the following: text mining (in Python or R), digital mapping, network analysis, data visualization, agent-based modeling, or digital exhibit and archive development.
  • Join the DCS program committee to help craft the growing program in DCS and co-mentor the DCS student community, including advising independent studies.
  • Ability to work across disciplines and actively reach out to colleagues in order to develop new courses that will be housed in departments outside DCS.

Qualifications:

  • completed Ph.D. by June 30, 2017 (provide documentation from their home institution confirming this schedule), and no earlier than January 1, 2014.

To Apply:

  • Complete an online application profile and include:
    • cover letter discussing experience and plans for incorporating computation into their scholarship and teaching
    • short course descriptions of one or two DCS courses the candidate would like to teach or help develop
    • curriculum vitae
    • names and contact information for three references who have agreed to provide letters of recommendation on request.

Review of applications will begin on April 20, and continue until the position is filled.

 

Bowdoin College is committed to equality and is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage inquiries from candidates who will enrich and contribute to the cultural and ethnic diversity of our college. Bowdoin College does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, creed, color, religion, marital status, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, national origin, or disability status in employment, or in our education programs.

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