The American Philosophical Society, the nation’s first learned society, invites applications for its two-year Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellowship. The APS seeks applications from recent Ph.D.s in the fields of history of science, 18th- or 19th-century American history, art history, museology, or any other related humanities disciplines. The Fellowship, based in the APS Museum, provides hands-on experience in curatorial work and the opportunity to pursue an independent research project, preferably one related to the collections or programs of the Society’s Library and Museum.

The Mellon Fellow conducts research in the APS collections in preparation for the APS Museum’s exhibitions exploring the intersections of history, art, and science. The exhibitions take place in Philosophical Hall, located within Independence National Historical Park. As the public face of the APS, the Museum researches and interprets the APS’s extensive collections for the regional, national, and international visitors who converge on Philadelphia’s historic district.

The Fellow’s primary responsibility is to conduct scholarly research for exhibitions, programs, and other related activities. He or she is fully integrated into the APS Museum staff, working closely with others on the curatorial team. The Fellow gains extensive experience in planning and implementing exhibitions as well as researching and writing interpretive materials for non-scholarly audiences (exhibition texts, publications, etc.). Depending on the Fellow’s interests and the Museum’s needs, he or she may also participate in public programming, museum education, collections management, and/or grant-writing. Twenty percent of the Fellow’s time is reserved for his or her own independent research, ideally using resources at the APS or kindred regional institutions. The Fellow also has the opportunity to network with APS Library staff and other postdoctoral fellows in the region’s cultural institutions.