Wittig Postdoctoral Fellowship in Feminist Biology

ABOUT THE WITTIG POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP

The Wittig Postdoctoral Fellows Program in Feminist Science/Feminist Science Studies with an emphasis in the biological and/or biomedical sciences offers the opportunity to combine research in a Fellow’s specific area of interest with university-level teaching at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We seek a highly motivated new or recent PhD who works in feminist science or feminist science studies. Applicants with PhD in the life sciences, public health, history of science, science and technology studies or MDs are invited to apply. Applicants should identify at least one possible mentor among the UW faculty who has agreed to provide guidance during the fellowship period. In the second year, the postdoc will also take primary responsibility for planning and executing a feminist science or feminist science studies one-day conference.

The Wittig postdoc is administered through the Center for Research on Gender & Women (CRGW). For further information, contact the Communications and Operations Coordinator of the Center for Research on Gender and Women (CRGW), Lyddia Ruch-Doll, ruchdoll@wisc.edu.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

MD or Ph.D. in the life sciences, public health, history of science, science and technology studies, or other appropriate fields.

The successful applicant will be responsible for ensuring eligibility for employment in the United States on or before the effective date of the appointment. University sponsorship is not available for this position.

Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible.  Trainees or scholars in these programs, who are permanent residents of the U.S., must submit a notary’s signed statement with the appointment form certifying that they have (1) a permanent resident card [USCIS Form I-551] or (2) other legal verification of such status.

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants should provide the following electronically in one PDF in the order listed below to this Box Folder: (Call for applications has closed!)

  1. Curriculum vitae
  2.  Research proposal
  3. Teaching proposal
  4. A letter from a prospective UW Madison faculty mentor
  5. Contact information for three references

Please name the file “Surname_First name_Wittig Application

Applications are due: February 14, 2024, 5:00pm CST

Decision will be made by April 15, 2024

Information About Disability Accommodation For Completing The Application

Consideration for this position requires completion of an application, as well as submitting all other materials in pdf format, as described above.  Phone contact may be necessary for finalists.  If you need a reasonable accommodation in order to complete the application materials or participate in a phone conversation, you may contact Christine GarloughNote that you are NOT required to indicate whether or not you need an accommodation to perform the traineeship.

An individual with a disability is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.  Please see the ADA website for questions and answers about job application accommodations at:  http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/jobapplicant.html#accommodation

We are an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.

ABOUT THE FEMINIST BIOLOGY INITIATIVE

Funded by an estate gift from the late Dr. Gertraude Wittig, who was herself a biologist, the Feminist Biology Initiative has two components: the Wittig Postdoctoral Fellowship in Feminist Biology, and the biannual Wisconsin Symposium on Feminist Biology. 

Our Feminist Biology Initiative supports two strands of research. One strand involves feminist critiques of biology as it is conceived and practiced in a diversity of fields including zoology, botany, neuroscience, ecology, endocrinology, medicine, and evolutionary biology, as well as biological psychology, biological anthropology, and agriculture. Feminist criticism has explored all of these fields. The other strand involves building a new biology that incorporates feminist approaches to theory building, research methods, and guiding questions. Pathbreaking scholars working in this strand insist that feminist approaches can improve the life sciences and provide a more inclusive understanding of the world.