Postdoctoral Scholar - Community Health

Overview

The American Medical Directories Project, in collaboration with the Center for the Humanities at Tufts University, invites applications for a 12-month postdoctoral research fellowship (09 / 2026 - 08 / 2027).

The AMD Project, funded by the National Science Foundation, is building a longitudinal, physician-level dataset from newly-digitized archival volumes of the American Medical Directory (1906-1938). The dataset will include valuable physician-level information, including place of training and practice, specialization, and demographic information, and will be made available and accessible to the research community and broader public.

What You'll Do

The Postdoc will assist the project PI (Ben Chrisinger, Department of Community Health) with key initiatives, including the development of public-facing outputs, and take leadership of at least two academic papers intended to demonstrate the utility of the dataset. The Postdoc will have dedicated office space at the Center for the Humanities at Tufts (CHAT), a vibrant intellectual community of interdisciplinary scholars, which affords many opportunities to take part in regular seminars, lectures, and networking events. The Postdoc may also collaborate with a broader team of scholars, including the project co-PI (Sean Smith, Rice University), internal project advisors which include several Tufts historians, and senior scholars on the project's external advisory board.

What We're Looking For

We invite applications from candidates who have obtained or will obtain a PhD in any discipline by August 2026.

Basic Requirements :

• Expertise in the digital humanities, history of medicine, health geography, public health, sociology, social policy, or closely related fields
• Experience analyzing large geographic and / or longitudinal datasets
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate in interdisciplinary environment
• Close attention to detail and demonstrated ability to meet project deadlines
• Experience preparing and submitting academic manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals
• Desired qualifications include :
• Expertise in history of medicine, with a focus on the American South
• Skills in data visualization, especially with geographic data
• Skills in automated data extraction (e.g., using programming code (R, Python) or artificial intelligence (AI) tools to digitize archival sources or create new datasets)
• Published academic papers or conference papers on topics relevant to the project

It is expected that the Postdoc will be in residence at Tufts University for the 2026-2027 academic year to participate in activities related to the AMD Project and at CHAT; however, some flexibility may be considered for remote work. Additionally, some flexibility may be allowed for the position start date (up to a month earlier / later). Please clearly indicate these constraints in your cover letter.

Application Instructions :

Applicants should submit a resume / CV and cover letter (2-page maximum), two (2) letters of reference with one (1) being from their dissertation chair or academic supervisor, and up to two (2) writing samples (e.g., a relevant published paper or dissertation chapter). Applicants who have not yet obtained a PhD should request that their reference-writer include an expected graduation date in their letter.

Review of applications will begin on January 30, 2026, and shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview via Zoom.

Pay Range

Minimum $65,000.00, Midpoint $70,175.00, Maximum $75,350.00

Salary is based on related experience, expertise, and internal equity; generally, new hires can expect pay between the minimum and midpoint of the range.