POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP

Lilly Postdoctoral Fellowships are two-year residential fellowships for teacher-scholars who seek to renew and enrich their intellectual and professional lives while preparing for careers at church-related institutions of higher learning. Each academic year, up to two Fellows are appointed for two-year periods.

Fellows are selected from applicants who have an interest in the relationship between Christianity and the academy and seek a career at a church-related college or university. Fellows are in residence at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. The Lilly Fellows Program is fully ecumenical.

ABOUT

Lilly Postdoctoral Fellowships are two-year residential fellowships for teacher-scholars who seek to renew and enrich their intellectual and professional lives while preparing for careers at church-related institutions of higher learning. Each academic year, up to two Fellows are appointed for two-year periods.

Fellows are selected from applicants who have an interest in the relationship between Christianity and the academy and seek a career at a church-related college or university. Fellows are in residence at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. The Lilly Fellows Program is fully ecumenical.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

Lilly Fellows are incorporated into a community of Christian teacher-scholars through:

  • Teaching experiences in eight courses over two years in appropriate departments and Christ College (Honors College) at Valparaiso University, including the opportunity to teach in the fall semester of the Christ College First Year Program

  • Mentoring over the course of two years by a senior faculty member from the Fellow's discipline or Christ College

  • Participation in weekly meetings of a two-year colloquium program led by Senior Fellows from Valparaiso University

  • Research opportunities for scholarly or creative work in the Fellow's field and in the relationship of Christianity to the academy

  • Opportunities to develop contact with representatives from the Program's National Network of Church-Related Colleges and Universities

  • Assistance in the second year with career planning and placement

Applications to join the 2024 Lilly Fellows Cohort are now closed.

CURRENT POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS

2024-2026 FELLOWS

Ann Marie Jakubowski

ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE


BA, University of Notre Dame, 2015

MA, Villanova University, 2017

PhD, Washington University in St. Louis, 2024

Dissertation: Towards a Poetics of Conversion: Religion, Modernism, and Literary Form

Ludwig Noya

RELIGION (HEBREW BIBLE AND ANCIENT ISRAEL)


BTh, Universitas Advent Indonesia, 2014
ThM, Ecumenical Theological Seminary, Indonesia, 2015

MTS, Boston University, 2018

MA, Vanderbilt University, 2021

PhD, Vanderbilt University, 2024

Dissertation: Rest as a Site of Struggle: Reconsidering Sabbath Narratives in the Hebrew Bible

RECENT POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS

2022-2024 FELLOW

Jacob Torbeck

THEOLOGY


BA, Greenville University
MA, Aquinas Institute of Theology
PhD, Loyola University Chicago

Dissertation: Turn Not Thine Eyes: Holy Faces and Saving Gazes in Mystical and Liberation Theologies

Current Appointment: Sisters of St Francis Endowed Chair in Theology, Briar Cliff University

2021-2023 FELLOWS

Abigail Gomulkiewicz

HISTORY


BA, University of St Andrews and College of William & Mary
MPhil, University of Cambridge
PhD, University of Cambridge

Dissertation: The Value of Dress in the Cecil Household (c.1550-1612)

Current Appointment: Assistant Professor of History, University of St. Francis

Amanda Ruud

ENGLISH LITERATURE


BA, Biola University
MA, University of Connecticut
PhD, University of Southern California

Dissertation: Shakespeare’s Speaking Pictures

Current Appointment: Visiting Assistant Professor of Humanities and Literature, Christ College, Valparaiso University

PROGRAM DISTINCTIVES

Vocational Community & Mentorship

Fellows participate in weekly meetings as part of a two-year colloquium program led by Senior Fellows from Valparaiso University and invited scholars from other institutions.

Each Fellow will be mentored over the course of two years by a senior faculty member from the Fellow's discipline or Christ College, the Honors College. These mentors assist with pedagogy, publishing goals, teaching techniques, and integration into the overall sphere of church-related higher education.

Valuable Experience

The Postdoctoral Fellowship offers essential teaching experience and participation in departmental and university communities. In addition, Fellows also benefit from provided time to hone their writing talents and generate publications based on their research interests. Teaching in Christ College allows them to gain fundamental experience in General Education and the teaching of writing.

National Promotion

In addition to job market assistance from Lilly Network staff, Fellows are introduced to the wide range of the Lilly Network’s Campus Representatives. This provides the opportunity to develop contact with faculty and administrators who can provide advice, assistance, and advocacy in the search for permanent academic positions.


ELIGIBILITY, APPOINTMENT, & COMPENSATION

ELIGIBILITY

RESIDENCY

Fellows are expected to be in residence throughout the two-year term of their appointments (summers excepted). Because of the importance of regular interaction with students and participation in the Christ College Honors College and Valparaiso University community, Fellows should reside within fifteen miles of the Valparaiso University campus; any departure from this expectation should be discussed with the Program Director prior to appointment.

DIVERSITY, MISSION, & TEACHING STATEMENT

As a campus with an increasingly diverse student body, we encourage applications from individuals with a commitment to mentoring students from underrepresented communities.

In your cover letter, please include brief statements of (a) how you might contribute to the university’s distinctive mission, and (b) what experiences you have had which will enable you to mentor a diverse student body. Credentials will be confirmed prior to hire.

Employment will require a satisfactory criminal background check.

Valparaiso University does not unlawfully discriminate and aims to employ persons of various backgrounds and experiences to develop and support its diverse community. Its entire EOE policy can be found at https://www.valpo.edu/general-counsel/policies/equal-opportunity-policy/.

INTEREST

Competition for Lilly Fellowships is open to persons interested in the relationship between Christianity and the academy and who desire a career at a church-related college or university. Research or dissertation topics are not restricted to religion. The Lilly Fellows Program is fully ecumenical.

DEGREE COMPLETION

For appointments beginning in the academic year 2024-2026 an applicant must have received the PhD, DMA, DFA, MFA, or equivalent terminal degree no earlier than December 2022.

The degree must be completed by August 2024.

DISCIPLINES

Fellows will be recruited from the following disciplines: Art and Art History; Creative Writing; Classics; Ethnic and Multicultural Studies; History; Interdisciplinary Studies; Languages and Literatures; Music and Music History; Philosophy; Religion and Theology; Rhetoric; Theatre History and Theatre Arts, and Women's and Gender Studies. Candidates will be asked to demonstrate their interest in the aims of the Lilly Fellows Program, their desire and preparation to teach in the interdisciplinary Christ College First Year Program, and commitment to explore teaching as a Christian vocation.

APPOINTMENT


Lilly Fellows are appointed for two years at a rank equivalent to that of instructor.

During the fall semester of their first year of the Fellowship, Fellows will teach in the interdisciplinary Christ College First Year Program. For more information on the Christ College First Year Program, click here.

COMPENSATION


Starting salary for 2024-2026 will be $50,715 plus standard benefits, a moving allowance, and an annual professional and travel allowance.