ACE seeks postdoctoral fellows for its collaboration with the National Park Service, National Park Foundation, and The Mellon Foundation to expand storytelling opportunities in National Parks.

American Conservation Experience (ACE) is seeking applicants for the National Park Service Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. The program supports the work of humanities scholars at park sites across the country. Their research and analysis explore the rich and complex histories present in and around national parks, giving added voice to diverse perspectives and experiences at those sites.

As a partner, ACE will collaboratively hire and manage 30 fellows nationwide as part of The Mellon Foundation’s generous grant to the National Park Foundation (NPF) to support recent postdoctoral scholars in this vital project. A pilot cohort of four fellows launched the initiative in 2018. Their research focused on the legacy of the civil rights movement, gender and sexuality, labor and productivity, and historical memory.   

In 2023-25 the NPS Mellon Humanities Fellows will work with 15 participating project sites. Their efforts will increase the parks’ capacity to offer inclusive and accurate interpretation to visitors. Fifteen additional sites will be selected for the second cohort of 15 Fellows in 2024-2026. 

“ACE is proud to be a part of this important effort in sharing the stories and amplifying the voices of people who were so often historically minimalized or excluded from mainstream narratives,” said ACE CEO Laura Herrin. “We look forward to supporting the work of the NPS and the Mellon Foundation to reveal the untold stories that are part of our country’s rich and often complex history.” 

The fellows will work at the following host sites, whose projects were selected from more than 40 proposals to participate in this innovative project. 

Hosts for the 2023-2025 Fellowship cohort include: 

Fellows will serve for two years, researching and designing NPS projects that contribute to America at 250, an initiative inspired by the semi-quincentennial of the Declaration of Independence, as well as pursuing other research relevant to their post-fellowship career goals.

To learn more and to apply, visit https://www.nationalparks.org/nps-mellon-humanities-postdoctoral-fellowship or email mellonhumanities@usaconservation.org.

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