Supporting Tomorrow’s Professors Today
Five postdoctoral scholars enter the new Society of Fellows
In 2020, just 23 percent of full-time faculty members at US colleges and universities were people of color. It’s a figure that’s out of alignment with enrollment—more than 40 percent of undergraduates identify as belonging to a racial group other than white. A new CAS program, the Society of Fellows, is aiming to give a group of postdoctoral scholars a leg up in the competition for those jobs.
The society’s first cohort of five postdoctoral scholars began their two-year appointments in September. While at BU, they will conduct research, teach, participate in department and society events, and develop individual career plans.
“For the first time, we’re working to build a community for postgraduate scholars, for faculty of the future,” says Malika Jeffries-EL, associate dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. “What would an ideal community of scholars bring? It would be multifaceted. It would be diverse. We would have scholars with different interests whose research crosses departments in new and innovative ways.”
Ten faculty fellows will provide mentorship throughout the scholars’ time at CAS, and the society will provide an annual stipend and research allowance in addition to relocation expenses. The program is open to scholars from diverse backgrounds who display an interest in interdisciplinary research as well as diversity and inclusion. The following postdoctoral scholars are in the first cohort:
Alize Arican, who received her PhD in anthropology from the University of Illinois Chicago, examines the ways that residents of Istanbul, including migrants and minorities, navigate the politics of urban renewal projects.
Jacob Bongers, who received his PhD in archaeology from the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA, studies how indigenous communities address social and environmental change.
Tori Lee, who received her PhD in classical studies from Duke University, is studying sexual and intimate partner violence in ancient literature.
Najwa Mayer, who received her PhD in American studies from Yale University, researches the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, politics, and Islam in the United States.
Alisa Victoria Prince, a doctoral candidate in visual and cultural studies at the University of Rochester, studies the roles of race, gender, and identity in the history of photography.