The American Conservation Experience is hiring a one-year postdoctoral fellow whose primary responsibility will be to record oral histories with Downwinder communities in Utah and Nevada.
During this one-year Fellowship program, one Mellon Humanities Fellow will research, document, contextualize, and interpret the first-hand experiences of area residents who lived through a decade (1951-1962) of above-ground nuclear tests that blanketed the region in radioactive fallout. The project gives voice to communities impacted by this first phase of the Cold War through recording and sharing of oral histories, while also analyzing what influence these events still have on the region decades later. By placing these events in the context of American history, the Fellow’s scholarship will enable the heritage areas to appropriately and accurately interpret the region’s significance in an important chapter of our history.This opportunity is generously supported by a grant from the Mellon Foundation through American Conservation Experience (ACE).
Location: Eligible for remote/telework flexibility with significant travel for research and interviews in eastern Nevada and southwestern Utah. The Fellow is expected to reside within Great Basin National Heritage Area or Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area or along the I-15 corridor between Salt Lake City, UT and Las Vegas, NV. Cedar City, Utah (cedarcity.org) is the town most central to the study area.
Annual salary: $70,304
Term: Late August 2025 (exact date negotiable) through August 31, 2026
Apply by: July 21, 2025
→ More info & apply (select the “Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow” listing)