Sawyer Seminar Graduate Research Assistant

Description, Responsibilities, and Qualifications

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Sawyer Seminar, “At Risk U: The Past, Present, and Future of Academic Freedom,” located in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, invites applications for one 50% graduate research assistantship during AY 2026-2027. 

Applicants must be enrolled as graduate students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Candidates may be from any discipline or interdiscipline in the humanities and interpretive social sciences and should have research interests related to the history and politics of US higher education. The application letter should explain how the applicant’s research and experience connect with the Seminar description and activities.

Applicants are expected to have completed their course work and to have started working on their dissertation during the period of the assistantship. Ideally, students will have completed their preliminary examinations by the time they apply.

Primary Responsibilities:

• active participation in the Sawyer Seminar activities
• assisting in advancing the case study research of Seminar faculty members and coordinating other activities related to the initiative. 
• communications and outreach 
• conducting your own research and writing
   

Eligibility:

• Applicants must be enrolled as a doctoral student with ABD status in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,  and able to ensure that their other obligations do not prevent them from participating fully in the Sawyer Seminar activities.
• The graduate research assistant is expected to be in residence in Urbana-Champaign and to attend all the Sawyer Seminar meetings and events.
• The successful candidate will have strong organizational, analytical, and communication skills. Experience with WordPress content creation and management is desirable but not essential.