Job Summary

The Inclusive History Project (IHP)-Dearborn Program is looking for a Research Fellow to join our team. 

The IHP is a multi-year presidential initiative studying and documenting a comprehensive history of the University of Michigan that stretches across its three campuses and Michigan Medicine. The IHP is working to engage the entire university and neighboring communities to better understand the institution's full history, including its record of inclusion and exclusion, and to consider what actions this history demands in the present. 

The IHP Research Fellow for the Dearborn campus will make key contributions to planning, organizing, and conducting research into the origins and key inflection points in the history of the Dearborn campus with a particular focus on Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities on campus. Working under the guidance of the IHP Director of Research for UM-Dearborn, the Research Fellow will be responsible for conducting oral history interviews, undertaking historical research, preparing research findings to share with internal and external audiences, collaborating with a multigenerational research team, and participating in additional IHP activities as needed. 

The IHP Research Fellow will report to the IHP Director of Research for the Dearborn campus, Camron Amin. 

This is a 12-month term-limited position with the possibility of renewal dependent on performance and funding. The anticipated start date is January 26, 2026, however, the start date can be flexible. 

This position is based in Dearborn, MI, and is hybrid, working remotely and on-site.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Responsibilities*

• Conduct oral history interviews and archival, primary, and secondary research regarding the UM-Dearborn campus with specific attention to the campus AAPI communities.
• Develop and launch a process for sourcing, ingesting, curating, and digitally displaying written testimonies regarding UM-Dearborn campus history, working in collaboration with the Director of Research and the IHP Program Coordinator for Digital Humanities.
• Create and maintain research records, and prepare research reports as needed for IHP leadership
• Prepare and make presentations that summarize, analyze, and synthesize findings for IHP leadership as well as campus and external audiences
• Collaborate and meet regularly with the IHP-Dearborn research team, including PIs, graduate students, archivists, and additional colleagues
• Create public-facing deliverables for the project, including but not limited to, research reports and presentations, public programming, and digital history platforms.
• Help to coordinate project activities and deliverables, including but not limited to scheduling, attending, and documenting meetings with IHP-Dearborn Steering Committee and other stakeholders and assisting with the development of a new IHP-Dearborn project site.

Required Qualifications*

• Ph.D. in History, with deep subject knowledge of AAPI cultural history. 
• Must have a Ph.D. in hand by the start of the appointment.
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge of the UM-Dearborn campus and its history
• Experience conducting archival research with multiple types of primary sources.
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge of oral history methodology, best practices, and curation.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience with digital humanities practices and tools; including knowledge of the Oral History Metadata Synchronizer and ArcGIS (particularly StoryMaps)
• Excellent oral and written communication skills

Desired Qualifications*

• At least one year of instructional experience at the postsecondary level (e.g. serving as a teaching assistant) using Canvas to interact with and prepare materials for students.   
• Experience with public history
• Experience working as part of collaborative research teams, ideally with some prior experience coordinating a research team.
• Demonstrated experience with OMEKA (Classic and S)
• Interest in university and institutional history
• Experience with community engagement and/or working knowledge of community-based participatory research methods
   

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.