Winant-Kinder Career Development Fellow in US Politics

The University of Oxford’s Rothermere American Institute and the University of Missouri’s Kinder Institute welcome applications from candidates with expertise in American political development; political thought or intellectual history with a US focus; comparative politics (including the USA); or Anglo-American relations for a fixed-term postdoctoral position commencing in January 2026.

This is an opportunity for an outstanding early-career scholar to develop their research, teaching and academic administration. The key responsibility of the postholder, in addition to producing high-quality research, will be to plan, teach and assess a course entitled “Democracy in Theory and Practice” to a class of approximately twenty US undergraduates as part of a four-week summer school that the RAI and the Kinder Institute jointly run in Oxford.

About the role

The Winant-Kinder Career Development Fellow will make an active contribution to the study of Politics in Oxford and beyond. They will produce exceptional research for publication in peer-reviewed books and articles on any subject relating to the government and politics of the United States. Alongside this, they will lead a core course in the four-week RAI-Kinder undergraduate summer school. The Winant-Kinder Fellow will also be expected to contribute to the academic life of the Rothermere American Institute by collaboratively developing events on US politics, and will be encouraged to assist with teaching Oxford undergraduates for up to three hours per week.

About you

We are looking for candidates who, by the time of application, will have completed a PhD within the last three years, who have produced research with the potential to influence their field, and who are committed to high quality teaching.

You will have a clear plan for research and publication during the period of the fellowship and the ability to manage your own research and associated activities. You will have experience of teaching at undergraduate level and the ability to teach students of high capabilities. You will also have experience of, or an aptitude for, academic administration, including the ability to plan and organise a core course for undergraduates and coordinate a teaching team. Lastly, you will have the ability to relate to people at all levels and to build rapport with the summer school students.

What We Offer

We are committed to the wellbeing of our employees, which is reflected in the range of benefits we provide:

• An excellent contributory pension scheme
• 38 days of annual leave
• A comprehensive range of childcare services
• Family leave schemes
• Cycle loan scheme
• Discounted bus travel and Season Ticket travel loans

Committed to equality and valuing diversity

Application process

Applications for this vacancy are to be made online via the 'Apply' button above and Vacancy ID 181993 or via this link direct to the advertisement. You will be required to upload your CV and a supporting statement, setting out how you meet the selection criteria for the post, using examples of your skills and experience. You will be asked to provide two referees.

Only applications received by 12, noon GMT on Monday 27 October 2025 can be considered. Interviews are expected to be held in week commencing 17 November.

Please quote Vacancy ID 181993 on all correspondence.

Contact Person (academic related queries): Dr Daniel Rowe, RAI Director of Academic Programmes.

Email: daniel.rowe@rai.ox.ac.uk

For all general queries please contact hr@rai.ox.ac.uk.

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