Teaching Fellows in the Social Sciences Division at The University of Chicago

The Social Sciences Division invites applications from current and recent University of Chicago graduate students in the Division for a competitive two-year program designed to enhance their pedagogical skills and research profiles. Candidates should demonstrate excellence in their original scholarship as well as in teaching. Successful candidates will be appointed as Teaching Fellows either in a department, program, or one of the Division’s M.A. programs (Committee on International Relations, Master of Arts Program in Social Sciences, or the Master of Arts in Computational Social Science). Teaching Fellows appointed in a department/program will teach 4 courses per academic year, usually a combination of general education “Core” courses and courses in majors and programs that relate to the Fellows’ expertise. Teaching Fellows appointed in an M.A. program will teach 2-3 courses and have other responsibilities equivalent to 1-2 courses. In the second year of appointment, Teaching Fellows may also be assigned to teach a self-designed course which meets the curricular needs of their department or program. The course must be reviewed and approved by the Director of the Teaching Fellows Program and the department/program Director or Chair. Occasionally, a Teaching Fellow may be assigned other responsibilities in lieu of one of their course assignments.

The starting salary for AY 26-27 will be $62,731. Each Fellow will be provided with a shared workspace, library privileges, and access to career service support through UChicagoGrad. Each Teaching Fellow will also be provided support for research and professional development ($2,500 per year; unused funds do not roll over from one year to the next). This position is benefits eligible - for information on benefits, please consult the University of Chicago Benefits Guide: https://mybenefits.nfp.com/UChicago/benefits-guide/. 

Fellows will also participate in a structured program of professional development under the supervision of the Faculty Director of the Social Sciences Teaching Fellows Program, the Chicago Center for Teaching and Learning (CCTL), and their faculty mentor. Fellows must be in-residence on campus during the three quarters of the academic year (autumn, winter, and spring). Teaching Fellows positions are full-time and include time for the Fellow to pursue their research agendas and opportunities for career advancement. During fall, winter, and spring quarters Teaching Fellows are prohibited from accepting any other on-campus employment. Additional summer work is allowed but must be pre-approved by the Provost’s Office before the start of the additional job and an addendum must be made to the contract letter. Teaching Fellows are also subject to the University’s Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment Policies, which require approval prior to accepting any outside employment and prohibit academic appointees from accepting academic appointments at other institutions.

Teaching Fellows are required to attend both the Social Sciences Spring Orientation which will take place in May 2026 and the in-person Fall Orientation, hosted by the Provost’s Office, which will take place in early September 2026. The terms and conditions of employment for this position are covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the University.

Notification and Start of Program: Successful Teaching Fellows and alternates will be notified in March 2026. The Fellow’s two-year appointment will begin September 1, 2026. Appointment is contingent upon successful completion of the PhD. Candidates must graduate no later than August 2026, and no earlier than August 2025. Teaching Fellows must have an appropriate work visa before they begin their appointment. The Office of International Affairs will host a visa workshop in Spring 2026 for those interested in attending.

Program Eligibility:

Eligibility requirements for the Teaching Fellows in the Social Sciences program (SSTF) applicants are as follows:

1. Candidates must have received or be on track to complete and receive the PhD before the start of the appointment, in a PhD program of the Social Sciences Division, as confirmed by the chair of the department.
2. Candidates must graduate no later than August 2026, and no earlier than August 2025.  To fulfill this requirement, all departmental requirements for the PhD must be fulfilled and the dissertation filed by the university’s summer 2026 deadline (which is Wednesday, July 29, 2026 at 4:30 p.m.).
3. Candidates must identify a faculty sponsor who will commit to actively participate as a mentor during the program. Candidates are strongly encouraged to seek out a faculty mentor who is not the dissertation chair.
4. For applicants interested in teaching in a particular college core sequence, it is highly recommended that they have some previous experience in that sequence, either as a teaching intern or as a graduate lecturer.

Applications must be submitted through Interfolio at https://apply.interfolio.com/176915. The application deadline is Monday, January 19, 2026 at 11:59p.m. Eastern Time. Early submission is recommended.  Each applicant must include the following materials:

1. current CV
2. current UChicago transcript (unofficial transcripts are acceptable)
3. short cover letter
4. one-page teaching proposal that makes the case for a slate of four courses that the candidate is prepared to teach
5. three reference letters

The “menu” of programs and departments in which previous Teaching Fellows have been placed can be found at: https://voices.uchicago.edu/sstfcoursemenu.  Curricular and programmatic need has yet to be determined and final placements will be decided by the Director of the Social Sciences Teaching Fellows Program in consultation with program directors. Please use the site linked above for potential program placements in developing your course proposals.  Candidates should indicate how their proposed classes would fit into a department, program, or core sequence. Please include in your proposal at least one or two Core courses; candidates should highlight previous (or planned) teaching experience in a proposed Core sequence. Core course descriptions can be found at: http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/thecollege/socialsciences/);

Applicants must arrange for three reference letters, as outlined below:

1. A reference letter from the Department Chair (submitted directly to Interfolio), providing a brief statement affirming that the candidate is in good standing in the doctoral program and promises to fulfill the pedagogical and intellectual aims of the Teaching Fellow program;
2. A reference letter from the doctoral advisor (submitted directly to Interfolio), providing a) assessment of the applicant’s scholarship and teaching, including the role this fellowship will play in supporting the applicant’s qualifications for the job market; b) confirmation of the applicant’s progress to timely completion of degree for participation in the program;
3. A reference letter from the proposed faculty mentor (submitted directly to Interfolio), providing affirmation of the faculty member’s commitment to mentoring the fellow in his or her teaching responsibilities and professional development.

Selection Process: All applications will be reviewed by a committee of faculty and program directors who are potentially interested in hiring Teaching Fellows to meet their program’s curricular needs. The selection process will include interviews in February 2026. Those contacted for interviews will be asked to submit at least 2-3 chapters of their dissertation as well as a plan for dissertation completion.  Interviewees may also be asked to submit teaching materials.