The United States Studies Centre invites leading scholars who are seeking to work on collaborative projects.

The Centre offers visiting fellows shared office space, library borrowing privileges, as well as full access to research libraries, university facilities and Centre events.

The Centre welcomes, in particular, research proposals falling within the sub-fields of US foreign policy, US domestic politics, US and Australian elections, public opinion, election campaigns and political participation. Visiting fellows must have contacted one of the USSC’s resident experts to discuss potential collaboration prior to applying for a visiting fellowship.

Below is a list of faculty and their areas of research.

• Thomas Adams
  Race, gender, and economic inequality in the United States; US domestic and electoral politics; social movements; labour and economics; constitutional law and the Supreme Court; American cities; New Orleans and the US South; immigration and Latin America
• Gorana Grgic
  US domestic politics and foreign policy, US-Russia relations, foreign intervention in conflicts, transatlantic relations, ethnic conflicts and conflict resolution
• Simon Jackman
  US and Australian elections, public opinion, election campaigns and political participation 
• Aaron Nyerges
  American literature and film, global modernism and modernity, popular culture and celebrity, critical theory, regionalism
• Brendon O'Connor
  US presidential and congressional elections, US domestic politics and foreign policy, US political history, American-Australian relations, cultural politics in the US
• Shaun Ratcliff
  Quantitative methods and survey data to understand public opinion, political behaviour and the role of parties in both the United States and Australia
• David Smith
  Religion in the United States, US elections and presidential politics, US domestic politics and foreign policy, US political history
• Rodney Taveira
  American literature, American and European film (silent era to present), US television, comedy in the US, US popular culture, queer and sexuality studies

Eligibility

Academics and practitioners are most welcome to apply. Fellows are admitted on a competitive basis for a period of at least three months and up to one year. Most will have their own source of funding, such as sabbatical salary or grants, since the Centre does not provide funding for Visiting Scholars.

Applicants for Visiting Fellows Program must generally already have a doctoral degree or equivalent professional experience, and a record of research and publications. International applicants are strongly encouraged. Proficiency in both written and spoken English is expected of all Fellows.

Visa documents, if required, are the responsibility of the applicant. The Centre will offer support where it is available, though it is recommended that the applicant explore visa options before submitting their application.

Visiting Fellows are asked to participate in the programs of the Centre and the university, to meet regularly with other colleagues, to interact with students, and to make public presentations of their research as part of Centre activities.

It should be noted postdoctoral visitors are welcome to apply but scholars who have not yet been awarded their PhD are ineligible to visit under this fellowship scheme.

The Centre can help provide general housing advice although visiting fellows will need to arrange their own accommodation in Sydney.

Application

Prospective Visiting Fellows can apply at any time and at least three months prior to the start date for their proposed visit.

A completed application must be submitted with the following supporting documents:

• Research Proposal (no more than four pages)
• Curriculum Vite, with email address and full contact information
• The names and contact details of two references
• Fellows should clearly indicate when they wish to visit. During the first or second semester would be ideal. Specific dates in the university calendar are available here.

All questions concerning the fellowship scheme, and the completed application, should be addressed to Nhien Truong at nhien.truong@sydney.edu.au.

Visiting scholar alumni

2016 – 2017 Fellows

• Michelle Burnham
  Professor at the Santa Clara University College of Arts and Sciences 
• Keith Camacho
  Associate Professor at UCLA's Department of Asian American Studies 
• Julio Capó
  Assistant Professor in US History at University of Massachusetts Amherst 
• David Ekbladh
  Associate Professor of History at Tufts University 
• Max Friedman
  Professor in US History at American University, Washington, DC 
• Michael Williams
  Professor in Public and International Affairs at University of Ottawa 
• Natasha Zaretsky
  Associate Professor of Contemporary US History at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale 
  

2015 – 2016 Fellows

• N. Bruce Duthu
  Samson Occom Professor of Native American Studies, Dartmouth 
• Sharon Holt
  Lecturer in US History at Penn State Abington 
• Leonie Huddy
  Professor of Political Science at Stony Brook University 
• Paula Rabinowitz
  Professor in the Department of English at the University of Minnesota 
• Yiman Wang
  Associate Professor of Film and Digital Media at the University of California, Santa Cruz 
• Michael Zuckerman
  Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania
  

2014 – 2015 Fellows

• Benjamin Kahan
  Assistant Professor of English and Women’s and Gender Studies at Louisiana State University
• Heather Murray
  Assistant Professor of History at University of Ottawa
• David Raskin
  Mohn Family Professor of Contemporary Art History at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
• Charles R. Shipan
  J. Ira and Nicki Harris Professor of Social Sciences at the University of Michigan
• Matthew Wittmann
  Assistant Curator of American Collections at the American Numismatic Society
  

2013 – 2014 Fellows

• Tom Brunell
  Professor of Political Science at the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas
• Christopher Parker
  Stuart A. Scheingold Professor of Social Justice and Political Science
• Richard Rabinowitz
  President of the American History Workshop
• Sanford Schram
  Professor of Political Science and Public Policy, Hunter College, CUNY 
• Celine Shimizu
  Professor of Asian American, Comparative Literature, Feminist, and Film and Media Studies University of California at Santa Barbara
• Micol Seigel
  Associate Professor of American Studies and History at Indiana University, Bloomington