The NPS Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship Program places recent humanities PhDs with NPS sites and programs across the agency. In collaboration with NPS staff and partners, the incoming cohort of fifteen (15) Fellows will contribute to planning and preparation for America at 250, an initiative inspired by the semi-quincentennial of the Declaration of Independence. This event provides an opportunity for the NPS to tell a more inclusive story of the American past and present. The NPS is committed to exploring the full complexity of our history, even if that history is uncomfortable, contested, or erased. The humanities research supported by this Fellowship will expand these efforts, encouraging creative approaches to documentation, interpretation, and outreach.

This opportunity is supported by a generous grant from The Mellon Foundation through the National Park Foundation (NPF). The project is administered via a three-way agreement among NPS, National Park Foundation (NPF), and American Conservation Experience (ACE).

Job Title: National Park Service Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow: Histories of Human Movement on the Southern Border

Employer: American Conservation Experience (ACE)

Department: EPIC Program, National Park Service (NPS) Division

Location: Ajo, AZ although eligible for remote/telework flexibility. Preferred locations are Ajo, Arizona, Tucson, AZ area or the Phoenix, AZ Metro area. Park housing may also be available.

Status: Temporary, Full-time, Exempt

Term: Position is fully funded through August 31, 2025

Start Date: September 2023

Host Description: This fellowship is placed with the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (ORPI) is a 330,000-acre park of which 95% is designated wilderness. Located 35 miles south of Ajo, Arizona, the park includes 30 miles of the international border between the United States and Mexico. The monument was established on April 13, 1937, to preserve and protect a representative part of the Sonoran Desert that contains organ pipe cactus (Stenocerus thurberi), a large columnar cactus rarely found in the United States. In 1976, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument was designated an international biosphere reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

ACE is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing rewarding environmental service opportunities for young adults and emerging professionals of all backgrounds to explore and improve public lands while gaining practical professional experience. The EPIC NPS Division works alongside the National Park Service across the United States, from Alaska to Puerto Rico, to support the NPS in its mission to "preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations" while providing career promoting individual placement opportunities.

Position Description: Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (ORPI) is seeking one postdoctoral fellow to contribute to research, interpretation, outreach, and educational and digital programming initiatives focused on the complex history of human movement across the national park. Situated on the southern border with Mexico, ORPI has a long history with human migration across the desert. The National Park Service (NPS) has yet to research and synthesize how the history of human movement within the park intersects with contemporary life in the region. This synthesis is necessary for interpreting this story to the public. A scholarly examination of what is happening today, which includes the context of the history of human migrations across these lands, is needed. This fellowship will seek to bring together the many data sources and narrative threads of this complex history and situate it within the historical framework of immigration and movement in the American West.

Each NPS Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow will complete work in four areas. Fellows will (1) perform project-based research; (2) share research results; (3) produce and substantially contribute to interpretive and educational products; and (4) pursue career-focused work.

1) Project-Based Research: The fellow will carry out historical research into the history of human migration on the land that is now Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The first six months of the fellowship will be research-intensive. During this time the fellow will begin to identify patterns and themes. They will consider how best to document the themes and how best to channel them into interpretative products, while in ongoing communication with their NPS and external mentors. Fellow will present research at a local conference, the Sonoran Symposium.

After collaborating with mentors and other stakeholders, the fellow will narrow their research focus to the identified themes and work with NPS to develop initial interpretive products. At the end of the first year, the research will have resulted in at least two interpretive products in use - perhaps in the form of website content, visual information in the visitor center, and or an interpretative talk outline. In year two, the Fellow will consult with their mentorship team, as well as other subject matter experts as needed, to propose a project for their second year.

2) Sharing Research Results: The academic research from this fellowship will result in a framework for interpreting the border and ORPI's place in the American saga of immigration. The framework will include interpretive themes and essential questions and will guide the creation of specific interpretive products described above. ORPI staff will benefit from trainings in the framework, using audience centered experiences and facilitated dialogue to create programs that invite our visitors and students into the conversation about the history of human migration in the park. There will also be multiple opportunities for the fellow to present their work at the park's Visitor Center, our local conference, the Sonoran Symposium, and regional and national academic conferences.

The Fellow will be expected to develop and sustain connections with program-provided mentors and host staff, associated NPS staff, members of their Fellowship cohort, and other Fellows across the tenure of the program. In addition to being provided mentorship and support themselves, the Fellow will have the opportunity to mentor others and to enrich staff knowledge by organizing events such as virtual speaker series and presentations. Twice a year, the Fellow will participate with their cohort and other Fellows in a virtual conference for NPS staff and partners to provide updates about their research. The Fellow will be responsible for tracking and reporting accomplishments and for supplying copies of interpretive, educational, and research products to their host and to the National Coordinator.

3) Interpretive and Educational products: The Fellow will work with their mentors and support team to identify feasible interpretive and educational products informed by their research. Examples of potential interpretive and educational products developed for this fellowship opportunity include authoring content on NPS.gov and ORPI's website highlighting research findings; developing an interpretative framework with NPS mentors to communicate findings to NPS staff, stakeholders, and the public; and developing content for in-person programming at NPS and partner sites; and presenting at events and conferences. Ensuring that these products are historically accurate and reach as wide an audience as possible will be a priority of the fellowship.

4) Career-focused research and products: In consultation with their mentors, the Fellow will carry out a career-centered project. About 20 percent of the Fellowship will be dedicated to this scholarly work that advances the Fellow's career path. The Fellow will be supported by a multidisciplinary team that draws on local, regional, and agency-wide expertise. In addition to NPS staff, the Fellow will also have an external mentor whose work addresses the complexity of the history and context of immigration along the southern border.

Essential Responsibilities and Tasks:

• Conduct original research into the history of human migration along the southern border of the United States in the area of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument; synthesize existing research to share with NPS, stakeholders, and the public through in-person and virtual meetings and on multiple digital platforms.
• Develop interpretative frameworks to share research.
• Assist with coordination of virtual programs to share research findings from this and other Mellon Humanities Fellowships with NPS staff, partner sites, and the public.

Required Experience and Qualifications:

• Must be a PhD in any field of the humanities or humanistic social sciences. Scholars who received or will receive their PhD between May 1, 2018, and August 15, 2023, are eligible to apply. For more information on eligibility, visit https://www.nationalparks.org/nps-mellon-humanities-postdoctoral-fellowship
• Subject matter expertise in American History; Latin American History; Chicano Studies, public history; or cultural anthropology.
• Excellent research, writing, and communication skills.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
• Skill in project planning, organization, and time management; ability and desire to perform multiple concurrent and variable tasks
• Strong organizational skills to keep track of workload, tasks, and interactions
• Selective factors include the merit of scholarship and promise, commitment to the public humanities, and capacity to complete research successfully.

Other Requirements:

• Must be a US citizen or Permanent Resident, as required to comply with U.S. government contracts.
• Must be proficient in English.
• Must pass a federal criminal background check; Fellowship is also contingent upon a successful security background check with the NPS.
• Must be willing to abide by ACE Policy and Federal Drug Free workplace policies and laws. ACE reserves the right to drug test at any time
• Must verify that they are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by the time they start their fellowship or request a medical or religious exemption.
• Must be willing to abide by a requirement to acknowledge The Mellon Foundation, the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation, and American Conservation Experience, in any publications generated by this project.
• Must be willing to abide by federal policy that research results, publications, films, videos, artistic or similar endeavors resulting from the fellowship, other than the specifically career-focused work, will become the property of the United States, and as such, will be in the public domain and not subject to copyright laws.
• Consent to being photographed and to the release of such photographic images.

Physical Demands, Work Environment, and Working Conditions:

• Physical Demands: Requires frequent sitting, standing, walking, using hands to handle or feel, reaching with hands and arms, talks and hears with or without assistive personnel and/or devices. Manual dexterity required for use of computer keyboard/mouse and other office equipment with or without reasonable accommodations. May be occasionally required to stoop, kneel, climb stairs, and/or crouch (all physical demands are required with or without reasonable accommodations). The National Park Service host will provide reasonable accommodations, if needed, to meet task assignments.
• Vision Requirements: Requires close, distance, peripheral and depth perception vision as well as the ability to focus. The National Park Service host will provide reasonable accommodations, if needed, to meet task assignments.
• Environmental: Mainly indoor, office environment conditions; indoor air quality is good, and temperature is controlled. This is describing both provided office spaces and home office spaces.
• Noise Environment: Moderate noise such as in a business office with equipment and light traffic. This is describing both provided office spaces and home office spaces.
• Travel: This position requires domestic travel as needed for program duties.

Salary & Benefits:

Compensation: Starting annualized salary $65,000 with annualized COLA to $67,600 for Year 2 (40 hours/week for 52-weeks). Paid bi-weekly, a two-week pay period. Travel funding is provided, and Fellows will not be responsible for allowable/approved program travel. Each Fellow will receive an annual research fund of $3,000.

Medical/Health Benefits: ACE offers competitive medical and ancillary plans (health, mental health, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, and other supplemental benefits). Fellows are also eligible to participate in ACE's 403b retirement plan, which includes a 1% employer contribution for participating, contributing staff.

Holidays, Vacation, and Sick Time: As a Fellow, you will be eligible to accrue up to 80 hours of paid vacation time annually during your first two years of continuous employment. Additionally, ACE observes 13 paid annual holidays and provides 10 days (or 80 hours) of paid sick time annually.

Additional Benefits: Outdoor Perks - As an ACE Fellow, you will be eligible to receive pro deals which include deep discounts on outdoor gear providing 30 - 50% off retail prices on 100s of established outdoor gear brands.

To Apply: Please submit: 1) a cover letter stating interest and vision for the Fellowship (letters may include a summary of the dissertation, a statement of personal research interests and plans, discussion of past engagement with public humanities, discussion of willingness to participate fully in NPS research and education programs); 2) a comprehensive curriculum vitae; 3) a writing sample accessible to the general public; 4) confirmation of Ph.D. award by August 15, 2023; and 5) names and contact information for 3 professional references.

Deadline to apply: The deadline to apply for this position is January 30, 2023, or until 75 applications meeting eligibility requirements have been received.

Questions about the application process should be sent to mellonhumanities@usaconservation.org

American Conservation Experience provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, American Conservation Experience complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. ACE encourages all qualified individuals to apply and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected status, including veteran and disability status. ACE is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities under the ADA and provides the opportunity for employees to request reasonable accommodations during the hiring process.