Postdoctoral Philosophy Research Fellow (Hillsdale)

Position Title: Postdoctoral Philosophy Research Fellow


Posting Number: S253P


Department: Philosophy & Religion


Position Type: Staff


Job Close_Date: 04/01/2026


Job Description:

Position Overview

The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will serve as a core intellectual contributor to The Virtues and Vices of Spiritual Yearning initiative. The Fellow will play a central role in shaping the project’s interdisciplinary research agenda, contributing original scholarship, and supporting the coordination and synthesis of project-wide research activities.

This position is designed for a scholar eager to engage philosophical questions at the intersection of virtue theory, spiritual experience, moral psychology, and intellectual character, while working in active dialogue with empirical researchers across disciplines.

No teaching responsibilities are required; the position is fully research-focused.

Project Overview: The Virtues and Vices of Spiritual Yearning

It seems there is a tragedy at the heart of the human experience. On the one hand, spiritual fulfillment often appears integral to human flourishing—spiritual unfulfillment is frequently associated with anxiety and depression. On the other hand, spiritual fulfillment may dampen spiritual curiosity and correlate with intellectual vices such as closed-mindedness or intellectual arrogance. Human flourishing, then, may require us to walk a line: to yearn for the spiritual, while being wary of the ways in which both fulfillment and unfulfillment can go wrong.

Spiritual longing also has clear moral stakes. Spiritual fulfillment might inspire virtues such as courage, justice, temperance, and love, while distorted forms of “fulfillment” may harden into moral vices expressed through tribalism or fanaticism; and we might wonder whether moral virtues like humility and love are precursors to spiritual yearning.

The aim of the Virtues and Vices of Spiritual Yearning initiative is to explore the empirical and theoretical contours of these issues by supporting interdisciplinary work on questions such as: What does virtuous spiritual yearning look like? Does spiritual satisfaction promote moral virtue while also fostering intellectual vice? Does spiritual unfulfillment lead to poor mental-health outcomes? How does spiritual yearning relate to existential meaning or epistemic angst? What is its epistemic value—and does yearning create distinctive intellectual vulnerabilities (e.g., gullibility to charismatic leaders or misinformation in the pursuit of truth)?

As traditional religious participation wanes and alternative spiritual frameworks emerge, the initiative seeks to understand how spiritual longing can foster intellectual virtues—openness, humility, curiosity—while avoiding intellectual vices such as dogmatism, arrogance, and incuriosity. By bridging philosophy, psychology, religious studies, and related disciplines, the project supports both theoretical and empirical research and aims to contribute to human flourishing and a vibrant interdisciplinary research community.

Essential Responsibilities:

The Postdoctoral Fellow’s responsibilities fall into four areas:

1. Research Leadership & Scholarly Production

• Author an interdisciplinary white paper during Year 1 that synthesizes relevant philosophical and psychological literature and helps frame key conceptual distinctions for project participants and sub-grantees.
• Conduct independent research aligned with the project theme, with the expectation of:
  • At least two peer-reviewed journal articles
  • At least three conference presentations over the two-year appointment
  • Contribute to the development of conceptual frameworks clarifying the relationship between spiritual yearning, intellectual virtues and vices, moral character, and human flourishing.

2. Interdisciplinary Integration

• Serve as a philosophical liaison to project sub-grantees, helping integrate empirical findings with relevant philosophical frameworks.
• Participate in ongoing research conversations with collaborators in psychology, religious studies, and related disciplines.
• Provide intellectual feedback on draft papers and research outputs produced within the grant network.

3. Project Convenings & Scholarly Community Building

• Play a role in strategy and facilitation of project workshops and conferences, including the launch conference in Autumn 2026 and the expected closing conference in spring/summer 2028.
• Assist with thematic framing, speaker selection and preparation, program development, and scholarly integration.
• Help cultivate a vibrant interdisciplinary research community among project participants.

4. Publication & Editorial Work

• Co-edit (with the PI) a special journal issue on the virtues and vices of spiritual yearning featuring contributions from sub-grantees.
• Assist in shaping publication strategy and coordinating manuscript development for the special issue.

Salary: $70,000

Required Qualifications:

Qualifications
Required:

• PhD in Philosophy by start date (strong ABD candidates considered).
• Demonstrated research competence in virtue ethics, virtue theory, philosophy of psychology, philosophy of cognitive science, or closely related fields.
• Evidence of scholarly promise (publications or strong writing sample).
• Ability to work productively in an interdisciplinary environment.

Preferred:

• Research interests that engage moral psychology, intellectual virtues/vices, or the philosophy of religion.
• Experience participating in collaborative research initiatives or academic convenings.
• Interest in interdisciplinary engagement with empirical research.

Open Date: 03/10/2026


Close Date: 04/01/2026


Open Until Filled: Yes


Special Instructions to Applicants:

Submission & Timeline

For full consideration, please submit application materials by April 1, 2026 . Review will begin on a rolling basis after that date and continue until the position is filled.

To Apply:

Please submit the following items:

• Cover Letter: Please address the following in your cover letter of 1-2 pages:
  • Why are you interested in this project role?
  • Describe how your research interests would contribute to the Virtues and Vices of Spiritual Yearning project, and what research you would pursue under this project theme.

• Research Statement: Please upload to Writing Sample 1
  • In 1-2 pages please address:
  • What are your current research interests and questions?
  • What does your current research program entail?
  • What is your research trajectory?
• CV
• Writing Sample - Please upload to Writing Sample 2
• Three letters of recommendation – Please upload as one document under Letter of Recommendation

If you have any questions, please contact Ian Church at [email protected]

Supplemental Questions:

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Documents Needed To Apply (Required Documents & Optional Documents): Required Documents

1. Resume
2. Cover Letter
3. Letter of Recommendation
4. Writing Sample 1
5. Writing Sample 2

Optional Documents

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