Postdoctoral Fellow in Pre-Columbian Art/Archaeology at Dumbarton Oaks/Harvard University

School: Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Department/Area: Dumbarton Oaks

Position Description

Dumbarton Oaks is a research institute affiliated with Harvard University that supports research internationally in the field of Pre-Columbian Studies . In addition to world-renowned library and museum collections, Dumbarton Oaks' Image Collections and Fieldwork Archives (ICFA) holds more than a million unique items in a variety of media, including extensive material relating to the language and ceramics of the ancient Maya elite. Dumbarton Oaks invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow to join a team working to create comprehensive access to Justin Kerr's systematic photographic documentation of ancient Maya painted ceramics.

The Postdoctoral Fellow in Pre-Columbian Art/Archaeology will receive training in archival processing and digital curation and will support digitization initiatives to increase access to ICFA collections for scholars and the public. The Fellow will be fully integrated into the Library and Pre-Columbian Studies Program and will work closely with the staff of the Image Collection and Fieldwork Archives (ICFA) to process the Justin Kerr Collection, which consists of photographs of approximately 6,000 unique Mesoamerican objects. To date, the majority of the photographs previously available on Justin Kerr's website have been migrated to Harvard's HOLLIS Images platform, but only about 50% of the vessels with hieroglyphic texts have been fully cataloged. The goal of the Fellowship will be to complete the cataloging of vessels with legible inscriptions and to describe iconography on all uncatalogued Maya objects. The Kerr Collection complements further documentation of ancient Maya ceramics and exhaustive documentation of Moche and Nasca ceramics in other ICFA collections. Outcomes of the fellowship may include scholarly publications on ancient Maya epigraphy and iconography as well as contributions to open access digital platforms and further expansion of a gateway to Justin Kerr's photographs of Maya ceramics to be published alongside Dumbarton Oaks' Moche Iconography site . This fellowship offers unique opportunities to build career skills with special collections and digital technologies while benefiting from the unique resources of Dumbarton Oaks. The Fellow will participate fully in Dumbarton Oaks' dynamic community of scholars and programming in Pre-Columbian Studies and will devote 20% of the fellowship time to personal research.

This is a one-year fellowship appointment, with the possibility of renewal for two additional years. Applicants must have fulfilled all the requirements for the PhD by the time of application. The Postdoctoral Fellow will report to the Director of the Library.

The Postdoctoral Fellow will have access to the outstanding resources of the institute and become part of the larger research community at Dumbarton Oaks. The Fellowship carries a stipend of $67,600 per year with an additional $3,000 annual, taxable research allowance. The Postdoctoral Fellow will be eligible for medical insurance through the Dumbarton Oaks Fellows' plan and will be provided with an office space, access to the library and museum collections, and complimentary weekday lunches, among other privileges of our community of fellows.

The health of our community is a priority for Harvard University. With that in mind, we strongly encourage all employees to be up to date on CDC-recommended vaccines.

Basic Qualifications

• PhD in Linguistics, Anthropology, Archaeology, or Art History with a specialization in the ancient Maya
• Demonstrated experience working with Pre-Columbian ceramics through archaeological excavation, museum curation, or other demonstrable close study and engagement.
• Excellent research skills, particularly in the use of archival and photographic collections.

Additional Qualifications

• Demonstrated knowledge of Ancient Maya epigraphy.
• Experience in a research library, archive, special collection, museum, or comparable environment.
• Strong computer skills, including experience using relational databases, collection management software, and electronic library resources.
• Experience with digital photography or digitization of photographs, slides, negatives, and other media, including photo editing software.

Special Instructions

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, CV, a brief research proposal, and two to three references' names and contact information. Applications must be received by April 22, 2026.

Contact Information

For more information, please visit the Dumbarton Oaks website or reach out to [email protected] .

Contact Email: [email protected]

Salary Range

$67,600 plus an additional $3,000 annual, taxable research allowance

Minimum Number of References Required: 2

Maximum Number of References Allowed: 3

Keywords

Pre-Columbian Studies, art history, archaeology, archives