McNeil Center Research Associate Application

McNeil Center Research Associate

We invite applications from scholars of early America who are (or will be) resident in the Philadelphia area for a minimum of three months and who would benefit from an affiliation with the McNeil Center and involvement in our programs. Research Associates are awarded a PennKey for one year, giving them full access to Penn Libraries’ extensive digital holdings, including tens of thousands of ebooks as well as subscription databases. To contribute to our community of early Americanists as well as to enrich their own scholarship, Research Associates are asked to participate regularly in the Center’s seminars, workshops, and brown bag meetings. Scholars at all stages of their careers who are actively working on research projects relating to the histories and cultures of North America in the Atlantic world before 1850 will benefit from this affiliation, which is a year-long one designed to facilitate the advancement of scholarship and intellectual community in our field. Associates are welcome to reapply as long as they have remained in good standing during their tenure but new applicants will be given priority.


Application Process

Please submit the following for consideration by the committee. Your CV and project description should be part of a single pdf document. Please instruct your referee to send the reference directly to the McNeil Center. Both documents should be sent as email attachments to mceas@sas.upenn.edu 

  • A CV or resume
  • A two-page description of your research project, its intended outcomes, a research plan, and an explanation of how being a research associate will enable you to advance your work
  • A letter of reference

Successful applicants will receive an appointment letter to sign and return. It will include the following statements of purpose:

  1. I will adhere to the McNeil Center’s Statement of Values Regarding Anti-Discrimination and Harassment.
  2. I will regularly attend McNeil Center events.
  3. I understand that being a research associate does not entitle me to use McNeil Center letterhead, obtain a Penn email address, or use either the McNeil Center or the University of Pennsylvania as my main affiliation for publications, employment applications, or fellowship applications.