Pathways to the Professoriate

“One of the hallmarks of an Oxford education is the exceptional quality of our faculty and their dedication to teaching,” says Oxford College Dean Badia Ahad. “Throughout this program, Oxford students will receive an even broader array of courses and enriched opportunities for mentored research from our regular faculty. In addition, newly minted PhDs will have an opportunity to continue their development as teachers and scholars in preparation for permanent positions within the academy.”

Each year, the Postdoctoral Teaching Fellowship Program will recruit two or more promising early career teacher-scholars from a national candidate pool for fellowships up to three years in length. Senior Associate Dean for Teaching, Scholarship, & Strategic Initiatives Molly McGehee, Emory’s 2024 Exemplary Teacher of the Year, will provide oversight for the new program and faculty mentors will work closely with the student-centered teaching fellows. “Together we will help the fellows develop as teacher-scholars and support them in delivering courses to our outstanding students,” McGehee notes. “By teaching courses within our curriculum, the fellows will provide some permanent faculty with an opportunity to offer new courses or existing courses that are not usually part of their regular rotation.”

Fellows will receive professional development to prepare for a full-time faculty position at a teaching-intensive institution and have opportunities to engage in the academic, social, and cultural life of Oxford College. Fellows will receive in-depth mentorship through the Oxford Faculty Mentoring Program and funding for continued scholarly and professional development. In addition, programs offered through the Oxford Center for Teaching & Scholarship (OCTS)–from Lunch and Learn events to faculty development workshops to classroom speaker mini-grants–will be available to the teaching fellows.
 
 “Fellows must demonstrate commitment to student flourishing and liberal arts education, values that we hold dear at Oxford,” says McGehee. “Our new teaching fellows will continue to strengthen Oxford College’s academic program and allow us to explore the potential for new additions to our robust curriculum.”

For academic year 2025-26, two postdoctoral fellowships will be available: one in Biology/Quantitative Theory & Methods (QTM) and one in Literatures of the Americas. The application process is now open with calls for applications appearing on the Oxford Employment webpage.