Job Details

Research Associate - Five College Women's Studies Research Center

Position Number: 6792125
Location: Northampton, MA
Position Type: Liberal Arts - Women's Studies

Research Associate - Five College Women's Studies Research Center
Five Colleges, Inc.

Location: Five College Women's Studies Research Center
Open Date: Dec 12, 2025

Description:
The Five College Women's Studies Research Center (FCWSRC) invites applications to our 2026-2027 Research Associate Program. Currently in its thirty-fifth year, this initiative provides feminist writers and researchers with dedicated time, space, and intellectual community in which to develop major projects. Prospective participants are welcome to apply for the Fall 2026 semester, the Spring 2027 semester, or the 2026-2027 academic year.

The FCWSRC is the central node of feminist scholarship for Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Collectively, these institutions comprise the Five College Consortium, home to one of the largest concentrations of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Scholars anywhere in the world.

The Research Associate Program:
Research Associates receive individual, private offices on the campus of Hampshire College and access to libraries and special collections across the Five College Consortium. In the 2026-2027 school year, Research Associates will participate in a weekly works-in-progress session, dedicated to workshopping drafts of their projects. They will also participate in the FCWSRC's Feminist Writing Community, which includes scholars and creative writers from across the Five College Consortium and the local Western Massachusetts community. Additionally, Research Associates may have opportunities to give public research presentations and to guest-lecture in classes across the consortium.

Funding the Associateship:
Research Associates must have their own funding (such as fellowships, grants, sabbatical funding, etc). The FCWSRC will be pleased to provide letters outlining our program to external funding bodies upon request.

Residency:
Each participant spends the Associateship in residency in Western Massachusetts. While the FCWSRC does not provide housing, Research Associates receive detailed guidance on securing housing if needed. We are pleased to provide visa sponsorship to international Research Associates, however given shifting U.S. immigration policies, international applicants are urged to contact immigration attorneys and/or their home consulates before undertaking U.S. travel.

Eligibility:
We welcome applications from faculty with upcoming leaves, dissertation-stage PhD students, and independent writers and scholars. The Research Associateship is open to applicants of all genders, disciplines, and writerly traditions.

Application:
Please submit via Interfolio by Feb. 13th:
(1) an online form
(2) a CV
(3) a two-page project proposal that outlines work you will undertake during the residency
(4) a one-page statement of interest on why you wish to undertake this work at a feminist research center

Contact:
Questions? Please write Li Cornfeld, FCWSRC Director, at lcornfeld@mtholyoke.edu.

Application Instructions:
To apply, visit https://apply.interfolio.com/179026

Smith College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, age, color, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression or veteran status in the recruitment and employment of faculty and staff, and the operation of any of its programs and activities, as specified by all applicable laws and regulations. Women, minorities, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.