ACLS Announces Second Competition of The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Buddhism Public Scholars

The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is pleased to announce the opening of the second Buddhism Public Scholars competition, an initiative made possible by The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation’s renewed financial support to ACLS for its Program in Buddhist Studies.

In 2023, ACLS will place up to three early career scholars of Buddhism in one-year professional positions with host organizations that study the traditions of Buddhism. The selected Buddhism Public Scholars will use their academic knowledge and professional experience to bolster the capacity of museums and libraries in Buddhist art and thought across all traditions and locations in which Buddhism is practiced.

Organizations participating in the second year of the competition are:

• Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (San Francisco, CA)
• Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, MA)
• National Museum of Asian Art at the Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC)
• Richard C. Rudolph East Asian Library, University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)
• The Rubin Museum of Art (New York, NY)

Fellows will receive compensation equivalent to $70,000, including stipend (approximately $60,000) and allowance for relocation, travel, and other expenses (approximately $10,000). In addition, fellows will have access to health insurance through the host organizations.

Placing early career scholars in professional positions outside the academy has been a focus at ACLS for over a decade, and has been given heightened emphasis through programs such as the ACLS Leading Edge Fellowship as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to exacerbate the precarious career prospects of recent PhD recipients.

Applicants for the Buddhism Public Scholars competition must have a PhD in the humanities or interpretive social sciences conferred between January 1, 2019 and April 15, 2023, and must be authorized to work legally in the United States.

Applications will be accepted only through the ACLS online application system. Applicants should not contact any of the organizations directly. Please visit the Buddhism Public Scholars competition page for complete position descriptions, eligibility criteria, and application information. Applications must be submitted by Tuesday, January 11, 2023, 9:00 PM EST.