Delta Directions: Visiting Scholar

The Delta Directions Consortium (DDC) welcomes academics with a research focus on rural socioeconomic development and/or health to apply to join the Center for Population Studies (the Center) at the University of Mississippi as a Visiting Scholar for the Summer of 2020. The DDC is an interdisciplinary network of partners that focuses on the intersections of socioeconomic development, health, and wellbeing, with a goal of bringing together the social sciences, public health, and law and policy with community partners to address complex issues in the multi-state Mississippi Delta Region. The Visiting Scholar position will include a 2 to 3-week residency in the Mississippi Delta (e.g., Clarksdale) or at the Center in Oxford, MS. The Scholar will have access to the Center’s office facilities and computer lab, as well as the data and mapping resources of the State Data Center. In addition to Center staff, the Scholar will have the opportunity to connect with the DDC’s members and partners, including: the Harvard Law School Food Law & Policy Clinic (lead partner), Mississippi State Social Science Research Center, Harvard School of Public Health, University of Mississippi School of Law, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi, and the Winokur Family Foundation. The ideal candidate would seek to enhance their own scholarship by incorporating the Mississippi Delta regional community into their research or by using the opportunity to examine parallels/distinctions between the Mississippi Delta and other rural communities of study. The Scholar is expected to contribute to the DDC’s ongoing efforts in the Delta region by engaging with the Center’s research team, sharing relevant insights, exchanging ideas, and participating as a speaker at the annual Delta Regional Forum (July 1 & 2, 2020).

Applicants must have a terminal degree (e.g., Ph.D. or J.D.) and a professional affiliation with another institution. Interested applicants should submit, to the email address below, their curriculum vitae and a statement of interest (1,000-words max.). The statement of interest should describe the applicant’s research area and relevant projects, how their research connects to the Mississippi Delta, and how the Visiting Scholar placement could enhance their work and lead to fruitful collaboration.

The Selection Committee will review applications on a rolling basis until May 15, 2020, or the position is filled. Applicants are encouraged to apply well before the May 15th deadline to ensure consideration.

The Visiting Scholar will receive a $3,000 stipend to cover the Scholar’s lodging and travel expenses. The Scholar will not be considered an employee of the University of Mississippi.

Application materials should be submitted to cps@olemiss.edu with the subject line “DDC Visiting Scholar Application.”