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Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

BYU Faculty Fellowships

Call for Applications for a Rotational Fellowship:

2-year appointment (with 3rd year possible)  to the Maxwell Institute

Position Description

The Maxwell Institute invites applications from current BYU faculty in Provo with Continuing Faculty Status (CFS) for a 2-year full-time appointment to a rotational fellowship at the institute. Successful applicants will maintain CFS status for the duration of their appointment to the Maxwell Institute and return to their home department at its conclusion. Successful candidates will be released from their regular teaching loads and will be full-time research associates with residence at the Maxwell Institute during their terms (offices will be provided at the West View Building).  Fellows will also receive research funding support.

Start date: January 1, 2025

Positions to be filled: 2 (with additional fellowships in subsequent semesters)

Selection Criteria

  1. We seek candidates with exciting research projects that contribute to one of the four following Maxwell Institute initiatives*: 
  • The Book of Mormon  
  • The Bible  
  • Interfaith Understanding
  • Latter-day Discipleship 

 Click here for a description of each initiative.

New fellows will work in conformity with the Maxwell Institute mission: “The Maxwell Institute seeks to inspire and fortify faith in Jesus Christ and his restored gospel.” We do this through work that is both faithful and intellectually rigorous. Some of our work finds an audience in academic presses and venues, and some of our work is more directly or explicitly aimed at a Latter-day Saint audience via publishing, conferences, and workshops. All applicants, however, must show compelling evidence that their project—or its anticipated offshoots—will edify and inspire faith. 

Because we are a research institute, applicants should be prepared to energetically engage with other research faculty; part of that engagement presupposes a regular presence on-site, and participation in a variety of institute sponsored events.  While the majority of the fellows’ time will be allotted to their individual projects, fellows will also be expected to devote a portion of time to collaborative projects that are institute-driven.  

A two-year appointment—with a possible third year, contingent upon an additional application and review process—should be sufficient time for completion of a major project, or two or more projects of shorter duration. Applicants should make clear their anticipated timetables and benchmarks. 

Applicants should secure permission from their department chairs and deans for possible reassignment to the Maxwell Institute  prior to  submitting their application.

Application Process

Interested faculty should submit a cover letter in which they detail the reasons for their interest in an appointment to the Maxwell Institute, a detailed project proposal that emphasizes its fit within the Maxwell initiatives, and a CV.  Applicants should also submit letters of support from their department chair and dean. Send all application materials to mi@byu.edu before the end of the day on September 23, 2024.