University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

Associate Director of Digital Research in the Humanities, Price Lab

Job Profile Title

Associate Director C, Research

Job Description Summary

Based in the Price Lab for Digital Humanities, the Associate Director of Digital Research in the Humanities works closely with Price Lab staff and collaborators to imagine, design, and build projects that take advantage of accessible and sustainable digital humanities tools. In addition to project-based work, the Associate Director of Digital Research in the Humanities is an important member of the scholarly network at Penn who develops and teaches workshops and stays current on relevant technologies, methods, and debates within critical/creative digital humanities, broadly construed. This includes developing original scholarship in collaboration with the Price Lab and other members of the DH community at Penn and beyond. The start date for this position is flexible and could range from January 2025 to Summer 2025.

Job Description

As the centerpiece of the School of Arts and Sciences strategic initiative Humanities in the Digital Age, the Price Lab (http://pricelab.sas.upenn.edu/) supports innovative uses of technology in the study of history, art, and culture. We work in close partnership with the Penn Libraries and Penn Museum of Archeology and Anthropology to help train faculty and students in the latest digital tools and methods, encourage development of new computing-intensive humanities courses, and promote collaborative faculty-student experiments and research projects.

Responsibilities

The mission of the Price Lab for Digital Humanities (DH) is to help humanities scholars become more confident users, creators, and critics of technology. A member of the core Price Lab team, the Associate Director of Digital Research in the Humanities will:

• Collaborate with Penn scholars on digital projects and/or research groups. Within the context of a project or research group that is being supported by the Price Lab, the Associate Director of Digital Research in the Humanities is not simply tech support but is more like a co-investigator who is able to consult on the affordances and limitations of a variety of tools and publishing platforms and build creative digital projects along with other scholars.

• Supervise students working on projects under development. The Associate Director of Digital Research in the Humanities will be responsible for providing training as needed, advising students who are considering future DH work (whether that be discrete projects or the pursuit of graduate school) and supervising students participating in projects under development.

• Be an expert resource for scholars at Penn who are interested in using, building, and/or critiquing digital publishing platforms in their research. In this capacity, the Associate Director of Digital Research in the Humanities may be asked to give guest presentations to classes, seminars, and committee meetings and to consult on developing digital projects for undergraduate classes.

• Plan and lead workshops designed to help researchers at Penn (especially graduate and advanced undergraduate students) understand how to effectively and ethically incorporate current and emerging digital publishing tools and techniques into their teaching, research, and learning. Typical topics may include web development based on the principles of minimal computing, creative/critical digital humanities, public humanities, digital pedagogy, game studies, media archaeology, digital book history, or experimental publishing

• Maintain an original research agenda that focuses on engaging with current and emerging digital publishing practices and trends. This research may be individual, or it may involve collaborations with partners in the Price Lab, elsewhere at Penn, or at other academic institutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, and 3 to 5 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required

• Master’s or PhD in a humanities field strongly preferred

• Robust understanding of the standards, norms, and values of academic publishing in the humanities

• Relevant experience managing and building digital projects, particularly using minimal computing frameworks such as Jekyll, 11ty, and Collection Builder

• Knowledge of current digital humanities platforms such as Manifold and how they are being used in scholarly publishing

• Experience designing and teaching workshops and/or courses to a wide range of learners

• Ability to work independently under the pressure of deadlines

• Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills

• Demonstrated ability to be detail-oriented and accurate

• Able to handle multiple tasks simultaneously

• Demonstrated organizational and prioritization skills, along with the ability to work within tight and often conflicting deadlines

• Must be flexible, show effective judgment, discretion and have the ability to handle confidential financial matters

  The start date for this position is flexible and could range from January 2025 to Summer 2025.

• For consideration, please submit a cover letter as well as a resume in the CV section of your application. You can upload multiple documents to the "Resume/CV" section.”

  Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

School of Arts and Sciences

Pay Range

$51,824.00 - $90,000.00 Annual Rate

Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, as well as internal and market factors and grade profile.

Affirmative Action Statement Penn adheres to a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.

Special Requirements Background check required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

University Benefits

• Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts : Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.

• Tuition : Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits . You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.

• Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.

• Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.

• Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.

• Wellness and Work-life Resources : Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.

• Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.

• University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.

• Discounts and Special Services : From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.

• Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.

• Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.

• Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.

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  To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay

  The University of Pennsylvania's special character is reflected in the diversity of the Penn community. We seek talented faculty and staff who will constitute a vibrant community that draws on the strength that comes with a substantive institutional commitment to diversity along dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, veteran status, interests, perspectives, and socioeconomic status. Grounded in equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and affirmative action, Penn's robust commitment to diversity is fundamental to the University's mission of advancing knowledge, educating leaders for all sectors of society, and public service. The University of Pennsylvania prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.