The 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence presents an expansive opportunity for examining our arduous path toward a more perfect union. The ACE Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship Program will contribute to public-facing commemorative activities regarding the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In developing interpretive and educational programming, Fellows will provide Americans with the opportunity to see themselves and each other as belonging to the nation; inspire engaged and informed citizenship through advancing a collective understanding of the nation’s expansive and complex history; create lasting relationships with communities historically left out of the American promise; spark connections with youth; and further unlock the power of places in which history happened.
During this one-year Fellowship program, one Mellon Humanities Fellow will complete original research projects and develop new interpretive and educational programming, helping National Heritage Areas connect more people to places that matter by incorporating cutting-edge humanities scholarship into its storytelling. The Fellowship will involve collaborating with Tribal communities, locally engaged groups, and scholars; and the new research will offer the public meaningful opportunities to reflect on our collective history. The Fallout of Fallout – Documenting and Contextualizing the Downwinders Experience in rural Nevada and Utah
This opportunity is generously supported by a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation through American Conservation Experience (ACE)
Job Title: Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow
Employer: American Conservation Experience (ACE)
Location: Eligible for remote/telework flexibility with significant travel for research and interviews in eastern Nevada and southwestern Utah. The Fellow is expected to reside within Great Basin National Heritage Area or Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area or along the I-15 corridor between Salt Lake City, UT and Las Vegas, NV. Cedar City, Utah (cedarcity.org) is the town most central to the study area.
Status: Temporary, Full-time, Exempt
Term: Position is fully funded through August 31, 2026
Start Date: Late August 2025, exact date negotiable.
Host Description: This Fellowship is placed with Great Basin National Heritage Area and Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area. National Heritage Areas (NHAs) are designated by Congress as places where natural, cultural, and historic resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally important landscape. NHAs are lived-in landscapes and NHA entities collaborate with communities to determine how to make heritage relevant to local interests and needs. NHAs employ a grassroots community-driven approach to heritage conservation and economic development. Through public-private partnerships, NHA entities support historic preservation, natural resource conservation, recreation, heritage tourism, and educational projects.
Great Basin National Heritage Area (GBNHA) encompasses White Pine County, Nevada; Millard County, Utah; and the sovereign lands of four federally designated tribal nations: Duckwater Shoshone, Ely Shoshone, Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, and the Kanosh Band of the Utah Paiute. Covering 16,000 square miles (roughly twice the size of Massachusetts) but with only 21,000 residents, GBNHA is among the most remote and least densely populated areas of the country. The GBNHA is a classic western landscape with sagebrush covered valleys and soaring mountains; ranches and rangelands; historic gold mines, ghost towns, and railroads; and human endeavors stretching back over 13,000 years. The Great Basin Heritage Area Partnership works with partners to preserve, interpret, and promote this special place with its wide-open spaces, star-filled night skies, and enduring pioneering spirit. Learn more about GBNHA at greatbasinheritage.org.
Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area (MPNHA), located in southern and central Utah, includes three National Parks, six counties, and five Heritage Districts. The MPNHA preserves the natural, historical, and cultural heritage legacies and contributions of Mormon settlement in the West. The heritage area accomplishes this through community-led efforts to connect with the past by telling the Mormon pioneer story and revitalizing communities through economic development, ranging from 57 episodes of the public television show “Discovery Road” to restoration of historic main streets and buildings, construction of motorized and non-motorized trails, development of an equestrian center to emphasize the role horses played in settling the West, creation of a Railroad village with boxcars converted to upscale motel rooms, anchored by an engine and caboose, and the commission of statues to honor Native Americans.
ACE is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing rewarding environmental service opportunities for young adults and emerging professionals of all backgrounds to explore and improve public lands while gaining practical professional experience.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

GBNHA and MPNHA are seeking one postdoctoral Fellow to research, document, contextualize, and interpret the first-hand experiences of area residents who lived through a decade (1951-1962) of above-ground nuclear tests that blanketed the region in radioactive fallout. The project gives voice to communities impacted by this first phase of the Cold War through recording and sharing of oral histories, while also analyzing what influence these events still have on the region decades later. By placing these events in the context of American history, the Fellow’s scholarship will enable the heritage areas to appropriately and accurately interpret the region’s significance in an important chapter of our history.
The Fellow will conduct original research on this topic, drawing on their own expertise as well as the insights of heritage area staff and board members and outside mentors. A critical element of the research agenda will be conducting oral history interviews from across both NHAs to establish an archive that reflects the variety of experiences of individuals impacted by the fallout, from tribal members to students and teachers to ranchers, miners, and sheepherders to government employees and health workers.
The ACE Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow will complete work in four areas. Fellows will (1) perform project-based research; (2) share research results; (3) produce and substantially contribute to interpretive and educational products; and (4) pursue career-focused work (About 20% of the Fellowship will be dedicated to this scholarly work that advances the Fellow’s career path).

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• Must be a PhD in any field of the humanities or humanistic social sciences. Scholars who received or will receive their PhD between August 1, 2021, and August 31, 2025, are eligible to apply.
• Subject matter expertise in American history; American studies; Cold War history; cultural anthropology; cultural landscapes; environmental history; or rural geography. Expertise in the American West and LDS (Mormon) history and culture as well as Shoshone, Goshute, and Paiute cultures will be particularly helpful for this fellowship.
• Excellent research, writing, and communication skills.
• Experience conducting oral history interviews and ability to quickly develop rapport with interviewees of various ages, backgrounds, and vocations.
• Ability to independently operate video and audio recording equipment (GBNHA will supply the equipment).
• Experience living, working, or traveling in remote/rural areas of the Intermountain West including Indigenous communities and LDS (Mormon) communities.
• Experience collaborating on the development of audiovisual educational or interpretive products.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
• Skill in project planning, organization, and time management; ability and desire to perform multiple concurrent and variable tasks.
• Strong organizational skills to keep track of workload, tasks, and interactions.
• Selective factors include the merit of scholarship and promise, commitment to the public humanities, ability to represent multiple perspectives, interdisciplinary scholarship, and capacity to complete research successfully.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

• Must possess a valid driver’s license as public transportation is non-existent in the heritage areas; must be comfortable driving long distances in remote areas as much of the research and interviews will take place in the far reaches of the heritage areas. It is not uncommon to go 100 miles between towns and gas stations. Note: Fellow will be reimbursed for use of personal vehicle for fellowship-related travel or for renting a vehicle for job-related travel (you must be at least 21 years old to rent a car in Nevada; drivers under 25 in most states incur additional fees when renting). GBNHA and MPNHA will cover these expenses if they are not already covered by the Fellowship.
• Must be a US citizen or Permanent Resident.
• Must be proficient in English.
• Must pass a criminal background check.
• Must be willing to abide by ACE Policy and Federal Drug Free workplace policies and laws. ACE reserves the right to drug test at any time
• Must be willing to abide by a requirement to acknowledge the Mellon Foundation and American Conservation Experience, in any publications generated by this project.
• Must agree that research results, publications, films, videos, artistic or similar endeavors resulting from the fellowship, other than the specifically career-focused work, will become the property of the Great Basin and Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Areas. As the National Heritage Areas serve a public purpose, it is the intent to make the research, recordings, and derivative products widely available to the public for educational purposes.
• Consent to being photographed and to the release of such photographic images.

• Conduct original research into the Downwinders Era and its long-term impacts in Great Basin and Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Areas; synthesize existing research to share with NHAs, partner sites, and public through in-person and virtual meetings and on multiple digital platforms.
• Conduct numerous oral history interviews (50+) to record the breadth of experiences born of the fallout events; identify patterns and themes revealed by the interviews and determine community-level impacts; contextualize the events and experiences as they relate to American history and the Cold War from multiple perspectives.
• Research existing archives and sources for accounts specific to the research area that have already been recorded or described; prepare annotated bibliography of these resources.
• Develop interpretive frameworks to share research.
• Assist with coordination of virtual programs to share research findings from this and other Mellon Humanities Fellowships with partner sites and the public.