Research Positions at Kettering Foundation

The Kettering Foundation offers one-year research positions at our Dayton, Ohio office to doctoral candidates and recent Ph.Ds. Associates act as primary liaisons between Kettering Foundation staff and scholarly literature. Responsibilities include research support for, and participation in staff meetings, research workshops, and selected foundation projects. Information about the nature of the foundations research can be found at www.kettering.org.

About the Kettering Foundation
The Kettering Foundation is an operating research foundation rooted in the American tradition of inventive research. The foundation studies practical strategies for strengthening democracy. The focus is on the ways that people go about solving their common problems, whether they act on them directly, through the cooperation of communities of citizens, or through governments and other institutions. Behind each program is the search for answers to a primary question: What does it take to make democracy work as it should? Kettering Foundation research draws upon and contributes to scholarly literature on topics such as deliberative democracy, civic engagement, social capital, civic education, civil society, and social movements.

Eligibility Requirements
The foundation seeks diversity in academic, cultural, and geographic backgrounds. Previous associates have come from departments of history, education, philosophy, the social sciences, and journalism. Candidate requirements include:
• Doctoral candidate or recent PhD whose research interests include elements of democratic
theory and practice;
• Able to spend one academic year in residence at the foundation's Dayton, Ohio, offices;
• Able to articulate research interests/findings in nontechnical language;
• Able to recognize interdisciplinary connections among research questions;
• Able to work independently and with others in research teams.

Compensation and Provisions
Research Associates receive excellent full-time compensation and benefits including medical insurance. The foundation also provides office space, use of a computer, access to the Internet and the foundation's network, and other research resources. Associates are also reimbursed for ordinary costs associated with a temporary relocation to Dayton.

To Apply
Interested applicants should send a cover letter, current resume, three letters of recommendation, and a writing sample. We will begin reviewing applications March 15. Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled.

The cover letter should address the following:
• What elements of Kettering Foundation research do you find most related to your research?
• Where are you now in the timetable for completion of your dissertation?
• What skills and knowledge do you hope to gain from a year at the Kettering Foundation?

Send application materials to: ABD Research Position, Kettering Foundation,
200 Commons Road, Dayton, OH 45459, (800) 221-3657, abd@kettering.org