Graduate Scholar Program

Call for Applications

2026-2027 Boniuk Institute Graduate Scholar Program

Rice University’s Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance (BI) is seeking
candidates for one Graduate Scholar position during the 2026-2027 academic year. The position is open to graduate students enrolled in a Rice PhD program in any discipline and continuing onward in the 2026-2027 academic year, with academic/research interests that align with Boniuk Institute’s mission as outlined below; preference will be given to applicants with a demonstrated interest in publishing, public scholarship, and/or religious literacy. Students who have previously held the position are not eligible to apply.

The Boniuk Institute is a premier interdisciplinary research and scholarly institute that aims to understand the conditions that lead to religious conflict, tolerance, and pluralism, and then help people apply its findings.

Graduate Scholars will work under the supervision of Dr. Elaine Howard Ecklund, BI Director, Herbert S. Autrey Chair in Social Sciences, and Professor of Sociology; and Dr. Kerby Goff, BI Associate Director of Research. Graduate Scholars will participate in a range of both scholarly research and outreach endeavors, including:

• Attend the weekly BI/RPLC Scholars Meetings in the fall semester, in which Graduate Scholars will present their ongoing work to a scholarly group of peers.

• Participate in the BI Reading Religion Salon in the spring semester, in which Graduate Scholars will review current research on the topics of religion, religious pluralism, and tolerance with an eye for publishing the reviews.

• Assist with the planning, preparation, and running of an annual scholarly conference in the spring of 2027.

• Teach a short segment for the BI's Religious Literacy Series in the summer of 2027.

• Participate in BI research projects as needed.

A stipend of $38,000 will be provided to BI Graduate Scholars to be paid over a 9- or 12-month period during the 2026/2027 academic year depending on Graduate Scholars’ home department policies. Start and end dates to align with home department; in-person requirement beginning start of fall semester.

This is a hybrid position with both remote and in-person participation. Graduate Scholars will be required to work on campus in the BI Graduate Scholars’ office every Tuesday and Thursday, with possible additional in-person days to be determined by the Graduate Scholars’ supervisors as needed.

Continuation of the Graduate Scholar position during the Spring 2027 semester will be contingent on the successful completion of the Fall 2026 semester.

Interested Rice University PhD graduate students should submit the following application materials to Hayley Hemstreet (hjh2@rice.edu) by March 20, 2026:

• CV
• Academic transcript
• Brief letter of interest which includes PhD year, funding need, fit with the Boniuk Institute, and any special skills relevant to the position
• Names of two Rice University faculty references