Search for President, Esherick-Ye Foundation

The Esherick-Ye Foundation (EYF) is a grant making organization funding graduate student and junior faculty fieldwork research in the subject areas of modern Chinese history and Chinese archaeology.

The Position: The Foundation is searching for a successor to the founding president, Joseph W. Esherick, who is retiring. The President’s key role is to maintain and expand the visibility of the Foundation and its mission. Key responsibilities include leading the annual grant competition process; considering and implementing additional activities which add to the impact of the Foundation and its grants; managing the Board operations; and undertaking fund-raising as needed to maintain and grow the Foundation’s endowment.

Qualifications: The ideal candidate is an established academic or recent yet still active retiree in one of the Foundation’s focus areas, and is committed to supporting high-quality independent scholarship among future generations of China scholars. Experience managing or overseeing similar programs would be helpful. The position is considerably less than a full-time undertaking, with the associated stipend scaled accordingly. The work load is concentrated in the early spring, when the Board evaluates grant applications. The position may be undertaken from any location in the United States.

The new appointee is expected to assume responsibilities sometime in 2026 or 2027. The search process will begin on September 1, 2025, and continue until the position is filled. Prospective applicants should contact the current President or any of the Board members either directly, or at info@esherick-yefoundation.org, with a brief professional biography and statement of interest. View background info and email addresses for Board members.