Black Arts Today Postdoctoral/Postgraduate Fellow

College of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Description: The College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign seeks to hire a Post-Doctoral/Post-Graduate Fellow in the area of contemporary Black Arts. The full-time fellowship will be a 9-month appointment during the 2025-2026 academic year, commencing in mid-August 2025, with an option to renew for up to two more academic years based on an annual evaluation of performance. The Fellow will also be considered for a tenure stream assistant professorship at the conclusion of the fellowship. The position will be appointed in the Fine and Applied Arts unit to which their research or practice is most relevant, which includes the School of Music, School of Art and Design, School of Architecture, or the Departments of Theatre, Dance, Landscape Architecture, or Urban and Regional Planning.

Black Arts Today at the College of Fine and Applied Arts centers on the eponymously named course offered under the FAA201 number. This online course includes extensive work by current faculty over multiple years of development and includes extensive, unique materials representing an in-depth, cross-disciplinary look at Black contributions to culture, the arts, and design. The Fellow will work with the current faculty of the course to expand and deepen those materials and refine the online course delivery so that the course can be made available to a broader audience. The Fellow will also be charged with developing an additional course in an area of contemporary Black arts relevant to their own research and practice.

Requirements/Responsibilities:

This search is open to scholars and practitioners in all arts and design disciplines whose focus of research is applicable to the study of Black Arts across multiple disciplines and areas of impact. The Post-Doctoral/Post-Graduate Fellow will work collaboratively with faculty in the development of curricula and research initiatives in related areas; will independently and collaboratively conduct research and develop publications; and is invited to participate in a growing community of practice in the College of Fine and Applied Arts around the intersection of arts practice, policy, and pedagogy. It is expected that the successful candidate also will engage with the campus-wide postdoctoral community through various professional development opportunities offered by the Graduate College.

Qualifications:

Required qualifications include:
• doctorate or terminal degree (e.g. MFA, MArch) completed by August 1, 2025, and within the last 3 years
• demonstrated research interest in contemporary Black arts
• demonstrated experience in teaching at the college level

Preferred qualifications include:
• experience teaching in online and hybrid modalities
• demonstrated potential for high level research or creative activity commensurate with a tenure track assistant professor at a Research I university
• a collaborative approach to research, creative activity, and teaching
• experience in teaching students from a diverse array of cultures and backgrounds

More details:

To apply, submit the following in a single pdf file by Thursday, May 1, 2025, at 5pm (CST) to Amanda Plotner, Executive Assistant to the Dean to faa-dean@illinois.edu:

• Cover letter that includes brief overview of research agenda
• CV
• Research or writing sample, portfolio of work

References and letters of recommendation are not needed at this time. Please provide name, affiliation and emails of 3 references that may be contacted at later stages of the hiring process.

Location: This position can be remote, though preference will be given to candidates who are willing and able to be present in Champaign-Urbana.

Salary: The fellow will receive a salary of $54,000-60,000 plus benefits including health, dental, vision, etc., as well as dedicated startup research funds of up to $5000.

Contact Name: Amanda Plotner

Contact Email: faa-dean@illinois.edu

Website: https://faa.illinois.edu/

Application Deadline: May 01, 2025