Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship

Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Cambridge, MA

 

The MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology (CAST) offers a two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship. The fellow will collaborate with MIT faculty and invited guests on the production of an international symposium and a publication issuing from the event (please see the 2014 symposium Seeing/Sounding/Sensing and subsequent book, Experience: Culture, Cognition, and the Common Sense, and the 2017 symposium Being Material and subsequent book, Active Matter). Additional duties of the CAST fellow include development and teaching of cross-disciplinary courses or workshops, and possibly supervision of students engaged in undergraduate research opportunities (UROPs) at the intersection of the arts, science and technology. 

 

Young scholars from any relevant field will be considered, but a demonstrated interest in working beyond one discipline is essential, and administrative experience and capabilities are required. The position offers opportunities for publishing, curating, and producing exhibitions, performances or conferences; previous experience in one of these domains is highly desirable. Scholars whose work engages the role of the arts and humanities in the major new initiatives at MIT around nanotechnology and computing are encouraged to apply.   

 

Terms of Appointment

Applicants should designate a primary academic discipline at MIT within which they would ideally be placed, even though their work is cross-disciplinary. MIT Departments who have agreed to host the successful candidate are: Anthropology; Comparative Media Studies and Writing (CMS/W); History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art (HTC); Music and Theater Arts (MTA); Science, Technology, and Society (STS) and Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP). 

 

Appointments will be for two years, effective July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2021. The fellow will teach at least one course, but no more than three during the appointment. S/he and must be in residence at MIT during the entire term of the position. Teaching obligations will begin in the second semester of the appointment. 

 

The salary will be $66,300 in the first year with a 2.5% increase in the following year, health benefits, and a fund of $2,500 each year to cover travel and other costs associated with research and professional development.

 

Eligibility and Selection

Applicants must have received the PhD, DMA or other terminal doctoral degree no earlier than July 1, 2016 and no later than July 1, 2019. If applicants have not formally received a doctoral degree at the time of application, they must forward certification from the Department Head or the Graduate Studies Office at their institution to confirm that they are expected to earn a PhD prior to July 1, 2019. The CAST Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow may not hold other appointments during the period of the fellowship.

 

Applicants must be eligible to work in the US. Selected candidate may be eligible for J-1 visa sponsorship. 

 

Application Materials Required

Upload to MIT’s applicant tracking system: 

Submit the following (applying to Job #16890) via MIT’s applicant tracking system at http://hr.mit.edu/careers:

  • Letter describing teaching and research experience, and contribution to the creative mission of the Center and the intellectual project of the symposium (see below).
  • Curriculum vitae.

Email to castpostdoc@mit.edu:

  • One-page description of an undergraduate cross-disciplinary class.
  • One-page description of a possible CAST symposium topic Seeing / Sounding/ Sensing,” “Experience” and “Being Material”.
  • Three letters of recommendation.
  • Letter of Certification from the Registrar’s Office, Department of Graduate Studies, or Department Head, certifying that the applicant will be formally awarded a PhD diploma by July 1, 2019. This requirement is only relevant for applicants who have not yet formally received a PhD at the time the application is due.
  • Finalists will be asked for writing samples.  

 

Questions about the position should be directed to castpostdoc@mit.edu.

 

About CAST 

Established in 2012 in the Office of the Provost, CAST facilitates and creates opportunities for exchange and collaboration among artists, engineers, scientists and scholars in the humanities. CAST is a joint initiative of the Office of the Provost, the School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P) and the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS). Evan Ziporyn, Kenan Sahin Distinguished Profess of Music, is Faculty Director, and Leila W. Kinney is Executive Director. The Center is committed to fostering a culture in which the arts, science and technology thrive as interrelated, mutually informing modes of exploration, knowledge and discovery. Read more about the Center’s leadership and activities: https://arts.mit.edu/cast/

 

MIT is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin.