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Postdoctoral Research Associate U of M

Employer
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Location
UMass Amherst

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Position Type
Postdoc
Employment Type
Full Time
Institution Type
Four-Year Institution

Job Details

Job no: 511231
Work type: Post Doc (Amherst Only)
Location: UMass Amherst
Department: History of Art & Architecture
Union: Post Doc
Categories: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Research, College of Humanities & Fine Arts

Sawyer Seminar Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship (Postdoctoral Research Associate) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst

UMass Amherst’s College of Humanities and Fine Arts invites applications for a Mellon Fellowship (Postdoctoral Research Associate) in association with its 2022-2023 Sawyer Seminar “Race and Visual Culture in the Americas, 20th to 21st Centuries.” The project investigates the ways that artistic practices and discourses intersect with other forms of visual representation, with direct consideration of how the politics of race and intersectional identity shape the parameters of cultural knowledge. The Seminar will bring together scholars from different fields in order to examine the historic and contemporary significance of race in shaping cultural identity and to break down the colonial framework of humanistic knowledge in the discipline of art history. It also relates to a public art commission for the large Puerto Rican diaspora community in Holyoke, MA, in partnership with the community organization El Corazón/The Heart of Holyoke. The Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow will be an active organizer and participant in the Sawyer Seminar, attending all events and giving one scholarly presentation as part of the seminar.

About UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.

Job Summary

The Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow (Postdoctoral Research Associate) will play a vital role in organizing the Sawyer Seminar, while also advancing their own research through relationships with the Department of the History of Art and Architecture and the interdisciplinary scholarly and artistic community at UMass and the Five Colleges. In conjunction with the seminar, the Fellow will convene related discussions of research methods with a select group of graduate students from across campus, with the goal of participating in “mutual mentoring” relationships among faculty and graduate students and supporting interdisciplinary dialogue among a range of departments. In addition, the Fellow will receive direct mentorship through regular meetings with the conveners. The successful candidate will contribute to our goals of broadening the scope of art history as a discipline in dialogue with a wide range of humanities fields, and critique the historical exclusions perpetuated by the discourse of “art” as well as disciplinary boundaries that have been shaped by histories and legacies of slavery and colonialism.

Essential Functions

The Fellow will play a key role in planning, implementing, and running the seminar in 2022–23 and coordinating with El Corazón/The Heart of Holyoke. The Fellow will organize a satellite seminar for the seminar’s graduate student participants, which will include de-briefing after the seminar meetings, and allow students to present on their own research, workshop papers and proposals, and discuss research methods. The Fellow will undertake their own research and present it at the final conference in April and a public lecture at UMass during the academic year. They will also have the opportunity to teach a seminar in History of Art and Architecture or another appropriate department in the Spring 2023 term.

Other Functions

The Fellow will be expected to take active part in the intellectual culture of the department of the History of Art and Architecture, engaging with the department’s M.A. students as well as other departments at UMass and the Five Colleges.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

PhD in History of Art and Architecture or a related field (ABDs who will finish by Aug. 30, 2022 are also eligible to apply). We are seeking candidates with a background in any field of the humanities or fine arts, with expertise in modern and contemporary visual culture in the Americas, as well as histories of race and colonialism.

Preferred Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

Applicants for the position should be within 5 years of completing a PhD in the History of Art and Architecture or related discipline.

Work Schedule

The one-year position begins Sep. 1, 2022 and ends Aug. 30, 2023.

Salary Information

The twelve-month fellowship provides a salary of $54,158.94 plus benefits. The Fellow will be provided with office space within the Department of the History of Art and Architecture.

Applicant Instructions

Please submit your application online and include a cover letter, CV, research statement, three letters of recommendation, and a writing sample of no more than 25 pages. Please apply by the priority deadline of January 15, 2022 to ensure consideration.

Please direct questions to Seminar conveners Ximena Gómez and Karen Kurczynski at sawyerseminar2022@umass.edu.

UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military status, or genetic information in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University. To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. It is the policy of the UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.

Advertised: Dec 14 2021 Eastern Standard Time
Applications close:

Organization

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is one of the preeminent public research universities in America. Nestled in idyllic Amherst, Massachusetts—often called “The top college town in North America”—the campus is consistently ranked among the top public research universities in the nation, and offers a rich cultural environment in a rural setting close to major urban centers. 

As one of the nation's top public research universities – as measured by national and international rankings, academic citations, and research funding – the campus spends more than $180 million on research each year, demonstrating its contribution to the nation’s position as a technological and economic leader. The university works in conjunction with academic, government, and private partners to translate new knowledge and scientific discoveries into technical innovations and scholarly works that create opportunities for students, faculty and the public. 

Eight schools and colleges offer more than 85 undergraduate majors, 68 master’s and 48 doctoral degree programs, many counted among the top programs in the nation and world. UMass Amherst is also home to New England's premier honors college.

The 1,159 full-time faculty members are dedicated teachers and world-renowned researchers and the campus has regularly been listed among the top performers in terms of faculty awards. With over 24,000 students from all 50 states and over 70 countries, the student body is the most academically successful in the history of the campus. Students participate in 240 organizations, 21 NCAA Division I athletic teams, extensive intramurals, living-learning residence halls, community service, and internships. With one of the largest residential life systems in the nation, UMass Amherst houses approximately 12,000 students on campus. The university is enjoying a facilities renaissance, including new buildings in the sciences, the arts, and recreation. UMass Amherst is part of the Five College consortium with Smith, Mount Holyoke, Hampshire and Amherst colleges.

As an employer, the University of Massachusetts Amherst is a national leader in developing family-friendly policies, benefits and amenities designed to help faculty members develop both productive careers and satisfying personal lives. The university offers one of the nation’s most generous parental leave policies. The university is also part of the Academic Career Network, a regional consortium formed to serve dual-career couples and encourage greater diversity in the academy.

 

Company info
Website
Telephone
4135454894
Location
181 PRESIDENTS DR
Whitmore Administration Building
Amherst
Massachusetts
01003
US

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