PHD Call for Apps wordle Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program 2019-2020

Call for Applications

The International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation (IICSI)’s mandate is to create positive social change through the confluence of improvisational arts, innovative scholarship, and collaborative action. IICSI is a multi-locale research partnership, hosted at the University of Guelph, with sites at McGill University, Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), University of British Columbia, University of California at Santa Barbara, and University of Regina. IICSI seeks to contribute to interdisciplinary research and graduate training in the emerging field of improvisation studies.

For the 2019-2020 academic year, we invite applications for two twelve-month residential postdoctoral fellowship positions, to be held at the University of Guelph and MUN. The postdoctoral fellowship provides stipendiary support, valued at $40,500 CDN, to recent PhD graduates who are undertaking original research, publishing research findings, and developing and expanding personal research networks.

Applications from scholars working in IICSI’s principal research areas are encouraged: music, cultural studies, creative technologies, political studies, sociology and anthropology, English studies, theatre and performance studies, French studies, law, philosophy, and communications. Applications from other research areas are also welcome, with preference given to research that has a direct link with the social, cultural, or political implications of improvised art practices.

At the University of Guelph we particularly welcome candidates with expertise in pedagogy and community-engagement who will contribute to the first full year of IICSI’s new graduate program in Critical Studies in Improvisation, which begins Fall 2019. At MUN, we especially welcome candidates with expertise in improvisation and composition with novel digital musical instruments, in both electroacoustic and mixed media milieus. The MUN postdoctoral fellow will have the opportunity to participate in the activities at MEARL (Memorial ElectroAcoustic Research Lab) and the Research Centre for the Study of Music, Media and Place (MMaP).  Notification for award: June 2019

Application Criteria

Applicants are invited to submit a research proposal focusing on the social implications (broadly construed) of improvised artistic practices. Successful candidates will be chosen based on a rigorous application process, with IICSI’s management team serving as the selection committee. Criteria for selection are the quality and originality of the proposed research, the fit with our institute’s overall mandate and objectives, the candidate’s record of scholarly achievement, and her/his ability to benefit from activities associated with IICSI.

Postdoctoral fellows will be eligible for competitive research stipends, logistical assistance for relocation, office space equipped with computers, access to the services of the host institution (library, etc.), and administrative, placement, and research assistance as needed. In return, fellows are expected to pursue the research projects submitted in their application, to participate in the Institute’s research and community-engaged activities (colloquia, seminars, partnered projects), and to present their work in progress in the context of the Institute’s seminars and workshops.

Applicants should have completed a PhD at the time of application (to be conferred by November 1, 2019). 

Applicants must submit ALL of the following via email by the deadline (April 15, 2019):

Curriculum vitae
One scholarly paper or publication written in the last three years
A statement (1,500 words or less) describing the proposed research project
Two confidential letters of reference (sent directly to IICSI by referees via email before deadline)
Graduate Transcript(s)
Indication of language proficiencies and preferred location

Please note that we are unable to provide individual feedback to candidates not awarded fellowships.

Send applications via email to: 
Dr. Ajay Heble, Director, IICSI
[email protected]
www.improvisationinstitute.ca
Electronic applications are encouraged.

Download the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program 2019-2020 call for applications as a PDF.

For more information see our Postdoctoral Fellowship Application Frequently Asked Questions page.