Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program 2017-18

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. For the 2017-18 academic year, we invite applications for two available postdoctoral research fellowship positions. One fellowship position will be hosted at MUN. The second will be held at Guelph, McGill or another IICSI site, if appropriate. Please note this is a residential, not a remote, fellowship, which must be held at one of the IICSI sites.

IICSI seeks to contribute to interdisciplinary research and graduate training in the emerging field of improvisation studies. Applications from researchers working in the principal research areas related to our project 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, inasmuch as their research has a direct link with the social, cultural, or political implications of improvised art practices.

For the 2017-18 year, we particularly welcome candidates with expertise in pedagogy and curricular design who could contribute to the development of IICSI’s graduate program in Critical Studies in Improvisation. At MUN, the postdoctoral fellow will have the opportunity to participate in the activities of the Music Media and Place research centre (MMaP). In 2017-18 IICSI-MUN will focus particularly on themes of improvisation and indigeneity, and improvisation and phenomenology.

The post-doctoral fellowship provides stipendiary support to recent PhD graduates who are undertaking original research, publishing research findings, and developing and expanding personal research networks. Two twelve month fellowships will be awarded for the 2017-18 academic year, valued at $40,500 CDN.

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 on the basis of a rigorous process of application, 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, 2017).

Notification for award: June 2017

Applicants must submit ALL of the following by deadline (April 15, 2017):

• Curriculum vitae
• One scholarly paper or publication written in the course of 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 take note we are unable to provide individual feedback to candidates who are not selected for a postdoctoral fellowship.

Send Applications to:
Dr. Ajay Heble, Director
International Institute for Critical Studies in improvisation
[email protected]

Electronic applications are encouraged.

Download the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program 2017-18 application as a PDF