Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in Performing and Media Arts

With the sponsorship of the Society for the Humanities, the Department of Performing and Media Artsinvites applications for a two-year Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship position beginning August 1, 2027. The fellowship carries a stipend of $68,000/year.

Cornell’s Department of Performing and Media Arts seeks a postdoctoral fellow with research/creative projects and teaching interests that cross the boundaries between theory and practice in one or more of the following areas: film, media, or live performance. Interdisciplinary expertise and teaching are desirable. We would like to recruit a postdoc whose work crosses the boundaries of theory and practice, who is invested in innovative and experimental research methods and creative practices, and who brings these methods into the classroom.

The successful candidate will also engage in the intellectual and creative life of the department and Cornell  are interested in recruiting candidates who demonstrate commitment to the highest standards of scholarship, teaching, and professional activity consistent with a Research I university.

Postdoctoral Fellows teach one course per semester, including one lower, 2000-level course and one upper, 4000-level course each year. Candidates should submit two course proposals (up to 300 words, including key texts/media) for undergraduate seminars that showcase the applicant’s pedagogical commitments and teaching strategies.

Applicants for the Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship for the 2027-28 and 2028-29 academic years must have received the Ph.D. degree after August 1, 2023, and before June 30, 2027. Applicants who do not have the Ph.D. in hand at the time of application must include a letter from the committee chair or department stating that the Ph.D. degree will be conferred before the term of the fellowship begins.

International scholars are welcome to apply, contingent upon visa eligibility.

The following application materials must be submitted via Academic Jobs Online position#32585 by November 1, 2026.

• Information Cover Sheet (will be generated via your AJO account):
  (a) Full name and home institution
  (b) Date (or expected date) of Ph.D.
  (c) Research interest(s)
  (d) Referees’ names and emails
• Cover Letter
• Curriculum vitae
• Detailed statement of research interests (1,000 – 2,000 words)
• Course proposal with sample syllabus for introductory, 2000-level course
• Course proposal with sample syllabus for upper, 4000-level course
• One writing sample [30-page limit]
• Diversity statement [optional – submit a separate statement or embed the information into other parts of your application materials]
• Letter of degree conferral (only for applicants who do not have the Ph.D. in hand by January 4, 2027)

• Three letters of recommendation. Please ask referees to upload their letters directly through the link provided by Academic Jobs Online. Letters must be received on or before November 1, 2026.

For further information:

Visit: (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).-fellowships
Email: humctr

Society for the Humanities

The Society for the Humanities was established at Cornell University in 1966 to support research and teaching in the humanities. It is intended to be at once a research institute, a stimulus to educational innovation, and a continuing society of scholars. The Society and its Fellows have fostered path-breaking interdisciplinary dialogue and theoretical reflection on the humanities at large.

Mellon Postdoctoral Fellows are invited to attend all of the Society’s events, and are expected to participate in the Society’s weekly Wednesday Fellows Seminar and luncheon.

society humanities.as.cornell.edu