Postdoctoral Scholar position description for Cinema and Media Studies in Critical Design for the Cyrus Tang Foundation project “Critical Design Between the US and China: Problem-Solving and Problem-Making for Education.”
The Department of Cinema and Media Studies and Media Arts Data & Design (MADD) program at the University of Chicago invites applications for a postdoctoral fellowship in conjunction with the “Critical Design Between the US and China” project. This research-based position will assist the Project’s scholarly and creative engagements and includes the following:
- Event, workshop, and partnership coordination, including organizing an International Symposium and workshops, and collaborating with schools, museums, and community organizations to plan and host public-facing programs and participatory activities in both the U.S. and China.
- Research and comparative studies across American and Chinese design traditions, design history, pedagogy, cultural frameworks, and media/technology; conducting interviews and fieldwork; supporting bilingual translation workflows; and translating research insights into visual and educational materials with appropriate image licensing and captioning.
- Design research, prototyping, and evaluation, including planning and coordinating prototyping and production workflows, documenting research processes, managing open-access educational resources, overseeing IRB/ethics approvals, and collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative data from workshops, testing sessions, and public programs to inform pedagogical models.
- Project management, grant administration, and dissemination, including budget tracking and expense reconciliation, software and materials procurement, progress and impact reporting, dissemination strategy development, and maintenance of shared research archives, version control systems, and design repositories.
The expected start date of the position is July 1, 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter.
The selected candidate will be appointed as a Postdoctoral Scholar for an initial term of one year, with reappointment possible for a total of 3 years. The annual salary for this position is supported by the Cyrus Tang Foundation and will be $75,000 with benefits available.
Applicants must have completed all requirements for receipt of a Ph.D., DDes, MBA or other terminal degrees with an emphasis in Media Studies, Design Thinking, Anthropology, Psychology, Art History, or a related field by the start of the position. Preferred qualifications include: research focuses on human centered interaction (HCI) design and/or digital media; interest in game design, speculative/critical design, design education, and/or transnational design; and ability to incorporate HCI and digital technologies into research techniques. Special interest will be given to candidates with a research focus or experience in East Asian culture, design, or pedagogy and have the ability to work with texts and images in both English and the Chinese language, though this is not required.
The deadline to apply is March 2, 2026.
We request that applicants email the following materials to cinema@uchicago.edu:
- CV
- A cover letter explaining research interests and how this position offers opportunities to advance your research.
- A statement detailing experiences and skills related to design, human centered interaction (HCI) design, and/or digital media.
- Portfolio of representative work (as PDF).
- One writing sample most representative of your scholarship.
- Contact information for 3 references that can provide a recommendation letter upon request.
Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide additional documents if needed. Interviews will be conducted on Zoom.
View the position via the College Art Association or Society of Cinema and Media Studies’s Career Center.