The deadline for applications is March 4, 2024, and the review of applicants will continue until the position is filled. To apply, please submit the following materials:

• Curriculum vitae
• Research statement, including the potential impact of this position on candidate’s career development and contributions to Rice’s scholarly community 
• Teaching statement on candidate’s pedagogical approach, philosophy, and methodology, including a reflection on potential seminar offerings
• Diversity and inclusion statement (optional), reflecting on the potential to support the university’s commitment to diversity and to further equitable practices within the fields of art and architecture, as well as a potential to mentor and educate students from underrepresented backgrounds
• Samples of writing and syllabi (if applicable)
• Contact information for three professional references

If you are unable to attach the required materials, please email them as a PDF to [email protected]. 

Position Summary

The Rice University School of Architecture and the Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning (CERCL) seek a postdoctoral fellow in architectural history for a one-year term, which may be renewed for a second year. The first year of the fellowship is for the 2024/2025 academic year. The postdoc will contribute to initiatives in architecture, arts, and culture with the aim to advance urban, social, and environmental conversations—including the issues of justice and equity—at Rice and in greater Houston. The post-doc will teach one history course per semester in the School of Architecture, conduct research, and design new program initiatives through CERCL. Successful candidates will collaborate with staff from CERCL and Rice Architecture, as well as the larger Houston community, to create innovative courses that link historical discourses to pressing contemporary issues. We are seeking outstanding and highly motivated applicants who are developing their own research agenda and can contribute to the larger, collective conversation of the faculty across the school and the university. 

This postdoctoral fellowship is a unique opportunity for early-career professionals to develop a holistic approach to teaching, research, and service within a dynamic framework of cultural diversity, urban and community engagement. The post-doc’s primary responsibility will be to teach one course per semester in the School of Architecture, including required courses in the history/theory sequence and seminars related to their line of research. Fellows will be able to advance their teaching skills and develop a clear research agenda in the context of the school’s diverse, tightly knit academic community—a school known for its scholarly rigor that is at the very forefront of architectural discourse. They will demonstrate familiarity with a wide range of research and design methodologies and critically engage a range of contemporary issues—such as equity, resiliency, agency, policy, etc.—through a rigorous historical lens. Houston is a global city, with unprecedented diversity in its communities, arts, culture, and industry. The successful candidate will be able to connect historical discourses with such a dynamic context, and with the larger architectural and urban trends across disciplines, time periods, and scales. In addition to teaching, the post-doc will have responsibilities in campus and community engagement. This includes managing CERCL’s “Thinking about Thinking” program, a new initiative meant to draw attention to pressing social issues across the university and demonstrate the various ways they are understood and explored based on disciplinary tools. The post-doc will engage with CERCL on existing initiatives and may be asked to host lectures and partner with other Rice and community organizations.   

Hiring Range: $60,000 per year; no state or local income tax.

Requirements

• Applicants should hold, at a minimum, a Ph.D. in architecture or its equivalent (degree must be completed by July 1 of the year employment commences) 
• 2 years experience in the following areas
  • Teaching experience 
  • Public engagement experience
• Skills
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills
  • Outstanding collaborative skills
  • Strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

Essential Functions

• Teach two courses in the School of Architecture, including required history and theory survey course(s)
• Develop CERCLs “Thinking about Thinking’ initiative
• Collaborate with local organizations and members of the Rice community on arts engagement programs

Preferences

• Master of Architecture, or a related design field
• Experience teaching in an architecture program
• Experience developing engagement projects in the creative fields of art, architecture, and design

Guidance and Professional Development

• The post-doc will report to Dr. Anthony Pinn, Agnes Cullen Arnold Distinguished Professor of Humanities, and Dr. Igor Marjanović, William Ward Watkin Dean of the Rice School of Architecture, and will be assigned a faculty mentor from the Rice Architecture faculty
• Since this position demands creativity and excellence in research, 20% of the fellow’s time will be devoted to creative projects and scholarly activities. 
• The post-doc can apply for funds for conference travel.
• The post-doc can take technical and professional workshops at Rice. 

Rice University provides a stimulating work environment, with opportunities to participate in the delivery of innovative artistic work supported by leading edge technologies.  Rice Architecture (https://arch.rice.edu/) is an innovative, well-resourced school that promotes the interrelationship of practice and scholarship. We are committed to supporting and advancing the voices of architects in academia and producing research and creative practice at the highest level. The unique size of our university offers an unparalleled environment for interdisciplinary collaboration and exchange, including with other schools and units on campus, such as the Kinder Institute for Urban Research. 

Through innovative research, engaged pedagogy, and creative approaches to application, The Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning (http://www.cercl.rice.edu) seeks to promote and advance models and practices of an expansive approach to leadership both on and off the Rice campus. CERCL’s mission and objectives are enacted through innovative programming meant to enhance attention and approaches to addressing the socio-cultural, historical and political dimensions of life in Houston.

Houston is a vibrant, multicultural city, with world-class visual and performing arts ranging from the traditional to the avant-garde.  The fourth largest city in the country, Houston enjoys a moderate cost of living and easy proximity to the Gulf Coast.  For more information, see:  http://www.explore.rice.edu/explore/General_Information.asp.

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits 

Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment to diversity at all levels, and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status.

Faculty and staff are expected (but not required) to have completed a full vaccination series for COVID-19 (currently defined as full course COVID-19 Vaccine (typically two shots of a WHO-approved COVID-19 Vaccine or one J&J) and a COVID-19 booster. Rice does not require documentation for COVID 19 vaccination at this time for faculty and staff. More information can be found here: https://coronavirus.rice.edu/policies 

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.