"CERCL Postdoctoral Fellow in Architecture"

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 two-year term, for the 2026–2028 academic years. The fellow 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 fellow will teach in the School of Architecture, conduct research and documentation on the Houston Archive Project, and design new program initiatives through CERCL, hosting lectures and events in partnership with other Rice and community organizations. 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 and in the larger Houston community.

The fellow’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 the Houston Archive Project and city engagement more broadly. Fellows will be able to advance their teaching and research skills 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 through a rigorous historical, archival, and communal lens. Houston is a global city of 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. They will have excellent oral and written communication skills and collaborative mindset.

In addition to teaching and their own research, the fellow will have responsibility for work related to CERCL’s campus and community engagement efforts. This includes managing CERCL’s “Thinking about Thinking” program, an 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.

Roles and Duties

• Teach two courses in the School of Architecture, including required history and theory survey course(s) or seminars and conduct archival research and documentation of the Houston Archive Project.
• Develop programming for CERCL, including its “Thinking about Thinking’ initiative, engaging the entire Rice University community. Additional programming might be used to advance CERCL’s archival collection, and this effort might connect to work on the Houston Archive Project.

Minimum Required Qualifications

• 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)
• Teaching experience
• Public engagement experience

Preferred Qualifications

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

Guidance and Professional Development

• The Postdoc 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.
• 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 Postdoc can apply for funds for conference travel.
• The Postdoc can take technical and professional workshops at Rice.

Salary & benefits

$67,000 per year; no state or local income tax; benefits-eligible.

Environment

Rice University provides a stimulating work environment, with opportunities to participate in the delivery of innovative artistic work supported by leading edge technologies. The Rice School of 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 (https://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: https://www.rice.edu/about

Special Instructions to Applicants

This position is available beginning Fall 2026. Applicants should hold, at a minimum, a Ph.D in Architecture; additional qualifications may include a design background, professional licensure, or an advanced research degree. Degree requirements must be fulfilled by July 1 of the year employment commences. Applicants with a commitment to design and creative practice are encouraged to apply. Applicants should be able to describe their experiences with encouraging diversity and inclusion in their creative practice, teaching and/or research in the past and present, and their ability to make future contributions. The final candidate will have exemplary teaching and professional experience, including a portfolio of inspiring and field-defining design work and/or body of scholarship.

The deadline for applications is November 30, 2025 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
• Samples of writing and syllabi (if applicable)
• Contact information for three professional references

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

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