"Postdoctoral and Post-MFA Fellowships in the Arts 2026-28"

Postdoctoral and Post-MFA Fellowships in the Arts 2026-28

The Notre Dame Arts Initiative invites applications for postdoctoral and post-MFA fellowships in the arts. These fellowships are two-year residencies at Notre Dame designed to advance emerging scholarship and artistic practice in the visual, spatial, literary, and performing arts. Fellows will be funded to contribute to the interdisciplinary research, creative practice, and curricular goals of the initiative, with special consideration given to candidates whose work aligns with one or more of the initiative's current research and creative practice priorities:

• Arts in Action advances socially engaged research and creative practice, with an emphasis on the role of the visual arts, performing arts, literature, and architecture in producing more just and equitable societies.
• Sense and Transcendence centers on the production and study of sacred images, objects, spaces, texts, and performances and examines their uses in ritual and devotional practice, evangelization, instruction, and community-building.
• Techne Futures promotes experimental inquiry and modes of making at the intersection of the visual, literary, and performing arts, design, science, and technology.

In addition to their primary focus on research and/or creative practice, fellows will teach one undergraduate course per year that fulfills the Fine Arts and Literature requirement of the Core Curriculum, give one public presentation of their work in the second year, and participate in the intellectual life of the university.

Fellows will hold a primary affiliation with the Arts Initiative and may have opportunities for additional affiliations with relevant units across campus. Applicants interested in specific secondary affiliations should detail their interest, qualifications, and project's alignment in their application materials. Possible secondary affiliations include, but are not limited to:

• Departmental and programmatic affiliations in the arts (Art, Art History and Design; Creative Writing; Film, Television, and Theatre; Music; Sacred Music)
• Departmental and programmatic affiliations connected to the Arts Initiative's research priorities (such as those within the College of Arts and Letters, the College of Engineering, the College of Science, and the School of Architecture).
• Center or Institute affiliations (see the full list of Centers and Institutes here)

Fellows are expected to be in residence at Notre Dame during the entire fellowship period. The position is anticipated to run from August 1, 2026, through July 31, 2028. Fellows will receive an annual stipend of $65,000, plus benefits, along with an annual research and creative practice fund of $5,000.

Qualifications

Applicants must hold either a PhD, DFA, DMA, or MFA in a relevant discipline (received within the last five years). Applicants with a doctoral degree must have an established research agenda, and applicants with an MFA must have an established artistic practice.

Teaching experience at the undergraduate level is highly desirable, as is relevant experience with (or interest in) community engagement and public scholarship.

Application Instructions

Postdoctoral applicants should submit the following via Interfolio by February 1, 2026:

• Cover letter
• Current C.V.
• 1-2 page (single-spaced) proposal for the research project to be completed during the fellowship period. Special consideration will be given to candidates with research projects that contribute to the interdisciplinary research priorities of the Initiative. Research projects can include creative practice.
• 1-page (single-spaced) proposal for a semester-long undergraduate course that could be taught during the fellowship period. The proposal should clearly identify a curricular connection to at least one of the initiative's three research priorities and align with the Fine Arts and Literature requirement of the Core Curriculum.
• Writing sample (not to exceed 7500 words)
• (optional) A digital portfolio of relevant artistic work in any medium may be submitted for consideration, particularly if the proposed research project includes creative practice. Creative writers may submit one complete work (a poetry collection; a novella, novel, or short story collection; a full-length play, collected one-acts, or other text-based performance work; a feature-length screenplay or a collection of short screenplays). Please submit these materials under the 'additional documents' section in Interfolio.
• Three confidential letters of recommendation. Applicants will be asked to submit contact information for recommenders at the time of application, and all letters must be received through Interfolio by the application due date.

Post-MFA applicants should submit the following via Interfolio by February 1, 2026:

• Cover letter
• Current C.V.
• 1-2 page (single-spaced) proposal for the creative practice project to be completed during the fellowship period. Special consideration will be given to candidates with projects that contribute to the interdisciplinary research priorities of the initiative.
• 1-page (single-spaced) proposal for a semester-long undergraduate course that could be taught during the fellowship period. The proposal should be for a practice-based course, should clearly identify a curricular connection to at least one of the initiative's three research priorities, and should align with the Fine Arts and Literature requirement of the Core Curriculum.
• Artist statement (not to exceed 500 words) and digital portfolio of relevant artistic work in any medium. Creative writers should submit one complete work (a poetry collection; a novella, novel, or short story collection; a full-length play, collected one-acts, or other text-based performance work; a feature-length screenplay or a collection of short screenplays). Please submit these materials under the 'additional documents' section in Interfolio.
• Three confidential letters of recommendation. Applicants will be asked to submit contact information for recommenders at the time of application, and all letters must be received through Interfolio by the application due date.

Please direct all questions to the Notre Dame Arts Initiative at arts@nd.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
The University of Notre Dame seeks to attract, develop, and retain the highest quality faculty, staff and administration. The University is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or age in employment. Moreover, Notre Dame prohibits discrimination against veterans or disabled qualified individuals, and complies with 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-300.5(a). We strongly encourage applications from candidates attracted to a university with a Catholic identity.