This search is part of a cluster hiring initiative in the College of Media, with each of its academic departments—Advertising, Journalism, and Media & Cinema Studies—conducting an independent search for an assistant professor whose scholarship and teaching align with the priorities of their respective departments. Ideal candidates for the Media and Cinema Studies position will possess the potential for high-quality research, publication, and teaching.
We are particularly interested in candidates who draw on interdisciplinary bodies of media theory, and may engage with qualitative, quantitative, historical, interpretive, computational, or mixed-methods approaches. Applicants’ research should demonstrate a capacity for methodological rigor and intellectual creativity, including, but not limited to:
- New Media theory or historiography: critical, cultural and/or historical approaches to media studies
- Media forms: video game studies, television studies, sound studies, social networks, interactive media
- Media industries: convergence, platforms, labor, production cultures, political economy, network & infrastructure studies, governance, public policy
- Media & democracy: publics and counter-publics, social inequalities & justice, gender & new media, race & technology, eco-criticism, media impacts on historically underserved groups
- International, global and/or transnational media: forms, industries, audiences, practices
- New media in everyday life: audience & fan studies, smart objects, media in relation to environments and space
- New directions in media praxis
Successful candidates should demonstrate the ability to teach across multiple media forms, technologies, industries, and cultural contexts, and to contribute to the undergraduate and graduate curricula in Media and Cinema Studies and graduate seminars through the College’s Institute of Communications Research. New faculty in the Department of Media and Cinema Studies will have the opportunity to develop teaching and research collaborations within the College of Media and the robustly interdisciplinary environment at the University of Illinois.
Applicants should have a Ph.D. in hand by August 16, 2027, in a relevant field, including but not limited to media studies, cinema studies, or a related field.
Appointment Information
This is a 100% full-time Academic position, appointed on a 9/12-month basis. The expected start date is August 16, 2027. The salary for this position is $80,000-$90,000. Salary will be competitive and commensurate with the candidate’s qualifications, rank, and experience while considering internal equity. This position is eligible for sponsorship for work authorization, except for sponsorship of a new H1B petition that would incur the $100,000 fee.
Application Procedures & Deadline Information
Applications must be received by 6:00 pm (Central Time) on September 15, 2026. Apply for this position at https://jobs.illinois.edu and upload a cover letter, CV, writing sample of no more than 50 pages (dissertation chapter, conference paper, book chapter, article) that best illustrates research agenda and contributions, and the name and contact information for three academic references who will provide letters of recommendation. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. Full consideration will be given to applications received by September 15, 2026. Applicants may be interviewed before the closing date; however, no hiring decision will be made until after that date. The review will continue until the position has been filled. For further information about this specific position, please contact Michelle Nelson, nelsonmr@illinois.edu.
For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.
