Asymmetry Postdoctoral Fellowship

The Courtauld is the UK’s leading institution for teaching and research in Art History and the conservation of paintings. The Courtauld’s Gallery is one of the finest small art museums in the world, which reopened to the public in November 2021 following a major transformation. Across its two academic departments, History of Art and Conservation, it offers outstanding research and teaching from Late Antiquity to the Contemporary with an increasingly global outlook, and embraces a diversity of theoretical approaches and methodologies. 

The Asymmetry Postdoctoral Fellowship at The Courtauld is an exciting opportunity for an exceptional early career scholar to pursue innovative and rigorous research in the field of Chinese and/or Sinophone contemporary art and visual culture, broadly understood in its transnational and transcultural contexts. 

The two-year Fellowship will enable the scholar to work on their independent research project towards publication and/or other significant outputs with mentorship from a member of faculty; gain teaching experience; participate in the vibrant research culture at The Courtauld and other institutions in London and the UK; and assist in the conceptualisation and organisation of the annual Asymmetry Lecture Series and International Symposium at The Courtauld. The Fellowship will be held over the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years. 

The successful candidate will have been awarded a doctorate in Art History or a related discipline within the last eight years and demonstrate an active and critical engagement with Chinese and/or Sinophone contemporary art and visual culture from novel perspectives. This includes, but is not limited to, research that examines its critical histories, multiple geographies, and intersections with issues pertaining to gender, geopolitics, the built environment, ecology, digital culture and technology.  

The Courtauld is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds as we have under-representation that we wish to address. The Courtauld warmly welcomes applicants from all backgrounds, including those through the Skilled Workers Route to work in the UK. 

For an informal discussion about the role prior to submitting an application, please contact: 

Dr Wenny Teo, Senior Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Asian Art: wenny.teo@courtauld.ac.uk  

Application is online. You will also need to include:

1. A CV and a supporting statement of no more than 1,500 words.
2. The supporting statement should include your current and future research plans, your teaching plans and experience, and potential to contribute to the research profile and impact of The Courtauld. Please address the criteria set out in the Person Specification when preparing your statement.
3. Research Project Proposal of no more than 1,500 words
4. A writing sample of no more than 10,000 words. This could be a book or dissertation chapter, journal article, catalogue essay, or other writing sample as you think appropriate. Two suggested names for letters of recommendation.

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