Job Description

The Department of Art History at Northwestern University invites applications for a full-time tenure-track appointment in Contemporary Art and/or Architectural History at the Associate Professor level, to begin September 1, 2027. Applications from advanced Assistant Professors approaching tenure will also be considered. The geographic focus is open, but ideal candidates would complement and expand the current geographic strengths of our faculty, including Africa and African diaspora, the Middle East, South Asia, Europe and the Eastern bloc, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the United States. We especially welcome candidates whose research and teaching critically disrupt Eurocentric and colonial axes of global exchange or challenge conventional methodological or theoretical approaches to the study of contemporary art. We seek to hire a scholar with interests that could include the connections of art and architecture to colonial and postcolonial political contexts and decolonial struggles, liberation movements, critical spatial theory, ecology and landscape, socialism, transnational socialism and post-socialism, Indigeneity, migration, diaspora, exile, and belonging.

The successful candidate will pursue a research agenda, collaborate with faculty in the Department of Art History and other units in the College and University, and teach in both the undergraduate and graduate curriculum. This position carries a teaching load of four quarter-long courses. A doctoral degree is required by the time the appointment begins. Applications received by October 15, 2026 will be assured of full consideration.

To apply, please submit 1) a letter of application explaining your research accomplishments and goals, and teaching strengths and commitments; and 2) a current CV including the names of three references. Candidates who advance in the search will be asked to submit a writing sample, a sample course syllabus, and letters of reference.

Please submit materials electronically through the application link available on our website: https://arthistory.northwestern.edu/about/open-positions/
Preliminary interviews will be conducted online in November and December. Inquiries about the position may be directed to Mel Keiser, [email protected].

Salary

The expected base pay range for this position is $120,000 - $150,000.

This base pay range is for a nine-month academic appointment, does not include summer salary, and is subject to negotiation.

Northwestern University has provided a pay range representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for the position. The pay offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors including (but not limited to) the experience and qualifications of the selected candidate including years since terminal degree, training, and field or discipline; departmental budget availability; internal comparators; and external market pay for comparable jobs.

Benefits

At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful and competitive benefits. The available benefits package for this position will include health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance; paid medical/sick and parental leave; tuition benefits for the employee and dependents; pre-tax and flex spending accounts for commuting and dependent care; generous retirement savings options; and wellness programs. For a comprehensive overview of available benefits, including eligibility details, visit us at Northwestern Benefits to learn more.

Please read ALL instructions and make preparations before proceeding to the application page:

Applications will only be accepted via online submission (see link below).
Please prepare all documents in advance as Adobe PDF files, and please be sure all information is entered correctly and accurately (especially names and email addresses), as there will be no opportunity for online revision after your application has been submitted.
Please also prepare a list of names and email addresses for your external academic references; your references will be contacted directly by the online system and invited to upload their letters on your behalf.
All required fields in the application form are marked with an asterisk and must be filled before clicking the “Submit” button.
Be aware that incomplete applications cannot be saved.