Associate Professor

Faculty Job Ad for CUNY Graduate Center

City University of New York Graduate Center

Ph.D. Program in Black, Race, and Ethnic Studies (BRES)

New York, New York

FACULTY VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

The CUNY Graduate Center invites applications for two tenured or tenured-track faculty

positions at the rank of Associate Professor, with an anticipated start date of Fall 2026. The

primary appointment will be with the new discipline-plus Ph.D. and M.A. programs in Black,

Race & Ethnic Studies, with a secondary appointment—if desired—in a traditional academic

discipline. Both positions will be part of a Mellon Foundation-funded faculty cluster hire in

Black, Race and Ethnic Studies at CUNY.

We seek scholars with strong records of research, funding, teaching, advising, mentoring and a

commitment to public outreach. The area of specialization is fully open, but we are especially

interested in scholars who will be able to contribute to both the interdisciplinary and

multidisciplinary orientation of the newly established Ph.D. Program in Black, Race and Ethnic

Studies. Nominally, such specialization might be delineated as follows:

--Race, gender, sexuality, and intersectionality

--The political economy of race and/or racial capitalism

--State, Power, Politics, Networks, and Institutions

--Race, diasporas, and transnationalism

--Social movements, rights, and social justice

--Indigeneity, dispossession, colonial formations and decolonial studies

--Theory, Humanistic Knowledge and the Social Sciences

--Race, representations and cultural studies

--Epistemologies, knowledge production and political thought

--Art, Aesthetics, and Humanities

--Histories of Difference and Cultural Formations

The Program in Black, Race & Ethnic Studies seeks to offer both innovative and substantive

approaches to the study of race and racial formations, the comparative examination of global

blackness and the study of ethnicity and ethnic formations on a planetary scale. Launched in

2025, this new Ph.D. Program—conceived with the twenty-first century university and student

in mind—brings a dynamic faculty together trained both in traditional disciplines

(Anthropology, English, History, Sociology) and scholars whose intellectual formation originated

in interdisciplinarity. As scholars addressing themselves to societal concerns from the vantage

point of the humanities and the social sciences, the faculty are equally committed to pedagogy

and the training of pioneering thinkers and actors. The commitment to bold interdisciplinary

and intersectional analysis offering explanations and solutions to pressing societal concerns,

situates the Program in Black, Race & Ethnic Studies in constant dialogue with various publics.

Qualifications:

A Ph.D. degree is required. The Ph.D. degree may be in any of the Humanities or Social Sciences

Disciplines or related interdisciplinary program. Since the appointments are for two tenured

Associate Professors expectations are that successful candidates have moved substantially

beyond the dissertation project, having published a well-received first book(s) or the

disciplinary-specific equivalent.

How to Apply:

Please submit the following materials through the CUNYFirst online application portal. Our

graduate programs value inclusivity as a form of excellence and strongly encourage women and

individuals from underrepresented populations to apply.

--Cover letter

--Curriculum vitae

--Research statement describing research accomplishments, funding record and research

priorities

--Teaching and Mentoring statement describing pedagogical approach, philosophy, practices or

experiences in mentoring and advising graduate students

--Contact information for three professional references. References will only be solicited as the

search process evolves

Campus Information:

The City University of New York Graduate Center (GC), a national leader in public graduate

education, is a graduate school for the public good. We are committed to CUNY’s historic

mission of educating the children of the whole people and providing top-flight graduate

education to all. Our world-class faculty are engaged in progressive, interdisciplinary, cuttingedge

scholarship and critical inquiry that advances knowledge and addresses challenges of

public concern in service of a more just society. Our mission draws stellar yet unique student—

diverse, talented, and experienced—who choose the GC for the transformative experience it

provides. Our graduate programs, unparalleled in their innovative faculty and student-centered

staff, empower students to be scholars, educators, experts, and leaders. Our students, in turn,

drive positive change in the academy, the arts, and private, nonprofit, and government sectors.

Located in the heart of a dynamic and global city, we are the intellectual hub for New York City.

Set within the CUNY system, with its campuses across the city, the GC is a magnet for faculty

across CUNY to teach and conduct research. As instructors across CUNY, our doctoral students

contribute to the CUNY mission of educating individuals from all walks of life. Integral to our

commitment to the public good, our public programming and public spaces invite New Yorkers

to participate in the GC’s vibrant, inclusive intellectual culture.

Program Information:

The PhD Program in Black, Race & Ethnic Studies is an innovative multidisciplinary graduate

program offering a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Black,

Race & Ethnic Studies—the first graduate program of its kind in the New York Metropolitan

Area. The BRES Ph.D. Program trains students in both humanities- and social science-based

frameworks oriented around questions of race and ethnic studies. It builds on the existing

strengths in our Ph.D. Programs in the Humanities and Social Sciences at the Graduate Center,

convening faculty with shared interest in Black, Race and Ethnic Studies from 25 CUNY

campuses and infusing the community with intellectual energy and resources for

collaborations. Its establishment positions CUNY as a leader in both interdisciplinary and

multidisciplinary scholarship of race, black and ethnic studies in the region, country and world.

Our 60-credit ‘discipline-plus one’ Ph.D. Program in Black, Race & Ethnic Studies combines the

strengths of a Ph.D. in a traditional discipline with both interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary

research and training in Race, Black and Ethnic studies. Our Ph.D. students complete the

requirements of a ‘discipline’ of their choice acquiring competence in disciplinary tradition

(Anthropology, Art History, Political Science, or Psychology) while immersing themselves in

both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary training that is foundational to the study of racial

formations, Black and Ethnic Studies. We aim to train the next generation of academic leaders

whose research will place them at the frontiers of knowledge creation and discovery in this

important field of study. Our 30-credit M.A. Program in Black, Race & Ethnic Studies trains the

next generation of professionals whose expertise in BRES will allow them to effectively serve

their diverse and multiethnic constituencies in academic, private, public and non-profit settings,

with an emphasis on multidisciplinary research, education, collaboration, social and racial

justice, and praxis.

Compensation:

CUNY offers competitive compensation for faculty. Out benefits package includes health

insurance, pension and retirement benefits, paid parental leave, and savings programs.

Closing Date:

Open until filled. Review of applications begins on September 15, 2025

Job Search Category:

CUNY Job Posting: Faculty

Equal Employment Opportunity:

CUNY is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration

for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion,

creed, national origin, ancestry, age, protected veteran status, disability, genetic information,

military service, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or other protected status. CUNY

encourages applications from minorities, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities.