ARC Grant-Funded Research Fellow (A)

(Level A) $75,888 to $102,040 per annum plus an employer contribution of 17% superannuation applies.

Part time, Fixed term contract until December 2027

Contribute to the research on a large ARC Linkage Project on Australian Comedy since World War 2 entitled Comedy Country: Australian Performance Comedy as an Agent of Change.

This Postdoctoral Research Fellow, to be based in Adelaide, will be supervised by Professor Anne Pender, Adelaide lead Chief Investigator on the project and will work alongside Professor Mark Carroll and industry partners, including the Adelaide Festival Performing Arts Centre, the Adelaide Fringe, the State Library of South Australia and the Centre of Democracy, History Trust of South Australia. The Fellow will also liaise with the Lead CI, Associate Professor Tony Moore, Monash, Professor Mark Gibson, RMIT and industry partners, including the Arts Centre, Melbourne, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, State Library of Victoria, the National Film and Sound Archive and Roar Film.

This role offers a unique opportunity for an emerging scholar to work in various performing arts archival collections and with industry representatives across Australia, to interview performing artists, develop content for exhibitions and films, conduct a large industry survey of performer experiences of festivals, to publish on various dimensions of the research and to work in a team of leading scholars.  The role is Research Fellow Level A, Step 8 ,0.5FTE for Years 1 and 2 of the project and 0.4FTE for Years 3 and 4.

Comedy Country aims to investigate the development of comic performance and its transformational relation with, and impact on, Australian society, culture and the creative industries from the aftermath of World War 2 until the present. The project’s key hypothesis is that since the 1950s comic performance has not merely reflected a changing Australia but helped drive social and cultural transformation. The project partners with two festivals, a range of cultural collecting organisations and a media production company to build interdisciplinary Humanities and Social Sciences/industry collaborations in digital methods for archival research and transmedia communication, and to deliver digital exhibitions, documentaries, podcasts and scholarly histories.

To be successful you will need:

• A PhD in Theatre Studies, Performance Studies, Music Studies or a closely related discipline.
• Knowledge of or experience in the design and conduct of qualitative research.
• Knowledge of or experience in the live performance sector in Australia.
• Well-developed communication skills and the capacity to prepare high-quality publications and to present engagingly to different audiences.
• Ability to work in a team, interacting effectively with colleagues.

Enjoy an outstanding career environment

The University of Adelaide is a uniquely rewarding workplace. The size, breadth and quality of our education and research programs - including significant industry, government and community collaborations - offers you a vast scope and opportunity for a long, fulfilling career.

It also enables us to attract high-calibre people in all facets of our operations, ensuring you will be surrounded by talented colleagues, many world-leading. Our work's cutting-edge nature - not just in your own area, but across virtually the full spectrum of human endeavour - provides a constant source of inspiration.

Our culture is one that welcomes all and embraces diversity consistent with our Staff Values and Behaviour Framework and our Values of integrity, respect, collegiality, excellence and discovery. We firmly believe that our people are our most valuable asset, so we work to grow and diversify the skills, knowledge and capability of all our staff.

We embrace flexibility as a key principle to allow our people to manage the changing demands of work, personal and family life.

In addition, we offer a wide range of attractive staff benefits. These include: salary packaging; flexible work arrangements; high-quality professional development programs and activities; and an on-campus health clinic, gym and other fitness facilities.

Learn more at: adelaide.edu.au/jobs

Your School's broader role

The School of Humanities is one of seven schools in the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics. The School comprises five Departments: English, Creative Writing and Film, Media, Philosophy, European Languages and Linguistics and Historical and Classical Studies.

Learn more at: able.adelaide.edu.au/humanities

If you have the talent, we'll give you the opportunity. Together, let's make history.

Click on the ‘Apply Now’ button to be taken through to the online application form. Please ensure you submit a cover letter, resume, and upload a document that includes your responses to all of the selection criteria for the position as contained in the selection criteria document.

Applications close 11:55pm, 19 February 2024

The University reserves the right to close this advertisement before the closing date if a suitable candidate is identified.

For further information

For a confidential discussion regarding this position, contact:

Professor Anne Pender
Kidman Chair in Australian Studies
E: [email protected]

You'll find a full position description and/or selection criteria below: (If no links appear, try viewing on another device)

The University of Adelaide is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion. Female applicants, people with a disability and/or and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who meet the requirements of this position are strongly encouraged to apply. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at time of application. 

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