Postdoctoral Scholar to Tenure-Track Assistant Professor - Digital Visual Cultures of the Middle East and North Africa

The Ohio State University • Columbus, OH

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Department of Near Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures (NESA) at The Ohio State University invites applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar to Tenure-Track Assistant Professor position in Humanities-based Interdisciplinary World Languages and Cultures beginning August 15, 2027. This role aims to hire a dynamic scholar who will contribute to the department's intellectual communities through interdisciplinary research, innovative teaching, program development, community engagement, and service. This position is part of a larger initiative to strengthen interdisciplinary world languages and cultures studies. The successful candidate will focus on the relationship between cultures, identities, and digital visual media in the Middle East, North Africa (MENA), and/or its diasporas globally, with areas of focus including cinema, digital arts, curatorial practices, and image circulation. The role is expected to fill a gap in departmental offerings by studying visual cultures and/or media in relation to social, political, and artistic communities. Candidates must demonstrate high proficiency in at least one major language of the region and integrate language expertise with interdisciplinary scholarship. Experience in or commitment to public-facing or community-engaged scholarship is preferred, particularly in initiatives involving undergraduate students and career preparation. The successful candidate will develop a plan for publicly engaged research and/or teaching, potentially including K-12 partnerships, film festival curation, and promoting intercultural competency. Following a two-year Postdoctoral Scholar appointment, the individual will transition to a tenure-track Assistant Professor position. The postdoctoral phase is funded by a Mellon Foundation grant, allowing focused research time, teaching one course per academic year, involvement with the Center for Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, departmental activities, and mentorship.

Requirements

• PhD in Film, Media Studies, Art History, Comparative Literature, Anthropology, Near Eastern or Middle Eastern Studies, Area Studies, or related field required at time of appointment which is August 15, 2027. ABDs welcome to apply.
• Native or near-native fluency in at least one major language in the Middle East and North Africa, such as Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, or Turkish.
• Candidates must demonstrate achievement or strong promise of scholarly success.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in and/or commitment to public-facing or community engaged scholarship, teaching, and/or service.

Responsibilities

• Maintain an active research agenda on digital visual cultures of the Middle East and North Africa, anchored in at least one of the major languages of the region.
• Develop and teach General Education courses related to Digital Visual Cultures of the Middle East and North Africa.
• Develop specialized courses that complement current department and college offerings for undergraduate and graduate students, including promoting AI fluency.
• Advance the Mellon-funded Transforming World Languages at OSU initiative by collaborating with faculty and staff across disciplines, contributing to innovative programming, and creating new courses that strengthen students’ global fluency and intercultural competence.
• Cultivate interdisciplinary initiatives across OSU departments and centers.
• Develop public facing and community-engaged teaching and/or outreach programs for OSU and Central Ohio communities.

Benefits

• medical, dental and vision insurance
• tuition assistance for employees and their dependents
• state or alternative retirement options with competitive employer contributions

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree