China Academy of Art (CAA) is the first national comprehensive institution of higher art education in modern China, and is recognized as the country's First-Class Discipline Construction University. Jointly established by Zhejiang Provincial Government, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, CAA is on the first list of key universities in Zhejiang Province. In the latest round of national discipline review, CAA remained the benchmark for discipline construction nationwide, and its Discipline of Fine Arts was once again included in the "Double First-Class" Discipline Construction list. In the evaluation program for selecting the first list of "National First-Class Disciplines", CAA ranked first in the art schools nationwide.

CAA set up its first Postdoctoral Mobile Station in 2007 and now has Postdoctoral Mobile Stations for primary disciplines, namely, Fine Arts, Design, and Art Theory. The CAA Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Spring 2024 is open to domestic and overseas applicants.

I. Eligible Applicants

PhD holders with strong research competence in the fields of literature, history, philosophy, arts, etc. are eligible to apply for postdoctoral fellowships at CAA Postdoctoral Mobile Stations to work on 15 areas of research, including Chinese Character Culture Studies and Innovation.

II.Areas of Research

III. General Eligibility Requirements

(1) An eligible candidate shall hold a PhD degree (earned in the past three years, that is, on or after September 30, 2021), have good character, academic excellence and good health, and be at the age of 35 or younger (i.e., born on or after September 30, 1988). As the national policies require, the discipline of a postdoctoral fellowship shall not be the primary discipline of the PhD degree.

(2) If the candidate is under a commissioned training program, or is an employed person or active serviceman, he/she is required to complete the postdoctoral program on a full-time basis. Cadres of party and government organs are not allowed to be engaged in a postdoctoral program.

(3) An eligible candidate shall have the necessary academic and business competence, i.e., meeting the requirements of the Postdoc Mobile Station, or any of the following conditions:

1. The applicant's doctorate dissertation and defense are recognized as excellent.

2. The applicant has published one paper in an SSCI/A&HCI journal, or one paper in the CSSCI core journals in the field of literature, history, philosophy, or art, as the independent or first author (corresponding author deemed as the first author, the same applies below).

3. The applicant has received an award (third prize or above) at the provincial/ministerial level (ranked top 5 at the national level, or top 3 at the provincial/ministerial level), as a major contributor to the winning project.

4. The applicant has participated in a research project above the provincial/ministerial level (ranked top 3 at the national level and top 2 at the provincial/ministerial level), with materials supporting his/her milestone results.

5. The applicant is recommended by three renowned peer experts at home and abroad due to the needs for a research project or discipline construction, and is accepted by the cooperative supervisor and considered by the Administrative Committee of the Postdoc Mobile Station as having high academic potential.

IV. Salary and Benefits

(1) Person Category

Candidates accepted by CAA will conduct research and relevant work as "CAA Art Postdoctoral Fellow".

Full-time postdoctoral fellowship. A full-time postdoctoral fellow shall sign an admission agreement with CAA and is entitled to a basic annual base salary, research startup funding, old-age insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, workers' compensation, maternity insurance, and housing provident fund, as well as a benefits package that applies to public institution staff. A postdoctoral fellow with research outputs that are covered in the admission agreement may be granted rewards that apply to CAA faculty.

(2) Salary and Benefits

1. Basic annual salary. Postdoctoral fellows are subject to an annual salary system, with an annual salary of RMB 250,000 for the first two years (including social security, housing provident fund, year-end bonus and other related expenses; the amount of the year-end bonus is based on the annual research results), RMB 127,500 for the third year, and RMB 80,000 for the fourth year during the normal duration of the postdoctoral fellowship. In principle, the duration of the postdoctoral fellowship is no more than five years. No salary and benefits are offered in the fifth year. Salary and benefits are paid monthly as per the approved standards of CAA.

2. House rent allowance. During their postdoc fellowship duration, postdoctoral fellows may rent CAA's housing according to the actual circumstance and pay the rent according to the relevant regulations of CAA.

3. Research startup funding. Actual expenses are accounted for. During his/her postdoc fellowship duration, a postdoctoral fellow will be granted research startup funding of RMB 100,000 in a lump sum from the research funding budget.

4. A postdoctoral fellow will be granted incentives for his/her outputs during his/her postdoc fellowship duration at CAA beyond those agreed in the admission agreement, including: (1) papers or awarded outputs with CAA as the first author affiliation, etc.; (2) papers published together with his/her cooperative supervisor as the first author/first corresponding author, with CAA as the first author affiliation, in which case, the rewards shall be granted with reference to the standards for CAA faculty.

5. Postdoctoral fellows who are rated as excellent in the completion evaluation may be recommended for candidateship in the recruiting or talent introduction program of their respective disciplines. If they are accepted, they shall be entitled to related salary and benefits as stipulated by CAA policies for the year.

V. Admission and Evaluation Management

CAA welcomes applications for postdoctoral fellowship all year round, and the admission review is generally carried out twice a year. The application deadline for the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Spring 2024 is April 15, 2024.

(1) Admission Review.

CAA admits postdoctoral fellows on a merit basis and based on the principles of fair competition and placing quality over quantity.

1. Information publication and registration. Based on the needs of Postdoctoral Mobile Stations or research groups every year, CAA publicize postdoctoral fellow enrollment information on CAA website (www.caa.edu.cn, "Notices"), the website of CAA Graduate School (grs.caa.edu.cn, "Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow" section), WeChat official accounts of China Institute for Visual Studies, Design Industry Innovation Center and other schools and departments with Postdoc Mobile Stations. Applicants should send the electronic version of their application materials (see the table below) to the Postdoc Mobile Station's email address, and at the same time, send the photocopies to the Postdoc Mobile Station's mailing address.

2. Interview and review. CAA reviews applicants' qualifications against the admission requirements, and has a comprehensive interview with qualified applicants at the campus, and elects successful candidates on a merit basis. After applicants pass the interview, their materials will be submitted to the CAA Postdoc Fellow Administrative Committee for review, and their appointment will be confirmed upon approval. Non-Chinese applicants and applicants from Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR or Taiwan Province shall be reviewed by the International Exchange and Collaboration Office.

3. Online registration. After passing the interview and review, the successful candidates shall log in to the website http://www.chinapostdoctor.org.cn/ to register online, print the relevant documents in triplicate, and then submit them to the head of the Postdoc Mobile Station for signature before they are submitted to the Provincial Postdoctor Management Office for approval.

4. On-site registration. Successful candidates shall undergo physical exam organized by CAA (or provide their physical exam results issued by a secondary Grade A or above hospital within six months.) They shall register on-site after passing the physical exam and sign the admission agreement.

(2) Admission Application Materials

Note: Chinese versions of the above materials should also be provided.

(3) Routine Evaluation and Management

This is done in accordance with CAA's postdoctoral fellowship management regulations.

1. As part of enhanced routine management, CAA will organize a research results presentation event each semester with the attendance of supervisors and postdoctoral fellows.

2. Postdoc fellows are expected to promote the research-driven model based on CAA's development plans. Under the guidance of the cooperative supervisors and based on the planned areas of research, they should apply for provincial and ministerial research projects to facilitate the development of CAA.

3. Postdoc fellows should deliver lectures according to CAA's arrangements, and in principle, no less than 54 lectures per semester.

(4) Completion Evaluation.

Postdoctoral fellows will be deemed to have completed their postdoc research when they meet all the following conditions as concluded in the evaluation:

1. Completed a high-quality postdoc research completion report.

2. During the postdoc fellowship duration, published two papers in CSSCI journals (or published one paper in a CSSCI journal and an accredited high-level academic publication) with CAA as the first author affiliation.

3. During the postdoc fellowship duration, conducted one of the following research activities with CAA as the first author affiliation:

(1) Led a provincial research project.

(2) Led a national postdoctoral science fund.

(3) Received a research award above provincial/ministerial level, and a fund offered by Zhejiang Province Funding Program for Preferential Postdoctoral Scientific Research.

(4) Organized an academic seminar that is accredited by relevant functional agencies and postdoctoral evaluation experts.

If the postdoctoral fellow led a national research project, additional incentives will be provided.

If a postdoc fellow fails to meet the completion criteria or produce satisfactory research outputs, or is expelled from the postdoc fellowship upon or before expiry of the postdoc fellow duration, or leaves the postdoc fellowship for personal reasons, he/she shall be liable for breach of contract, including but not limited to all expenses paid by CAA for the postdoc fellow.

VI. Contact Information

Postdoctoral fellowship is under the management of the CAA Graduate School, and the day-to-day management of the Postdoctoral Mobile Stations for Fine Arts and Art Theory is the responsibility of the China Institute for Visual Studies, and that of the Postdoctoral Mobile Station for Design is exercised by the Design Industry Innovation Center.

Contact information for applicants:

(1) Postdoctoral Mobile Stations for Fine Arts and Art Theory

1. Address: China Institute for Visual Studies, 1A-410, 218 Nanshan Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.

2. Contact: Instructor Zhang, 0571-87164806.

3. Email: civs@caa.edu.cn (Please indicate "Postdoctoral Fellow for xxx" in the subject of the email).

(2) Postdoctoral Mobile Station for Design

1. Address: Design Industry Innovation Center,11#201, China Academy of Art, Zhuantang Subdistrict, Xihu District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.  

2. Contact: Instructor Lu, 0571-87200565.

3. Email: caalab@126.com (Please indicate "Postdoctoral Fellow for xxx" in the subject of the email).

      Attachment 1 ：Areas of Research for China Academy of Art Postdoctoral Fellowship Program 2024.docx

      Attachment 2 ：Brief Info Sheet for Admission Application for China Academy of Art Postdoctoral Fellow.xlsx

      Attachment 3： Expert Reference Letter for China Academy of Art Postdoctoral Fellow Admission.doc