The Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication, known as CARGC, is a research institute inside the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. It studies global media cultures and public life, pairing regional expertise with methods drawn from the humanities and the qualitative social sciences.
The postdoctoral fellowship buys an early career scholar a year in Philadelphia to advance their own research, most often a first book manuscript. Fellows are expected to be in residence, to join the centre research groups, to take part in peer mentoring, and to appear at its lectures, master classes, symposia and workshops.
The appointment runs one year and can be renewed for a second on the strength of the first. Scholars apply from anywhere in the world; the 2026-2027 round leaned towards researchers of Latin American or South Asian media cultures.
Benefits & funding
- Minimum stipend of US$67,000, set higher for candidates with previous postdoctoral experience.
- Research fund of US$3,000.
- Health insurance for the fellow, with dependent coverage available.
- Workspace and a computer in the CARGC office, and University of Pennsylvania library access.
- Taxable relocation stipend: US$1,000 for a move within the United States, US$2,000 for a move from abroad.
- A one-year appointment, renewable for a second year on successful performance.
Eligibility
- A PhD awarded by an institution other than the University of Pennsylvania.
- The dissertation must be successfully defended before the fellowship start date of 1 August.
- Early career scholars whose work speaks to global media and communication. Applications are open to scholars of any nationality.
- Every postdoctoral fellow must submit documentation showing eligibility to work in the United States. A selected fellow who is not a US citizen applies for the appropriate US visa.
- Fellows are required to be in residence at the centre in Philadelphia for the term.
- For the 2026-2027 round the centre said it was especially interested in expertise in Latin American or South Asian media cultures, tied to media and creative industries, media entertainment and popular culture, and emerging forms of belonging and citizenship. A South Asia specialist would lead a public history initiative on the history of the internet in South Asia and the South Asian American diaspora; a Latin America specialist would build a transnational research network tracing the platformization of media cultures across the region. This is a stated interest, not a bar on other fields.
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Education required
PhD
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Application process
- 1Check the centre website for the next call. The 2026-2027 call closed on 16 January 2026 and no successor round had been posted at the time of writing.
- 2Write a cover letter setting out how the research aligns with the CARGC mission, which of its research themes it speaks to, and what it contributes to the field of global media studies.
- 3Prepare a research statement of no more than two double-spaced pages.
- 4Prepare a CV of no more than three pages.
- 5Collect contact details for two references, and one peer-reviewed publication.
- 6Combine everything into one PDF and email it to the centre at cargc@asc.upenn.edu by the deadline.
- 7Finalists are interviewed over Zoom, and decisions follow shortly afterwards.
Program timeline
16 January 2026
Application deadline for the 2026-2027 fellowship
Zoom interviews with finalists
Early February 2026
Final decisions, shortly after the interviews
February 2026
Fellowship begins, the start date the centre normally uses
1 August 2026
After year one
Renewal for a second year decided on performance