Tinker Visiting Professorships

Summary
Tinker professorships are well-compensated residencies at the University of Chicago, open to all fields. The Tinker program gives Chicago faculty and students an extraordinary opportunity to build lasting collaborations with Latin American and Caribbean scholars, artists, activists, intellectuals, and policy experts. Nominees for TVPs must focus their professional work on Latin America or the Caribbean; be highly prominent in their fields; and be interested in engaging intensely with UChicago faculty and students, usually by teaching a course. They must have a committed faculty host on campus, whose department will usually approve the appointment as visiting professor. Eligible nominees must be from Spanish or Portuguese speaking countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Spain, or Portugal.  Nominees can be invited at any point in their academic careers, and we can host them for appointments as long as a full quarter or as short as four weeks. Please read below for more information.
 
Program Information
Tinker professors who are in residence for a full quarter are obligated to teach one course—usually in the nominating faculty’s department. Tinker professors who are appointed for shorter periods, from 4 to 8 weeks in duration, must have a plan for extensive engagement with the University community throughout the term of their appointment (e.g., delivering workshops, offering a minicourse, organizing a conference or lecture series, etc.). All Tinker professors are required to present their work publicly and to participate in the intellectual life of the University. Courses must be taught in English.

 
CLACS provides Tinker professors with logistical support, housing, health insurance, travel, research funds, a research assistant, and a standard salary ($34K per quarter, prorated for shorter terms). There are also opportunities for conference support, both during their stay and in the five subsequent years.
 
Any member of the University of Chicago faculty can nominate candidates for a Tinker Visiting Professorship, so long as: (1) the nominating faculty member will be in residence during the Tinker professor’s stay and is fully committed to hosting the visitor and integrating her or him into UChicago’s intellectual and community life; (2) the faculty member has received assurance from the nominee that he or she will be interested in coming to Chicago during the designated year; and (3) the faculty member has assurance that the nominee will be welcomed by a home department—in particular, approval of the course offering and ideally availability of office space.
 
Our nomination process begins twenty months in advance of the potential visitor’s tenure at UChicago. For the cohort in residence during 2027–28, CLACS will accept nominations until TBD, 2026.
 
A complete nomination for a Tinker Visiting Professor is composed of the following elements:

  • A nomination letter from the faculty sponsor.
  • A brief précis of the nominee’s research.
  • Title and brief description of proposed course for quarter-long residences or detailed plan of activities (e.g., workshops, seminars, minicourse) for short-term residencies.
  • The nominee’s current curriculum vitae (including citizenship[s]).
  • An endorsement of the nomination from the department chair (full departmental endorsement is required upon approval by the Tinker selection committee).
  • A letter from the nominee indicating willingness to accept the Tinker Visiting Professorship and preference(s) for quarter/dates of residency.

The criteria and priorities in assessing Tinker Visiting Professor nominees are as follows:

  • Demonstrated scholarly achievement and prominence in the candidate’s field of expertise, or equivalent prominence and achievement in their field of work.
  • Programmatic synergy with the host department in terms of proposed course/activities and research interests.
  • Potential for broad interdisciplinary, interdepartmental connections with students, faculty, and the community on Latin American and Caribbean scholarship.
  • An equitable distribution of appointments in various disciplines and representing the diversity of the region in terms of nationality, ethnicity, sex, gender expression, etc.

Although most Tinker Visiting Professors at the University of Chicago have been practicing academics, the Tinker Foundation and CLACS selection committee accept nominations of other prominent professionals, such as artists, human rights or environmental advocates, journalists, policy experts, and representatives of foundations or non-governmental organizations. We encourage you to think broadly and creatively about potential nominees, as we strive to build as diverse a candidate pool as possible.

For more detailed information on the Tinker Program and its terms and requirements, please see the attached program overview.

Nominations
I urge you to consider nominating a candidate for the 2026–27 Tinker Visiting Professorship. We request that you submit your nomination to Juan Vicente Nuño, Assistant Director, Center for Latin American and CaribbeanStudies, no later than TBD, 2026, at jnuno@uchicago.edu. Please email or call him at 773.702.8420 with any questions.