The 2026 Joseph P. Tabbi Fellowship for International Researchers in Electronic Literature

The Center for Digital Narrative (CDN) at the University of Bergen, a Norwegian Center of Research Excellence, welcomes applicants.

By: Scott Rettberg

Published:

Professor Joe Tabbi
Photo: IF/UiB

The fellowship will fund a guest researcher for a 3-4 month-long stay at the CDN during the Autumn 2026 semester (Sept 1st to December 31st), opportunities to work on collaborative projects with researchers in our Publications and Infrastructure Group (PAIG), in our workspace at the Center and participation in the activities of our research community, such as our weekly lunch talks, symposia, and conference. The fellowship does not entail any teaching obligations.

The stipend does not include salary, and is intended to cover travel, housing, and subsistence costs for researchers who are employed full-time at a university outside of Norway. The stipend amount is 62.000 NOK for the first month, and 36.000 NOK for each month thereafter. In addition, the CDN will cover one round-trip economy-class airfare from the successful applicant’s location to Bergen.

 

Selection Criteria

  • The visiting researcher must have a doctoral degree or equivalent and be employed as a researcher or postdoctoral fellow at their own institution.
  • The fellowship is intended for earlier career faculty who have been hired by their home institutions within the last 5 years.
  • Proposed research must align with CDN's core research areas in electronic literature, which may cross over into areas such as algorithmic narrativity, computational narrative systems, digital games, VR, and AI. Both critical and creative practitioners are welcome to apply.
  • The candidate’s independent research proposal must demonstrate high academic quality, methodological rigor, and clear feasibility, with the potential for significant impact.
  • Demonstrated capacity for interdisciplinary collaboration and the ability to contribute to the intellectual environment of the Center.
  • Strong, independent publishing record relative to career stage, including publications in high-impact venues.
  • The candidate should also be willing to contribute to a CDN PAIG project, such as writing a review or article for the electronic book review, writing entries for the Living Glossary of Digital Narrative, or contributing documentation to the CELL Index of Electronic Literature.

Application Process and Deadline

Applications should be submitted via a form at the URL which includes: 

  • A one-page cover letter describing the applicant’s research background, how the fellowship would advance their research, what they hope to contribute to the CDN’s research environment, and how they would contribute to one of the PAIG projects.
  • A two-page CV, including a track record with descriptions of up to 5 of the applicant’s most important publications.
  • A two-page proposal for an independent research project the applicant aims to accomplish during their stay at the CDN.
  • A letter of support from the applicant’s head of department at their home institution assuring that the candidate will be able to take research leave during the period of the fellowship.
  • The deadline for applications is February 1, 2026.

Review process: applications will be reviewed by a committee appointed by the CDN Leadership Group. Applicants will be notified of the committee’s decision by March 15, 2026.

Click to submit your application online

About Joseph P. Tabbi

Professor Emeritus Joseph Tabbi has played a unique role in the history of Electronic Literature. While forging a formidable career as a specialist in postmodern fiction, Tabbi set about creating one of the first online journals, the electronic book review, in 1995. The journal established itself as a leader in open-access publishing before the term existed. ebr quickly became a space for critical conversations in the nascent field of Electronic Literature alongside other cutting-edge literary debates. His groundbreaking work brought him into ready conversation with many of the field’s founding members, helping the community develop its critical and theoretical voice. Tabbi worked tirelessly to draw early career researchers into ebr’s discourse community. Among his many contributions to the field, Tabbi championed projects like the Electronic Literature Directory (ELD), the Consortium on Electronic Literature (CELL), and the ELO Fellowship program. In addition to creating funded opportunities for emerging researchers, Tabbi leveraged his significant reputation to work behind the scenes on the long-term legitimization of the field by strategically cultivating accreditation practices. Tabbi served as one of the original Principal Investigators of the Center for Digital Narrative, in the electronic literature node of CDN’s research.

About the Center for Digital Narrative (CDN)

CDN is a Norwegian Centre of Research Excellence funded by the Norwegian Research Council from 2023-2033. CDN focuses on algorithmic narrativity, new environments and materialities, and shifting cultural contexts. We will investigate how the interactions of human authors with non-human agents result in new narrative forms, how the materiality of digital narratives has changed, and how cultural contexts are reshaping the use and function of digital narrative. CDN hosts approximately 40 funded and affiliated researchers and regularly hosts international guest researchers at all career stages.

Read more about CDN

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