The Department of East Asian Studies, within the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge, seeks to appoint to a 3-year, fixed-term Postdoctoral Research Training Associate in Japanese Studies. The post will start in September 2025 and last until August 2028. This position is designed for early careers researchers and provides mentoring and training in teaching and research to enhance the role holders future career prospects.
We are open to any specialty within the range of fields from premodern to modern Japanese Studies with an expectation of fluency in Japanese, which may include classical Japanese and/or kanbun, is expected. We also welcome applications from candidates who embody our "Japan and the World" campaign and with an interest in comparative studies in relation to the rest of East Asia.
Appointees will be expected to engage in high-level research, to publish in their specialist field, and to contribute to teaching, supervising and the examination of undergraduates and as required, Masters students. An academic mentor will be assigned to the appointee to provide guidance and advice on each aspect of their development.
A capstone of the research output will be the organisation of a workshop at an approved time late in the second year or early in the third year during which the candidate will (with a separate budget from the Japan Studies section) invite scholars to a round table to discuss the candidate's planned book manuscript or significant peer reviewed article with an aim for publication.
Some research money will be available for research expenses and conference attendance throughout the 3 years of this post.
Training in curriculum development, conference organising, running seminars, and supervising students will form part of the role.
Given the wide remit of the research conducted by the Japanese Studies group, the awardee will have the opportunity to receive further training through joining research groups and international conferences and thus expand their skill sets in areas outside research and teaching but which remain central to the pursuit of academic excellence. For a full profile of the section and the current projects the various instructors are engaged in, please see: https://www.ames.cam.ac.uk/research/research-region/east-asia/japan.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 3 years in the first instance.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Applications are due by midnight (GMT) on Friday 17th January 2025 and should include:
- A Curriculum Vitae, including a list of publications.
- A cover letter outlining your interest in the role and how your your skills and experiences will complement the Japanese section and faculty.
- A representative piece of written work - your dissertation, a recent article, or a book chapter.
Interviews are expected to be conducted in late April 2025 and may be conducted online.
Please email, Professor Mickey Adolphson (sma75@cam.ac.uk), if you have further queries. Questions regarding the application process should be directed to the School HR Team (sahhr@admin.cam.ac.uk).
Please quote reference GX43378 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.