Research Assistant Professor in Philosophy

Lingnan University is one of the eight publicly funded institutions in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and has the longest established tradition among the local institutions of higher education. It is widely recognised for providing quality education with a focus on whole-person development and conducting high-impact research for a better world. Moving forward, Lingnan University is well positioned to take lead as a comprehensive university in arts and sciences in the digital era, with impactful research and innovations.

Lingnan University offers undergraduate, taught postgraduate, and research postgraduate programmes in the Faculties of Arts, Business, Social Sciences, and the Schools of Data Science, Graduate Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies. To foster interdisciplinary collaboration and scientific progress, Lingnan University established the Lingnan University Institute for Advanced Study (LUIAS), attracting distinguished scholars from around the world to collaborate with its faculty and students. With traditional strengths in arts, business, social sciences, and interdisciplinary studies, the University aims to equip students with practical knowledge and critical thinking skills to thrive in the future. Subsequent to the establishment of the School of Data Science and LUIAS, Lingnan University is transforming into a hub for global leaders to develop and promote human-centric technology and social policies. Further information about Lingnan University is available at https://www.ln.edu.hk/.

Applications are now invited for the following post:

Research Assistant Professor

Department of Philosophy

(Post Ref.: 25/126/JAC)

The Department of Philosophy at Lingnan University is one of the best for analytic philosophy in Asia. In addition to having a thriving research community, the department will be launching a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Philosophy and AI Programme from 2025-26 and offers the Master in Arts ‘Artificial Intelligence and the Future’ in conjunction with the Hong Kong Catastrophic Risk Centre (HKCRC). The department also provides full support to HKCRC, established in January 2022, which investigates ethical and theoretical issues in the study of catastrophic risks, including risks posed by climate change, nuclear war, engineered pathogens, and artificial intelligence.

More information on the research interests and publications of philosophers at Lingnan University can be found at: https://www.LN.edu.hk/philoso/?page_id=9/.

Requirements

The Department seeks to appoint a Research Assistant Professor with expertise in philosophy of AI and/or ethics of risk. Candidates should have a PhD in Philosophy (or related disciplines) by the start of the appointment and a record of publications in Philosophy, preferably in leading journals.

Candidates should have obtained/been conferred a PhD degree or an equivalent qualification for no more than five years prior to the commencement of the appointment. The appointee is expected to conduct focused research in philosophy of AI and/or ethics of risk, publish scholarly outputs in respectable refereed international journals, and apply for competitive peer-reviewed grants offered by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council, other local/overseas competitive grants and/or fellowship schemes. Teaching experience at both undergraduate and taught master’s programme levels is a definite advantage.

Research: The Research Assistant Professor will (i) carry out research and submit papers to top journals in the field of philosophy of AI and/or ethics of risk (e.g., including 3*/4*-ranked journals as per the current departmental journal list); (ii) submit grant proposals to various funding bodies; (iii) organize seminars, reading groups, workshops or other related research activities (especially in relation to new departmental initiatives); and (iv) provide support to the research community of the Hong Kong Catastrophic Risk Centre (HKCRC).

Teaching: The teaching load will be three courses per year, distributed according to the needs of the Department and upon mutual agreement. English will be the language of instruction. The appointee may be required to teach courses on both undergraduate and taught postgraduate level, and to supervise students' capstone projects. Potential courses to be taught include: Ethics and AI, A Philosophical Introduction to AI, Critical Thinking, and introductory courses in ethics (e.g., Understanding Morality).

Service: The appointee will perform administrative duties as assigned by the Head of Department in accordance with the current guidelines.

Appointment

The conditions of appointment will be competitive. The rank and remuneration will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Fringe benefits include annual leave, medical and dental benefits, mandatory provident fund, gratuity, and incoming passage and baggage allowance for the eligible appointee. Appointments will be normally made on a contract basis for up to two years.

The starting date would be ideally August 2025, but a later starting date may be considered – although no later than January 2026. The initial application must include:

1. An updated CV
2. A letter of interest
3. One writing sample (no more than one writing sample will be read)

Application Procedure (online application only)

Please click "Apply" to submit your application. Personal data collected will be used for recruitment purposes only.

We are an equal opportunities employer. Review of applications will continue until the posts are filled. Qualified candidates are advised to submit their applications early for consideration.

Informal inquiries concerning the post can be directed to the Head of Department, Professor Andrea Sauchelli at andreasauchelli@ln.edu.hk

We are an equal opportunities employer. The review of applications will start and continue until the post is filled. Qualified candidates are advised to submit their applications early for consideration.

The University reserves the right not to make an appointment for the post advertised, or to fill the post by invitation or by search. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.