Professor of Creative Writing

University College London (UCL) is a multi-faculty college of the University of London with a population of over 52,000 students, from more than 150 different countries.

The UCL Arts and Sciences (UASc) department is the home for the Bachelor of Arts and Sciences (BASc), the MASc in Creative Health, the Bachelor in Creative Arts and Humanities (BACAH) and a doctoral programme in Interdisciplinary Societies, Arts and Sciences.

The department is launching a new Creative Writing MA course from 2027/28 and are seeking a Professor of Creative Writing to provide strategic leadership, shape the future direction of undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes, and undertake teaching and research in creative writing. The successful candidate will help define and realise the distinctive vision of the Creative Writing MA course, fostering connections between creative practice, literary culture, publishing, public engagement and interdisciplinary research.

It is essential for the appointee to have experience in an area of creative writing and have the ability to develop and teach modules in the practice and study of creative writing at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

It is expected the postholder will lead a number of modules on the Creative Writing and Creative Arts and Humanities courses and will contribute to curriculum development for both programmes. In addition, they will be required to undertake world-leading research and provide internationally recognised research leadership in creative writing, including: publishing high quality outputs, leading and participating in gaining grants; developing research cultures; shaping national and international debates in creative writing and/or creative writing studies; and undertaking doctoral student supervision and recruitment.

This post is full-time, permanent and available from 1 March 2027.

This role meets the eligibility requirements for a skilled worker certificate of sponsorship or a global talent visa under UK Visas and Immigration legislation. Therefore, UCL welcomes applications from international applicants who require a visa.

The postholder must be educated to Doctoral level or have equivalent professional experience in any area relevant to creative writing.

Previous experience of teaching creative writing and curriculum development is essential. In addition, the postholder must have proven experience and internationally recognised distinction in creative writing demonstrated through a sustained body of published work and evidence of significant influence on the discipline or literary culture.

The ability to provide strategic academic leadership in the creative writing discipline is essential, along with the ability to initiate, sustain and lead strategic partnerships with publishers, literary organisations, cultural institutions and external stakeholders.

Experience of successful mentoring and development of academic colleagues and postdoctoral researchers, as well as working with individuals or organisations outside of academia is desirable.

The advert will close at 23:59 (UK time) on Tuesday 6 October 2026. Applications will not be considered that are submitted after this date or outside of the UCL job application system.

If you have any queries about the role, please contact the UASc Head of Department, Prof Wendy Sims-Schouten at w.sims-. If you need reasonable adjustments, a more accessible format to apply for this job online or have any queries about the application process, please contact UASc Head of Operations, Cristy Meadows at c.meadows@ucl.ac.uk.

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits. Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/rewards-and-benefits to find out more.

You can read more about UCL’s commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/

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