Open Rank Faculty of AI in Humanities and Social Sciences

Xi'an Jiaotong - Liverpool University – School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Position: Open rank from Assistant Professor to Professor

Discipline: Applied Linguistics and Language Sciences /Media and Communication Studies/China Studies/International Studies

Contract Type: Fixed-term, renewable. 3rd contract is open-ended

Advertisement End Date: 30th of November 2026

ABOUT XJTLU

In 2006, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) was founded by a partnership between the University of Liverpool, UK, and Xi’an Jiaotong University, China. Offering a unique international education experience, XJTLU brings together excellent research practice and expertise from both institutions and gives students the skills and knowledge they need to secure careers in a global marketplace. XJTLU now has over 25,000 enrolled students studying in both Suzhou and Liverpool in the UK. There are currently about 2,500 staff, including more than 1,300 academic staff from over 60 countries. XJTLU offers our undergraduates and postgraduates over 120 programmes with a diverse spectrum of courses.

With a focus on innovative education and research, XJTLU draws on the strengths of its parent universities, and plays a pivotal role in facilitating access to China for UK and other institutional partners. At the same time, XJTLU is exploring future education by blending the educational theory, best practice and culture from the West and the East.

The year 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of XJTLU. As part of its strategic priorities for the coming decade, the university is entering a new and exciting phase of development. XJTLU continues to innovate in education models, and is now transitioning from a collection of distinct approaches toward a unified, integrated Academy model – a syntegrative ecosystem designed to break down silos, enhance agility, and solidify XJTLU’s position at the forefront of global education and research.

For detailed information about the university, please visit here. 

ABOUT the School of Humanities and Social Sciences

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) is a dynamic and internationally oriented academic community committed to excellence in research, education, and engagement. Bringing together humanities and social science perspectives, the School seeks both to advance disciplinary knowledge and to respond to major social, cultural and technological transformations shaping China and the wider world.

HSS is home to around 100 scholars from more than 15 countries and comprises four academic departments:

• China Studies
• International Studies
• Media and Communication
• Applied Linguistics and Language Sciences

The School offers a broad portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across these disciplinary areas and provides opportunities for doctoral study in its core disciplines and related fields.

HSS is currently entering an important phase of academic development. Building on its established strengths in language and linguistics, media and communication, China and area studies, international relations, and the wider humanities and social sciences, the School is developing new areas of education and research at the intersection of AI, data, digital technologies and society. This development forms part of XJTLU’s wider Education + AI strategy while retaining the School’s distinctive emphasis on human, social, cultural and ethical perspectives.

Two new programmes currently under development exemplify this direction. The proposed BSc Computational Linguistics will bring together language and linguistic inquiry with computational approaches, while the proposed MSc AI, Data and Society will integrate computational and data-driven methods with humanities and social science perspectives to examine AI and digital societies, including their social, cultural, organisational, policy and ethical implications. Together, these developments create new opportunities for collaboration across HSS and with other academic units at XJTLU.

HSS aims to educate globally minded, intellectually curious and socially responsible graduates who can understand and respond to complex human and societal challenges. As AI and digital technologies increasingly shape society, HSS seeks to develop graduates who can work with and understand technology while bringing humanities and social sciences ways of thinking to it—combining technological capability with critical, cultural, communicative and ethical perspectives.

Alongside programme development, HSS is strengthening its capacity in computational and AI-enabled research and education, including through the development of the Creative AI Lab and through research and educational collaboration in areas such as computational linguistics, social data analysis, digital media and communication, AI and culture, and technology and society.

As a research-intensive School, HSS supports individual and collaborative research across its disciplines and encourages work that crosses disciplinary and methodological boundaries. The School actively engages with academic, business, cultural and policy communities in the Yangtze River Delta region, nationally and internationally, and plays an important role in facilitating intellectual and educational exchange between China and the wider world.

HSS also hosts the University of Liverpool’s Year in China programme and provides students with opportunities for international study and academic mobility.

More details about the School of HSS can be found here.  

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

The successful candidate will be based in one of HSS’s four academic departments and will contribute to research, teaching and academic service commensurate with their experience and academic rank. The position is primarily a School-level appointment to support HSS’s Education + AI development, while the successful candidate will also contribute to teaching and academic life within their home department. 

The successful candidate will be expected to:

• Play a key role in the development and delivery of HSS’ core AI programmes/modules, bringing computational, data-driven and AI-related approaches into dialogue with humanities and social sciences questions and perspectives.
• Contribute to teaching within their home department, including existing or new modules relevant to their disciplinary expertise.
• Develop collaborative research and educational initiatives across HSS and, where appropriate, with other academic units at XJTLU, thereby contributing to the University’s wider Education + AI agenda.
• Contribute to curriculum innovation and pedagogical development, including the responsible and critical integration of AI and digital technologies into humanities and social sciences education.
• Engage with external academic, industry, cultural, policy or community partners, where appropriate, to develop research collaboration, educational opportunities and real-world applications relevant to AI, data and society.
• Undertake appropriate academic leadership, administration and service responsibilities within the School, Department and University, commensurate with the level of appointment. 

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE

The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate:

• A PhD in a relevant humanities, social science, computer/data science, computational social science, computational linguistics, or related field, with a research profile engaging with AI, data and/or computational approaches.
• Expertise in applying computational and data-driven methods to humanities and social sciences research questions, such as machine learning, natural language processing, multimodal data analysis, social network analysis, computational text analysis, or large-scale data analysis.
• Proficiency in relevant programming languages and computational tools, such as Python and/or R, and the ability to teach computational and data analytical methods to students from diverse disciplinary backgrounds.
• A strong understanding of the social, cultural, political, organisational and/or ethical dimensions of AI and data, and the ability to connect computational approaches with humanities and social sciences perspectives.
• Evidence of, or clear potential for, high-quality research and publication at the intersection of AI, data and/or computational approaches and the humanities and social sciences, commensurate with the level of appointment.
• Ability to develop and deliver high-quality teaching and curricula relevant to HSS’s Education + AI development, including new programmes, modules and educational initiatives.
• Ability to work across disciplinary boundaries and collaborate effectively with colleagues from humanities, social science and technical backgrounds.
• Ability to contribute to the teaching and academic life of one of HSS’s four departments, with an appropriate fit with China Studies, International Studies, Media and Communication, or Applied Linguistics and Language Sciences.

 

CAREER DEVELOPMENT 

1. Clear career development path with annual review.
2. Professional development trainings are provided. 

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

SALARY: Competitive salary in the market

BENEFITS

1. Allowance: XJTLU provide various month/annual/one-off allowances as

• Housing allowance
• Travel allowance
• Children’s education allowance
• Relocation allowance
• Etc.

2. Commercial insurance: international insurance plans customized for XJTLU staff and family members. (details refer to the University Policy)

3. Paid holidays:

• Statutory Holidays (13 days)
• Full Paid Holidays (34 days per academic year including university close days and annual leave)
• Family Matters Leave
• Paid Sick Leave
• Marriage Leave
• Paternity Leave
• Parental Leave
• Etc.

4. Working visa and residence permit in China:
XJTLU sponsors working visa and residence permit in China for the staff.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your application on our university website by Clicking Apply button above. 

Applications must be submitted in a single pdf file that includes 3 parts in the order of: 

• A cover letter that explains how you fulfil the criteria specified in this job description, including specifying which of the three highlighted areas you can contribute to, and which modules you would be able to teach.
• A current CV, including country of citizenship, and highest degree level
• Contact Details for Three References

Informal enquiries about the position and the School may be addressed to the Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, xiaoling.zhang@xjtlu.edu.cn

For specific enquiries relating to the position, please email Jia.Xu@xjtlu.edu.cn.

Please quote the position and Position ID 4466 in your enquiry.