Lecturer in the History of Japanese Art

About the Role

SOAS seeks to appoint a Lecturer (equiv. assistant professor) in the History of Japanese Arts, starting in September 2027. Supported by the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures (SISJAC), this full-time appointment will lead to further collaboration between SOAS and SISJAC in research and teaching and the development of this strategic partnership.

The post holder will contribute to both SOAS’s internationally recognised expertise in Asian art while also engaging closely with SISJAC’s dynamic scholarly research community and public programmes.

The appointee will carry out research and provide teaching and supervision in an area or areas of the arts and archaeology of Japan, complementing existing academic expertise at SISJAC and in School of Arts. The ideal candidate will have an expert knowledge of one or more areas, fields or sub-disciplines within Japan’s art history. The candidate will also be expected to bring a broader regional or global perspective to their research practice, for example, conceiving of the art history of the archipelago in terms of Silk Road Studies, East Asian Studies, global modernism, and/or the diaspora or museum practices, complementing other approaches in SISJAC and the School of Arts.

Candidates with expertise in any area of Japanese art history are welcome to apply.

You can find further information on the key criteria for the role in the Job Description and Person Specification, along with a full list of duties and responsibilities, which can be found on the SOAS website.

About the Department

The School of Arts is a world-leading centre for the study and research of visual and material arts, music and sound studies, curating and cultural industries of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and their global diasporas.

Part of the College of Humanities, it is home to the Department of History of Art and Archaeology and the Department of Music.

The School of Arts brings together scholars working in the arts and humanities of Asia, Africa and the Middle East and their diasporas, across disciplines including art history and archaeology, curating and museum studies, ethnomusicology, creative industries and screen studies. Providing an alternative to the Eurocentric framing of art and media analysis, and dedicated to decolonising and decentring the study of art, media and the cultural industries, the School of Arts blends theoretical rigour and research with practice—many of our academics are both active researchers and practitioners: musicians, curators, film makers and media producers.

Closing date: 10 December 2026                              

Interviews to be held: W/C 18 January 2027

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