Assistant Professor

Interested applicants are invited to apply directly at the NUS Career Portal

Your application will be processed only if you apply via NUS Career Portal

We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Job Description

The National University of Singapore invites exceptional candidates to apply for a tenure-track Assistant Professor or Associate Professor position in Visual Arts and Cultures, to commence in January 2026 or shortly thereafter. Scholars of all research specializations relevant to the field are encouraged to apply. Priority will be given to candidates who can expand our current portfolio of teaching and research expertise (see our faculty profiles here).

Salaries are internationally competitive, with benefits including subsidized housing. The teaching load is 2:1 (one or two courses per semester, totaling three per academic year).

Programme Information

The Art History Minor at NUS is one of the top-ranked programmes in the field internationally and is housed in the Department of History, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS). The Minor and its sister Visual Cultures Minor (Department of Communications and New Media) are aligned with a Visual Arts and Cultures Second Major (Department of English, Linguistics and Theatre Studies) forming a unique interdisciplinary pathway. The programmes work in close partnership with the National Gallery Singapore, NUS Museum and other leading exhibiting institutions, exposing students to both discursive agendas and practical realities in the sector.

Aligned with NUS's mission to educate and transform, and our commitment to cultivating a vibrant community of students with creative and critical capacities, FASS VAC invites applications for Assistant/Associate Professorship in Visual Arts and Cultures, a full-time tenure-track faculty position in the Department of English, Linguistics and Theatre Studies.

Enquiries may be directed to ellsec@nus.edu.sg. Further information about working at the National University of Singapore is available at https://www.nus.edu.sg/careers. The Department website can be found at https://fass.nus.edu.sg/elts/.

Applicants must hold a PhD or equivalent qualification in the visual art, visual culture or a cognate field at the point of application. We seek scholars with strong publication records in leading journals and university presses who are also accomplished educators capable of teaching across multiple levels - from introductory courses for non-majors to graduate seminars - and who can develop interdisciplinary connections within the arts and humanities.

For the Visual Arts and Cultures role, we especially welcome applicants whose expertise spans more than one of the following areas: history and theory of modern or contemporary art, architecture, design, or visual/material culture; visual studies (including visual anthropology); literary and cultural studies; cultural theory and criticism; exhibition studies; and curatorial studies. Applicants whose research includes practice-based or creative methodologies are also encouraged to apply, particularly where these intersect with scholarly inquiry in those fields.

While we do not require a regional specialization, candidates with research expertise or professional experience in Southeast Asian art, visual culture or exhibitions will be favourably considered.

Applicants should submit the following documents:

1. A cover letter addressing:
2. How the candidate's expertise will expand our current research and teaching portfolio.
3. Evidence of research excellence, including publication record and research trajectory.
4. Evidence of teaching excellence, including experience across different course levels.
5. A complete CV
6. Research and teaching statements
7. Two signature publications by the applicant as lead author
8. Contact information of three referees. If the applicant is two or more years post-PhD, the reviewers should not be limited to supervisors. For shortlisted applicants, the Search Committee will contact the referees directly for their reviews. The referees will be asked to compare the applicant's research performance to specific individuals at equivalent and top institutions and/or programs.

For full consideration, please submit a complete application package (with all the above documents) at by 31 January 2026. Applications received after this date may still be considered until the position is filled. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.