Description

Overview of the post
 

The Oxford School of Global and Area Studies (OSGA) seek to make a joint appointment to an Associate Professorship in the Economy and Business of Japan, in association with St Antony’s College.

The successful candidate will be expected to undertake advanced, internationally excellent research with particular attention to the Economics and Business of Japan, to teach and to supervise at graduate levels in lectures, classes, and small-group tutorials; to contribute to admissions, examining, and assessment, and to contribute fully to academic administration in both University units and the College. The post-holder will be based at OSGA, Oxford, where they will have access to teaching facilities.

This position is full-time and, subject to successful completion of the probationary period, permanent. The post is tenable from the start of the 2026-27 academic year or as soon as possible thereafter.

Applications from those at an early, mid, or advanced career stage are welcomed. A mentor will be appointed to advise the post-holder.

If you would like to discuss this post and find out more about joining the academic community at Oxford, please contact Professor Diego Sanchez-Ancochea, Head of OSGA, at diego.sanchez-ancochea@qeh.ox.ac.uk.

All enquiries will be treated in strict confidence and will not form part of the selection decision.

The role of Associate Professor at Oxford
Associate Professor is the main academic career grade at Oxford with a focus on research and teaching. Associate Professors are appointed jointly by a University department/faculty and an Oxford college, and you will have a contract with both.

Associate Professors are full members of University departments/faculties and college governing bodies playing a role in the democratic governance of the University and their college. You will join a lively, intellectually stimulating and multi-disciplinary community which performs to the highest international levels in research and teaching, with extraordinary levels of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.

There is considerable flexibility in the organisation of duties, with three 8-week teaching terms and generous sabbatical leave to balance teaching and research (please see the Benefits, Terms and Conditions section for further details of sabbatical leave). There is the potential for temporary changes to the balance of duties between College and University to enable a focus on different aspects of work at different stages in your career.

Oxford offers many opportunities for professional development in research and teaching. Associate Professors may apply for the title of full Professor in annual exercises. If the title is conferred, you will also have access to professorial merit pay opportunities. In exceptional cases, the title of full Professor may be awarded on appointment.

Appointments are confirmed as permanent on successful completion of a review during the first five years. The vast majority of Associate Professors successfully complete this initial review.

Duties of the post
The main duties of the post are as follows:

 Research and public engagement:

• To engage in advanced study and internationally excellent research and to collaborate in research programmes of OSGA and contribute to their international reputation for research excellence;
• To create, organize and participate in Oxford University-wide conferences, workshops and other intellectual and cultural events in collaborations with other parts of the University, including the Division of Social Sciences;
• To contribute to the development and delivery of the curriculum portfolio including teaching, assessment and quality enhancement in interdisciplinary and/or specialist modules;
• To disseminate research through publication in high-impact journals, participation in international conferences and seminars, and through other media;
• To contribute to the recruitment, admission, and training of high-caliber graduate students;
• To engage positively and proactively with the academic communities in OSGA, and to play an active role in the departments’ administrative work in both term and vacation under the direction of the Head of Department. This includes: 
  holding leadership positions including, at different times, director of the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, course director, or internal examiner in
• Japanese Studies; participation in university academic recruitment exercises, with the appropriate training.
• To engage in University examining;
• To obtain external funding for research, lead research projects and collaborate with academic colleagues;
• To engage in knowledge exchange with a wide range of policy makers, practitioners and other non- academic stakeholders;

Teaching and supervision duties:

• To undertake teaching and supervision on graduate programmes under the direction of the Head of OSGA, the Directors of Graduate Studies, and the relevant Course Directors; with an emphasis the Economics and Business of Japan, commensurate with needs in OSGA on:
• (i) core and elective/optional master’s courses;
• (ii) supervising and assessing master’s and doctoral students.
• To undertake some teaching of undergraduate students in Japanese Studies;
• To contribute to the development and delivery of the curriculum portfolio including teaching, assessment and quality enhancement in interdisciplinary and/or specialist modules;
• To contribute to the curricula of OSGA in the area of Economics and Business of Japan.
• OSGA uses ‘stint units’ to measure teaching and supervision contributions up to a maximum of 288 teaching units per year. The amount of teaching normally must not exceed an average of 288 teaching units1 per year without approval by the divisional board.

College duties and responsibilities:

• In addition to the duties relating to the University side of the post, the appointee will be a Fellow of St Antony’s College, and will be expected to:
• Take on a small number of College Advisees;
• Play an active role in the academic and research life of the College, for example by organising and/or attending seminars, workshops and other academic activities and events.

1 Departments use ‘stint units’ to measure teaching and supervision contributions and, overall, the level of expected teaching and supervision is equivalent to a standard two-two teaching load in North America. Various amounts of stint are assigned to different teaching and supervision activities, for example, supervision of a doctoral student counts for 24 stint units per year, and lectures, tutorials, class teaching all count towards stint (one hour paired tutorial, 1 unit; one hour lecture, 3 units; one doctoral student, 24 units; and other types of teaching to be weighted proportionally). This tariff is subject to local variation.

 From time to time, Fellows may be asked to undertake specific administrative duties for which they would be separately remunerated.

All Fellows are appointed as Trustees of the College and a full induction into your charity trustee role will be provided. As a Trustee, you will be a member of the College’s Governing Body which normally meets twice each term.

Administration and others: 

• To participate in and organise seminars for OSGA and St. Antony’s College, and to contribute towards other College activities, proportionate to the balance of the role;
• To engage in administrative activities related to the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies;
• To commit to equality and diversity values embraced by OSGA, St Antony’s College, and the University.

 Selection criteria
Your application will be judged only against the criteria which are set out below. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet these criteria.

The University is committed to fairness, consistency and transparency in selection decisions. Members of selection committees will be aware of the principles of equality of opportunity, fair selection and the risks of bias. There will be both female and male committee members wherever possible.

If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognising that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result.

Essential Criteria

• The attainment of a doctorate in Economics or Business or a closely related field such as Political Economy, Economic Sociology, Management, or Economic History; candidates must have received the doctorate before 1 October 2025.
• A proven record of research achievement at an internationally excellent level in topics related to the Economics and Business of Japan as evidenced by world-class publications and innovative research projects; and a proven ability to contribute to the research culture and output of OSGA;
• Demonstrated expertise in Economics and/or Business of Japan and Social Science research methods sufficient to teach undergraduate and graduate students, including an ability to teach introductory research methods;
• Fluency in Japanese language including reading, writing, and ability to work with primary Japanese language source material;
• A record of attracting external grant funding for research, with the potential to lead and manage research activities;
• Evidence of inter-disciplinary skills and the capacity to participate in collaborative research as well as pursuing an independent research agenda;
• The ability and commitment to participate in the MSc and MPhil in Japanese Studies and in the MPhil and DPhil in Global and Area Studies;
• The ability or potential to be an effective and inspiring teacher of students of high caliber at the graduate level, to lecture at an appropriate level in an interesting and engaging manner, to provide small group teaching and monitor individual students’ progress, and to undertake supervision of high-quality masters and doctoral students who come from diverse disciplinary and cultural backgrounds, and the ability to relate well and appropriately in graduate supervision and in pastoral situations;
• The ability and willingness to participate in the full range of administrative and examination tasks as required, collaborating effectively with colleagues, working as part of a professional team, and holding leadership positions;
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, time management and organisational skills necessary to undertake the required duties;
• A willingness to lead and participate in the intellectual activities of the Nissan Institute and St Antony´s College;
• A firm commitment to promoting awareness and understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion and embedding these principles among staff and students.

Desirable Criteria

• Teaching and/or research experience in undertaking fieldwork;
• Willingness to engage in outreach activities;
• Advanced quantitative research methods skills;
• An understanding of the needs of and/or experience of working with an ethnically diverse population.

How to apply
To apply, visit the University of Oxford website (Oxford University Jobs) then click on the Apply Now button on the ‘Job Details’ page and follow the on-screen instructions to register as a new user or log-in if you have applied previously. Please refer to the “Terms of Use” in the left-hand menu bar for information about privacy and data protection. Please provide details of three referees and indicate whether the University may contact them now. References will not be requested until after shortlisting has taken place.

Applicants are requested to submit:

1)  a letter of application (supporting statement), which explains why you are applying for the post and provides evidence of how your qualifications, skills, and experience meet the selection criteria outlined above. This may include experience gained in education or employment. Particular reference should be made to your past research work and research plans, as well as your teaching experience and evaluations to date.

2)  a full Curriculum Vitae, including full details of your publications.

All shortlisted candidates will be interviewed and asked to make a short presentation of some aspect of their research to an audience of selection committee members and staff and students of OSGA.

They will also be asked to submit writing samples that are illustrative of their research that is relevant to this position. Further materials may be requested from candidates who are short-listed.

Reasonable interview expenses will be reimbursed. For any other queries about expenses and how to apply, please contact the OSGA HR Team at recruitment@area.ox.ac.uk.

Additional information regarding your application and the shortlisting process
We appreciate the effort and commitment involved in making a job application and want you to have a positive experience of applying for our vacancies.

Please do not submit research materials or formal qualification evidence, unless and until you are asked to do so. Any documents submitted with your application that are not listed above will be disregarded.

Please upload all documents as PDF files with your name and the document type in the filename.

All applications must be received by 12.00 noon on the closing date stated in the online advertisement.

Should you experience any difficulties using the online application system, please email recruitment.support@admin.ox.ac.uk.        

Further help and support are available from https://hrsystems.admin.ox.ac.uk/recruitment-support. To return to the online application at any stage, please log back in and click the “My applications” button on the left-hand side of the page. Please note that you will be notified of the progress of your application by automatic emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk mail regularly to ensure that you receive all emails.

Support and Accessibility
Teaching commitments are mainly concentrated into Oxford’s three 8-week undergraduate teaching terms, making it easier to balance teaching and research. There is considerable flexibility in the organisation of duties, and generous sabbatical leave.

The University welcomes applications from candidates who have a disability or long-term health condition and is committed to providing long-term support including to those experiencing the effects of menopause.

• For disability-related support, please see: Disability Support – EDU
• For menopause-specific resources and workplace support, see: Menopause Guidance – HR

Please let us know if you need any adjustments to the recruitment process, including the provision of these documents in large print, audio, or other formats. If we invite you for interview, we will ask whether you require any particular arrangements at the interview. The University Access Guide gives details of physical access to University buildings: https://www.accessguide.ox.ac.uk/.