Positions/Grants/Scholarships in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies

The Maydan is launching this new database on opportunities in Islamic and Middle Eastern studies as a common resource for both students and professionals. Included are faculty openings, post-doctoral positions, grants, and scholarships, among others. For additional opportunities, summer language programs can be found on our Database of Summer Language Programs.

Due to the time sensitive nature of these announcements, we will update this list as new opportunities are opened and remove postings when they are closed.

To add listings, please email journals@themaydan.com

 

Faculty Positions

Tenure Track Position, Harvard Divinity School

  • Full-time, tenure track appointment in Islamic Studies with particular interest in a candidate with scholarly expertise either in: Islam in the Americas, Islam in Southeast Asia, or Qur’anic Studies
  • Candidate should be competent in the appropriate research languages and conversant with the broader, global history of Islamic religion and culture
  • The successful candidate will work closely with students in the Divinity School’s masters programs and the doctoral program in the Study of Religion; it is expected that this scholar will be in conversation with those in other programs and schools at Harvard critical to Islamic Studies
  • Candidates must hold a doctoral degree by 30 June 2020
  • Review of applications begins in September 2019
  • Letters of nomination are also welcome and should be sent to: Islamic Studies Search Committee, c/o HDS Faculty Search Office, Harvard Divinity School, 45 Francis Ave, Divinity Hall 417, Cambridge, MA, 02138, or to islamicsearch@hds.harvard.edu
  • Application Website

 

Assistant Professor – Islam, Syracuse University

  • Tenure-track position as an Assistant Professor of Religion, to begin August 2020 in the Department of Religion in the College of Arts and Sciences
  • Preference for an applicant trained in the academic study of religion who specializes in modern and/or contemporary Islam and Muslim cultures, in any geographical region but especially in Africa, Asia, or the America; and whose research and teaching in Islam intersects with studies in one or more of the following: gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, politics and aesthetics
  • Successful applicant will teach at least 6 credit hours per semester and participate in graduate level dissertation committees and examinations; service through advising, committee works, etc.; research and publications in areas of expertise
  • PhD in directly relevant area of job description and in hand by beginning of appointment required
  • Review of applications begins 01 October 2019
  • Application Website

 

Assistant Professor of Medieval and Islamic Art History, George Mason University

  • Position for a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Medieval and Islamic Art History in the Department of History and Art History
  • Candidates for this position should have an active scholarly agenda in the field of pre-modern Islamic, Medieval European, or Byzantine art history; candidates whose research demonstrates critical engagements with global, transcultural, and trans-regional conversations in their discipline especially welcome
  • Candidates will have a 2/2 teaching load and will have broad latitude in developing an array of undergraduate and graduate courses
  • Candidates must have completed a PhD by August 2020
  • Review of applications begins 01 November 2019
  • Contact for inquiries: Dr. Michele Greet, Search Committee Chair: mgreet@gmu.edu
  • Application Website

 

Assistant Professor, North Carolina State University

  • Position as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Religious Studies with a specialization in Islam in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
  • The standard teaching load will be four courses a year; candidates must be able to teaching introductory to advanced courses on Islam and to contribute to the Department’s core teaching needs in other areas of Religious Studies
  • Candidates must have a PhD in Religious Studies or a closely related field and superior teaching and research abilities
  • Review of applications begins 21 October 2019
  • Three letters of reference must be sent to: Religious Studies Search Committee, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 8103, Raleigh, NC 27695-8103
  • Application Website

 

Open Rank Position, the University of Chicago

  • Position for scholar(s) in the study of Islam in Africa at the University of Chicago Divinity School
  • Rank and salary are open and applications at the assistant professor, associate professor, and full professor rank are welcome; appointment date will be 01 July 2020
  • Particularly interested in candidates with scholarly expertise in Islamic religious thought and practice in Africa who are also deeply engaged in one or more of the following areas of inquiry: interactions between Islam and other African religious traditions (such as Ifá or Christianity) or between different Islamic traditions (Sufism, Salafism, Shi’ism, Ahmadiyya, etc); poetic, literary, and artistic expression; race and ethnicity; gender; colonialism and post-colonialism; and globalization
  • Candidates must hold the PhD by the time of appointment
  • Review of applications begins 15 September 2019
  • Contact for inquiries: Sara Bigger: sfbigger@uchicago.edu
  • Application Website

 

Assistant Professor, Fordham University

  • Tenure-track assistant professorship, beginning Fall 2020, in the field of Modern Islam in the Department of Theology
  • The department is eager to consider candidates working on a range of modern Islamic traditions and communities, geographical region open, and in a range of methodologies (including but not limited to ethics, constructive religious thought, and historical study)
  • PhD required; ordinary teaching load is five courses per year
  • Application Deadline: 11 October 2019
  • Contact for inquiries: Patrick Hornbeck, Chair, Department of Theology: hornbeck@fordham.edu
  • Application Website

 

Assistant Professor, Dartmouth College

  • Position for a historian of the Pre-modern and Early Modern Islamic World, to be appointed at the rank of Assistant Professor in the Department of History
  • Applications are sought from historians whose primary research fields are in any region or any period prior to 1800; the successful candidate must show promise of outstanding scholarly achievement and a commitment to classroom teaching at the undergraduate level
  • The appointment will begin 01 July 2020 and a PhD in History or a related field is required by the start date of the appointment
  • Application Deadline: 11 October 2019
  • Application Website

 

Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies, Macalester College

  • Tenure-track position in the Macalester College Religious Studies Department, starting Fall 2020
  • The successful candidate will be expected to teach a broad range of courses in classical and modern Islam and in the study of religion more broadly (i.e. Introduction to Religious Studies); the field of specialty within Islamic Studies is open
  • Candidate’s ability to contribute to other on-campus programs (for example, the Arabic Language Program, the Middle Eastern Studies and Islamic Civilizations concentration, Classical Mediterranean and the Middle East, American Studies, Sociology, and/or International Studies departments) will also be considered
  • A PhD is required by time of appointment
  • Applications received by 01 October 2019 will receive first consideration
  • Contact for inquiries: Dr. Susanna Drake, Chair, Department of Religious Studies: sdrake@macalester.edu
  • Application Website

 

Associate Professor, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

  • Position of Associate Professor in History of the Middle East available in the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Studies
  • Applications from candidates with a specialisation in History of the Ancient Middle East up to and including the early Medieval period will be particularly welcome; an ability to teach an ancient Near Eastern language will be desirable
  • Applicants may have one or more regional specialisations including (but not limited to) any of the following: Egypt, the Mediterranean World, Mesopotamia
  • Applicants must hold a PhD and have a strong research profile appropriate to their career stage
  • Application Deadline: 27 September 2019
  • Application Website

 

Associate Professor, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

  • Tenure-track position of Assistant Professor in Modern Middle Eastern Studies available in the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Studies
  • Applications from candidates with a specialisation in one or more of the following will be particularly welcome: Cultural Anthropology, Politics of the Middle East, History of the Middle East; an ability to teach Arabic will be desirable
  • Applicants may have one or more regional specialisations including (but not limited to) any of the following: North Africa, the Gulf States, Iraq
  • Applicants must hold a PhD and have a strong research profile appropriate to their career stage
  • Application Deadline: 27 September 2019
  • Application Website

 

Muslim Scholar, Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies

  • ICJS is looking for a dynamic scholar and educator who will develop and implement educational programs for non-traditional adult learners and pursue an active research agenda
  • The Muslim Scholar will be the ICJS’ key point of contact with Baltimore’s ethnically and socioeconomically diverse Muslim communities
  • PhD or comparable degree in a relevant field is expected at the time of appointment
  • Application Deadline: 01 November 2019
  • Application materials must be emailed to jobs@icjs.org
  • Contact for inquiries: Matthew Taylor, ICJS Protestant Scholar: mtaylor@icjs.org
  • Application Information

 

Assistant/Associate/Full Professor, Yale University

  • Appointment in Modern Middle East history to begin on 01 July 2020 in the Yale University Department of History
  • The successful candidate may be appointed at the rank of full or associate professor with tenure, or at the rank of untenured assistant professor
  • Applications are invited from senior scholars who have demonstrated exceptional scholarship and teaching as well as leadership in their field; applications are also invited from early-career historians with strong potential for achievement in scholarship and undergraduate and graduate teaching
  • Review of applications begins 15 October 2019
  • Contact for inquiries: Dana Lee: dana.lee@yale.edu
  • Application Website

 

Assistant Professor, Appalachian State University

  • Tenured/tenure-track assistant professor position in Middle East/North Africa History to begin 01 August 2020
  • Successful candidate will teach courses in area of specialization and global history; in addition to instructional duties, faculty members are expected to maintain an active program of scholarship as well as participate in service activities
  • PhD in history or a related field, teaching experience, and evidence of scholarly potential expected; candidates who are ABD will be considered, but the position requires completion of all doctoral requirements by August 2020
  • Review of applications begins 16 September 2019
  • Application Website

 

Open Rank Position, Colorado College

  • Open rank position in comparative politics, broadly defined, in the Department of Political Science
  • Position requires expertise in the Middle East and North Africa, broadly defined; crucial to the position is potential for, and commitment to, excellence in scholarship as well as in teaching at a liberal arts institution
  • PhD required; all requirements for the PhD should be complete by the starting date of 24 August 2020
  • Application Deadline: 15 September 2019
  • Application Website

 

Assistant Professor of Ottoman History, Binghamton University

  • Position for a tenure-track assistant professorship in early modern Ottoman history (c. 1300-1800) beginning in Fall 2020 in the Department of History at Binghamton University, State University of New York
  • Applications sought from candidates whose research is grounded in Ottoman sources and archival materials, and especially encourage applications from scholars who take a trans-regional or trans-imperial perspective that incorporates the diverse religious groups, ethnicities, and regions that constitute the Ottoman world
  • Candidates should have the PhD in hand or have completed all the requirements for the PhD by summer 2020
  • Application Deadline: 15 October 2019
  • Contact for inquiries: Chair of the Department of History, Dr. Kent Schull: kschull@binghamton.edu
  • Application Website

 

Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs and Administration, Hartford Seminary

  • The Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs and Administration (DVP) is, after the President, the most senior administrator in the Seminary
  • DVP works with the President in collaboration with the Senior Leadership Team to provide administrative leadership to all aspects of the Seminary’s life
  • Post holder is supportive of, exhibits, and produces scholarship that is broadly engaged with issues of theological education and interreligious dialogue, deeply informed by one of the disciplines within the Seminary’s strategic and missional focus (Jewish Studies, Christian Studies, Islamic Studies)
  • An earned doctorate (PhD preferred) from an accredited university or graduate school is required
  • Applicants with scholarly and teaching expertise in Modern Jewish Studies or Islamic Studies are especially encouraged to apply, given institutional needs
  • Review of applications begins 15 September 2019
  • Complete application must be submitted electronically to Ms. Lorraine Browne at lbrowne@hartsem.edu and include a letter of application, a current curriculum vitae, and three letters of reference submitted directly by the recommenders
  • Application Information

 

Assistant Professor of Arabic, Macalester College

  • Tenure-track position in the Macalester College Department of the Classical Mediterranean and Middle East
  • Candidates must demonstrate passion and ability for teaching Modern Standard Arabic at all levels, as well as research and teaching interests in the literature, history, cultures, and/or societies of the classical Arab world
  • Strengths in pre-Islamic literature, interdisciplinary approaches to literature, and in literary theory and analysis are particularly welcome
  • Candidates should have experience independently developing and leading an Arabic language program
  • Application Deadline: 05 October 2019
  • Contact for inquiries: Brian Lush, department chair: blush@macalester.edu
  • Application Website

 

Rosalind Franklin Tenure Track Professorship, University of Groningen

  • Application is open to female academics working in a discipline represented in the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies
  • Position is tenure-track, leading to full professor
  • In accordance with the strategic goals of the Faculty and the profile of the Department of Christianity and History of Ideas, female scholars in the specific research field of Islamic Thought and Culture are especially welcome
  • PhD degree in Theology/Religious Studies or another field appropriate to the position required
  • Successful applicant must be willing to learn the Dutch language, with the aim of reaching European standard B2 within three years
  • Application Deadline: 29 August 2019
  • Contact for inquiries: Prof. Mladen Popović, Dean of the Faculty and Chair of the appointment advisory committee: m.popovic@rug.nl
  • Application Website

 

Assistant Professor, University of California – Los Angeles

  • Tenure-track position at the rank of assistant professor in 16th through mid-19th century Ottoman history, in the UCLA Department of History
  • The department welcomes applications considering any theme or methodological approach; appointment will begin on 01 July 2020
  • All candidates should have completed their PhD in history no later than 30 June 2020
  • Application Deadline: 01 October 2019
  • Application Website

 

Professor of History, Pennsylvania State University

  • Position is a new endowed professorship, the Oliver McCourtney Professor of History in the Department of History, position specializing in the Global South, broadly constructed
  • The appointment will be made at the rank of Professor, with tenure, and will begin in August 2020
  • The successful applicant should be able to enhance the graduate and undergraduate curricula, demonstrate an active research agenda of international distinction, and be able to contribute immediately to both graduate and undergraduate teaching in the department
  • PhD is required at the time of appointment
  • Review of applications begins 15 November 2019
  • Application Website

 

Scholar Rescue Fund, Institute of International Education

  • IIE-SRF fellowships support visiting appointments for threatened scholars to continue their work in safety at partnering academic institutions worldwide.
  • Applicants may apply directly or may have a third party submit application materials on their behalf.
  • Eligibility criteria link
  • Rolling application
  • Application page
  • Contact/Applications: srf@iie.org

 

The following organizations provide lists of open faculty positions and employment opportunities. These lists may contain positions that have since been filled.

 

Middle East Studies Association

 

Carolina Center for the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations

 

H-Net, Humanities and Social Sciences Online

Professional/Staff Positions

Near Eastern Studies Librarian, Princeton University

  • Collaborative, service-oriented subject specialist sought to shape & enrich its top-rated library collections and provide outstanding library services in the interdisciplinary field of Near Eastern Studies
  • PhD in a field related to Near Eastern Studies OR an ALA-accredited MLS degree with a BA in a Near Eastern-related field required
  • Successful candidate will be appointed to an appropriate Librarian rank depending upon qualifications and experience
  • Position open until filled
  • Contact for inquiries: temanuel@princeton.edu
  • Application Website

 

Research Scholar, New York University

  • Position for a research scholar in the Islamic Sciences with a specialization on women’s issues
  • Role will report to the Executive Director
  • Position requires leading research of primary and secondary texts related to Islam and the following sub-frames: history, theology, philosophy, spirituality, law, jurisprudence, and exegesis and its relation to contemporary issues facing college Muslim students, young professionals, and individuals of diverse backgrounds
  • Position open until filled
  • Application Website

Masters/PhD Scholarships

Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships Program

  • Undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to apply
  • Applicants must apply through participating universities (eligibility based on attendance at a participating university)
  • Applicants must be enrolled in a program that combines language training and area studies
  • Website

 

Grabar Travel Grant, Historians of Islamic Art Association

  • Open to graduate students (doctoral candidates) who have been invited or accepted as participants in a scholarly conference or other professional meeting for the purpose of presenting papers, chairing sessions or moderating discussions.
  • Twice annual funding deadlines: 01 August and 15 December
  • Must be used within one year of being awarded
  • Funding available up to $700
  • Website

Research/Project-Based Grants

Post-Doctoral Researcher, University of Amsterdam

  • Post-doctoral position as part of the ERC-funded Synergy Project “The European Qur’an. Islamic Scripture in European Culture and Religion 1150-1850 (EuQu)”, at the UvA led by prof. Gerard Wiegers
  • The EuQu project studies the ways in which the Islamic Holy Book is embedded in the intellectual, religious and cultural history of Medieval and Early Modern Christians, European Jews, freethinkers, atheists and European Muslims
  • The post-doctoral researcher will study the use that European scholars made of Muslim exegetical literature in order to understand the Qur’an
  • The successful applicant must have a PhD in in a relevant field (such as Religious Studies, Arabic and Islamic Studies, History, European Studies and Jewish Studies) and proven skills in and affinity with the History of Islam in Europe
  • Application Deadline: 05 September 2019
  • Contact for inquiries: Prof. Gerard Wiegers: G.A.Wiegers@uva.nl
  • Application Website