Endowed Chair in Comparative Religion

Yap Kim Hao Chair in Comparative Religious Studies, Yale-NUS College     

Position Description

Yale-NUS College is a highly selective liberal arts college in Singapore. Co-founded by Yale University and the National University of Singapore, the College is committed to excellence in research and teaching within a full residential programme that integrates living and learning. Its curriculum educates students in Asian and Western intellectual traditions as well as current scientific thought. A student body of 1000 undergraduates from over 60 countries engages with more than 100 outstanding faculty from around the world through small classes and hands-on research. Students and faculty also have access to the wider resources of two world-leading research universities.

The College invites applications for an endowed chair in Comparative Religious Studies, at the rank of tenured Professor.

Applicants should have a relevant PhD and demonstrate an outstanding track record for their career stage. A clear ability and passion for undergraduate education is essential. The incoming faculty member would join a committed team dedicated to the development and teaching of Comparative Religious Studies, which does not reside in any one Major at the College, but bridges several majors in Humanities and the Social Sciences, and the Yale-NUS flagship Common Curriculum

(See: http://www.yale-nus.edu.sg/curriculum/common-curriculum).

Additional details about the position:

The Yap Kim Hao Chair of Comparative Religious Studies is an important post from which to develop the comparative study of religion in Singapore and South-East Asia. The vision of the chair, inspired by Rev. Yap Kim Hao, is one of developing comparative religious studies within the academic purview of Yale-NUS College while promoting intellectual values of pluralism, diversity, tolerance, and the search for truth. The person appointed to this chair will have expertise in one or more religious traditions, function within contemporary discourses of Religious Studies and the Social Sciences about the nature of comparative religion, articulate a vision for the field into the future, and be committed to exploring the relevance of religion in contemporary society. The post entails a teaching commitment to Yale-NUS College and the ability to interact with the wider community beyond the College. The person appointed will be expected to have an extremely strong record of research and academic publications with a clear trajectory and research program into the future.

The person appointed to this position will be expected to:

  • contribute to the educational vision of Yale-NUS College, by working equally between the Common Curriculum (which includes a component of Historical Immersion) and any one or more of the College majors;
  • conduct research in comparative religious studies, with strong interest in the co-existence of religions in the contemporary world, whether specific to South-East Asia or globally;
  • deploy expertise in the primary languages and texts of the religion that has been the main focus of his or her research along with the ability to synthesize knowledge from a wide range of disciplines, and be able to operate at both the level of textual research or fieldwork and the trans-civilizational level of comparative studies;
  • be prepared to work with religious communities in Singapore to develop the cultural and social relevance of comparative religious studies both in the local and the wider context;
  • be responsible to the Director of Humanities in respect of teaching allocation;
  • be committed to teaching 4 courses annually (singly or as part of a team), spread over two semesters.

The appointee will be expected to begin duties in time for the start of the 2021-2022 academic year (i.e. from 1 July 2021). 

Faculty receive internationally competitive salaries and start-up grants as well as a yearly travel and research allowance. They are able to access additional funding from Yale-NUS, the National University of Singapore, and Singapore’s Ministry of Education. Most faculty qualify for highly subsidized faculty housing. Yale-NUS College is located in Singapore, a multicultural city of six million at the heart of a vibrant region.

Application Procedure

Applications should consist of the following: a cover letter explaining why the position at Yale-NUS is of interest; a full curriculum vitae, including a complete list of publications; statements on research interests, teaching experience, and teaching philosophy, including how these might fit with the College’s particular mission and curriculum; and names of, and contact information for, three academic referees.

Applications should be submitted via https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/16662 . Review of applications begins from Nov.1, 2020 and continues until the position is filled.

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

For general enquiries, please email: humanities_division@yale-nus.edu.sg

Equal Opportunity Employer

Yale-NUS College achieves excellence through the diversity of its students, faculty, and staff and by embracing inclusivity, equity, and global engagement. We encourage applications by diverse individuals with a demonstrated commitment to continually support these values. For more information about the College, please visit https://www.yale-nus.edu.sg

Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA)

Candidates should understand that by sharing information with Yale-NUS, they authorise the College to use their personal data for the purposes of this application. The College will not use their data for other purposes and ensure that their data remains secure and confidential.


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