Ferdowsi Presidential Chair in Zoroastrian Studies

Open October 12th, 2020 through Friday, Dec 18, 2020 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

If you apply to this recruitment by December 18th, 2020, you will have until December 31st, 2020 to complete your application.

The University of California, Irvine announces an open search for a tenured position (Associate or Full) to fill the Ferdowsi Presidential Chair in Zoroastrian Studies. The Ferdowsi Presidential Chair is an endowed chair established for the purpose of teaching courses in religious studies, and creating a locus of Zoroastrian and Ancient Iranian studies at the University of California, Irvine. The University of California, Irvine seeks a dynamic colleague with a sound record of both scholarly achievement and successful teaching that embraces the full range of Zoroastrian history and tradition. The holder of this position is also expected to have competency in two or more ancient Iranian and Middle Iranian languages such as Avestan, Old Persian, Middle Persian, Sogdian, and Parthian. Knowledge of Persian or Gujrati which encompasses a major part of the Zoroastrian tradition, is also welcome. The candidate should have knowledge of the Zoroastrian textual and the religious tradition from remote antiquity, but also be able to teach courses regarding the Zoroastrians of Iran and India, and those in the diaspora. The chair will be housed in the Department of Classics and the Program in Religious Studies with teaching primarily in Religious Studies, contributing to Classics and other departments as appropriate. The chair will also be affiliated with the Center for Persian Studies.

The successful candidate must hold a Ph.D. in Religious Studies, Iranian Studies or similar discipline. We welcome applications from scholars in a position to contribute to a tradition of academic excellence and intellectual distinction at the University of California, Irvine.

To ensure full consideration, please apply online at https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF06380

Please submit online: a letter of interest, a career summary, a C.V., a statement of current and future research plans, a statement of teaching philosophy and experience, a statement addressing how past and/or potential contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion will advance UC Irvine's commitment to inclusive excellence, evidence of teaching excellence, the names and contact information of three available referees, and any other supporting material you wish. To ensure full consideration, applications need to be submitted by December 18, 2020.

Further inquiries may be made by email to the search chair, Susan Blakeley Klein (sbklein@uci.edu).

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation. With this commitment as well as a commitment to addressing all forms of academic misconduct, UC Irvine conducts institutional reference checks for candidates finalists to whom the department or other hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer of appointment into Ladder Rank Professor or Professor of Teaching series, at all ranks (i.e., assistant, associate, and full). The institutional reference checks involve contacting the administration of the applicant’s previous institution(s) to ask whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate the University’s Faculty Code of Conduct. To implement this process, UC Irvine requires all candidates of Ladder Rank Professor or Professor of Teaching series, at all ranks (i.e., assistant, associate, and full) to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled “Authorization to Release Information” into AP RECRUIT as part of their application. If the candidate does not include the signed authorization to release information with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete. As with any incomplete application, the application will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, only finalists (i.e., those to whom the department or other hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer) considered for Ladder Rank Professor or Professor of Teaching series, at all ranks (i.e., assistant, associate, and full) positions will be subject to institutional reference checks.

The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.

UCI is responsive to the needs of dual-career couples, is dedicated to work-life balance through an array of family-friendly policies, and is the recipient of an NSF Advance Award for gender equity. See http://advance.uci.edu/