Postdoctoral Position in Japanese Art History 65 %

Shape Your Academic Future in Japanese Art History

Join Switzerland's largest university, home to approximately 10,000 employees and 12 professional apprenticeship streams. We provide an inspiring working environment dedicated to cutting-edge research and top-class education. Put your talent and skills to work in a dynamic setting that values innovation and scholarly excellence.

Your Responsibilities

• Develop and conduct an independent postdoctoral research project in Japanese Art History leading to further academic qualification, including publications, conference presentations, and competitive grant applications.
• Actively contribute to the Chair's research, teaching, and academic administration, with particular responsibility for Japanese Art History and Digital Art History.
• Teach 2-4 semester hours per week (SWS; one SWS equals 45 minutes), normally corresponding to one or two courses per semester. Teaching may include theoretical, methodological, and object-based formats developed in collaboration with museums and collections.
• Contribute to the integration of digital methods into art-historical research and teaching, including the development of suitable learning formats and research resources.
• Participate actively in the intellectual and organizational life of the Chair and the Department of Art History, including research projects, workshops, exhibitions, public events, and international collaborations.

Your Profile

• A PhD in Japanese Art History or a closely related discipline, with a clearly identifiable specialization in Japanese Art History, completed or in the final stages of completion by the start date.
• A defined and original postdoctoral research project in Japanese Art History.
• A strong record of high-quality research demonstrating the potential to achieve international scholarly recognition, evidenced by publications and conference presentations appropriate to the candidate's career stage.
• A demonstrable interest in integrating digital approaches into art-historical research and teaching, evidenced through relevant experience, training, and clearly articulated plans for their use in the proposed research project and future teaching.
• Japanese-language proficiency sufficient for research with relevant primary sources.
• Excellent spoken and written English.

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience of university-level teaching.
• Practical experience in the application of digital methods relevant to humanities or art-historical research, demonstrated through completed research projects (including datasets and code), publications, teaching, or other scholarly activities. Relevant approaches may include digital image analysis and computer vision, GIS and spatial analysis, network analysis, semantic modelling and linked data, and corpus construction from digital repositories.
• Experience in museum or curatorial practice or collections research.
• Experience with collaborative or interdisciplinary research projects.
• Knowledge of German.

Opportunities and Support

This role offers the opportunity to establish an independent postdoctoral research profile in a dynamic and internationally connected environment at the Chair of East Asian Art History. As an active member of the Chair, you will benefit from scholarly expertise, visiting researchers, research initiatives, museum partnerships, and collaborations across Switzerland, Europe, and Asia. The position provides opportunities to engage with Digital Art History in relation to Japanese art and to develop a distinctive, internationally competitive academic profile, enhancing future career prospects.

Postdoctoral researchers have access to a broad range of career-development and research-support opportunities, including transferable-skills training, individual coaching and career counselling, internal research and mobility funding, and advice on national and international grant applications. These services are provided principally through the Graduate Campus, the Research and Grants Office, and faculty-level structures.

We are committed to equal opportunities, diversity, and the compatibility of academic careers with family life. Employment conditions and salary are governed by the regulations and salary scales of the University of Zurich and the Canton of Zurich.