Tenured/Tenure-track Position in the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
About The Position
The University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures and the Penn Museum invite applications for a joint faculty-curator position in Mesopotamian Archaeology. The appointment is split evenly between a curatorial role in the Museum’s Near East Section and a tenured or tenure-track faculty role in the School. Faculty-curators teach two courses per year rather than the usual four. The successful candidate will conduct independent research and publication; complement undergraduate and graduate courses on ancient Mesopotamian cultures, history, and material remains; supervise B.A. and M.A. theses and Ph.D. dissertations; mentor students; and participate in other faculty duties. As curator, the candidate will contribute to exhibition, research, education, and outreach activities related to the Section’s collections. The position is suited to an archaeologist actively engaged in fieldwork in Mesopotamia, specifically modern Eastern Syria and Iraq, with a research focus on its historic periods. Collections stewardship experience is highly desirable. The curatorial appointment is in the Penn Museum’s Near East Section, which houses over 100,000 artifacts, many recovered during more than a century of Museum excavations across the Middle East. The faculty appointment is in the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, which studies and teaches the region’s cultures and peoples through languages, texts, literature, art, architecture, archaeology, and material objects. The successful candidate will join interdisciplinary research and teaching communities at Penn and regional partner institutions.
Requirements
- Expertise in the archaeology of ancient Mesopotamia.
- Active research and fieldwork in ancient Mesopotamia.
- Publications appropriate to rank.
- A deep commitment to teaching undergraduate and graduate students and mentoring and supporting a diverse student body.
- Ability to direct graduate and undergraduate research for a diverse student body.
- PhD, postdoctoral experience, or another terminal degree by the appointment date of July 1, 2027.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in collections stewardship is highly desirable.
Responsibilities
- Carry out independent research and publication.
- Complement current undergraduate and graduate course offerings on ancient Mesopotamian cultures, history, and material remains.
- Supervise B.A. and M.A. theses and Ph.D. dissertations.
- Participate in mentoring undergraduate and graduate students working in the relevant areas.
- Engage actively in other faculty duties.
- Participate in exhibition, research, education, and outreach activities related to the Near East Section’s collections.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
