News

The Graduate School of International Cultural Studies (GSICS) at Tohoku University is recruiting for the following position.

Position

Title:	Associate Professor or Senior Assistant Professor
Affiliation:	Graduate School of International Cultural Studies (GSICS), Division of Language Studies, Department of Theoretical Linguistics
Term of Employment:	Four-year tenure-track (tenure review after two years)
Location:	The Graduate School of International Cultural Studies (GSICS), Education and Student Support Center, 41 Kawauchi, Aoba Ward, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-0862
Start Date:	April 1, 2026

Job Description

The successful candidate will focus on the areas of Linguistics and Language Sciences (language research based on Cognitive Psychology). As such, they must teach graduate-level lectures and seminars on linguistics and language sciences, and common graduate classes in the Division of Language Studies. Additionally, they must teach undergraduate-level English.

Successful candidates will take part in the International Graduate Program in Language Sciences (IGPLS), which provides education and research supervision in English.

In principle, this is a four-year tenure-track appointment. A tenure review will be conducted by the end of the second year. Exceptionally qualified candidates may be granted tenure at the time of appointment. For details, please contact the Administration Office.

For further details, including how to apply, please see here.

Qualifications

• Must hold a Ph.D. degree
• Associate professor: at least three years of teaching experience at the university level as an associate professor, senior assistant professor, or assistant professor
• Senior assistant professor: at least one year of teaching experience at the university level as a senior assistant professor or an assistant professor
• Specialize in research fields related to language research from the perspective of cognitive psychology, with an emphasis on psycholinguistics
• Ideal candidates will have a strong record of research achievements, including, but not limited to, publications in internationally renowned academic journals
• Although a particular language of focus is not specified, preference will be given to applicants whose expertise centers on Japanese language processing
• Applicants of any nationality can apply for this position, but they must be able to teach and research in Japanese and English

How to Apply

Please submit the following application materials:

1. A copy of the applicant's CV with a photograph. (use the official university form, downloadable from the GSICS website.)
2. A list of academic publications (e.g., books, papers, presentations, or other reports, indicating with or without peer review). For each item, indicate whether each publication was peer-reviewed, and if applicable, provide quantitative indicators such as citation counts, journal impact factors, or Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI).
3. All academic publications.
4. Three major academic publications must be marked with an asterisk on the list, and for each, a summary written in Japanese within 1,000 characters must be attached.
5. I) Statement of the applicant's previous and current research projects and II) statement of applicant's teaching experience, including course descriptions, experience of supervising students, designing courses, and cooperation with the community. Each statement should be on approximately one A4 size page in Japanese.
6. A lecture plan on the applicant's area of expertise for 15 sessions (within one A4 page)
7. List of acquired research funds in the past 5 years.
8. Applicants are also allowed to submit a letter of recommendation.

The application materials must be submitted by e-mail to int-som*grp.tohoku.ac.jp (replace "*" with "@") with the subject "Application Documents (Department of Contemporary Japanese Media and Gender Studies)".

Send the complete set of submitted documents as PDF files (individually or in batches) with passwords sent to the email address above. The password must be provided by a separate email. All application materials will not be returned.

After the initial screening of application materials, selected candidates will be invited for an interview and asked to teach a mock lecture on their area of expertise. Transportation expenses will not be provided.

Application Deadline: September 22, 2025

About the Center

The Tohoku University Graduate School of International Cultural Studies was established in 1993 as the first independent graduate school in Tohoku University. The Graduate School aims to conduct interdisciplinary and comprehensive education and research on international regional culture, cultural exchange, and language and culture, and to nurture outstanding human resources who can play an active role and contribute to the international community.