Job Description
Appointment Status: Tenure
Department: IU Bloomington Jewish Studies
Location Bloomington
Position Summary The Robert A. and
Sandra S. Borns Jewish Studies Program at Indiana University, one of the world's longest-established Jewish Studies programs, invites
applications for its next Director. The appointment will be at the rank of full professor, beginning August 2026, and will be made in
cooperation with the relevant disciplinary department. Candidates at the rank of associate professor would be considered in exceptional
cases. Depending on their research expertise, the Director may also be eligible to hold the Lou and Sybil Mervis Chair in Jewish Cultural
Studies for the duration of their tenure. The Director will serve an initial four-year term, with the expectation of renewal for at least
one additional term.
As Director, the successful candidate will provide visionary leadership to sustain and grow a program that spans
literature, history, politics, religious studies, gender studies, sociology, musicology, languages, and the arts. We seek a leader with the
capacity to strengthen enrollment, expand partnerships, foster exchange of diverse ideological and intellectual viewpoints, and articulate
and execute a compelling vision for the program's scholarly profile, public presence, and future growth. The program is home to two centers
of excellence: Olamot: Center for Scholarly and Cultural Exchange with Israel, which fosters academic and cultural exchange with Israeli
partners, and the Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism (ISCA), which advances the study of and teaching about contemporary
antisemitism and houses a research lab on social media and hate. The program also features an outstanding Hebrew curriculum supported by new
technologies, and a strong Yiddish program, along with broad offerings in Jewish history, culture and society.
The successful
candidate will be a scholar or artist of exceptional distinction, with a PhD or equivalent terminal degree (field-dependent), and a record
of original research or creative achievement. Indiana University offers strong support for research and teaching in Jewish Studies.
Candidates may come from a wide range of disciplines in the humanities, arts, history and social sciences.
The Lou and Sybil Mervis
Chair in Jewish Cultural Studies was established to enhance understanding of modern Jewish culture, particularly in America, with special
attention to Jewish contributions to theater and drama, humor, music, film, literature, radio and television, the visual arts, or related
fields. The Mervis Chair provides resources to advance scholarship and creative work, including support for research and related
needs.
Interested candidates should review the application requirements and submit their application electronically at . Application
materials include a cover letter, curriculum vita, and the names of three references. Applications received before January 26, 2026 will be
assured of consideration, but the search will continue until a suitable candidate is identified. For additional information on the Borns
Jewish Studies Program, please see . For any questions
about the position, please feel free to contact Dean John Ciorciari, the search committee chair, at
hlsdean@iu.edu .
Indiana University is an equal employment and a provider of ADA
services and prohibits discrimination in hiring. See Indiana University Notice of Non-Discrimination
here which includes contact information.
Basic Qualifications The successful candidate will be a scholar or artist of exceptional
distinction, with a PhD or equivalent terminal degree (field-dependent), and a record of original research or creative achievement. Indiana
University offers strong support for research and teaching in Jewish Studies. Candidates may come from a wide range of disciplines in the
humanities, arts, history and social sciences.
Department Contact for Questions John Ciorciari,
Dean of the Hamilton Lugar School for Global and International Studies:
hlsdean@iu.edu Special Instructions Before a conditional offer of employment with tenure is finalized,
candidates will be asked to disclose any pending investigations or previous findings of sexual or professional misconduct. They will also be
required to authorize an inquiry by Indiana University Bloomington with all current and former employers along these lines. The relevance of
information disclosed or ascertained in the context of this process to a candidate's eligibility for hire will be evaluated by Indiana
University Bloomington on a case-by-case basis. Applicants should be aware, however, that Indiana University Bloomington takes the matters
of sexual and professional misconduct very seriously.
For Best Consideration Date: 01/26/2026
Expected Start Date: 08/01/2026
Posting Number IU-101440-2025
Job Tags
Full time,