Professor and Director - UCL East Asia Institute

About us

Founded in 1826 in the heart of London, UCL is London’s leading multidisciplinary university, with more than 18,000 staff and 51,000 students from over 150 different countries.

We are a diverse community with the freedom and courage to challenge, to question, and to think differently. Through a progressive approach to teaching and research, our world-leading academics, curious students and outstanding staff continually pursue excellence, break boundaries, and make an impact on real-world problems.

Since 1826, we have challenged orthodoxy and applied ourselves to making the world better, seeking to serve society through the generation and application of ‘useful’ knowledge, with a particular focus on leading interdisciplinary discussion and debate.

UCL is now one of the world’s top universities, with broad disciplinary excellence in research, innovation, education and impact. We operate on a large scale and nevertheless deliver exceptional academic performance: an achievement that has few parallels internationally.

The newly established UCL East Asia Institute has been created to connect and amplify UCL's extensive expertise across China, Japan and South Korea. Bringing together academics from across UCL's eleven faculties, the Institute will provide regional and linguistic depth, support interdisciplinary collaboration, and establish UCL as a leading global centre for research, education and engagement on East Asia.

About the role

This is a rare opportunity to lead a new academic institute from its inception. As Professor and Director of the UCL East Asia Institute, you will provide academic and strategic leadership, shaping the Institute's intellectual vision and establishing its reputation as a world-leading centre for East Asia-focused research, education and public engagement.

The role offers a unique opportunity to establish a field-shaping institution that draws together world-leading expertise from across UCL while developing innovative responses to some of the most significant global challenges facing East Asia and the wider world.

You will work across faculties to identify and connect expertise, develop interdisciplinary research programmes, oversee the Institute's expanding educational portfolio, and build influential partnerships with universities, governments, industry and funding bodies internationally.

In addition, you will provide academic and strategic leadership for the Institute, setting and articulating its intellectual vision and research priorities, and representing UCL as a leading independent voice on East Asia.

About you

An outstanding academic leader with a distinguished international reputation and a record of excellence appropriate for appointment at professorial level. You will have expertise relating to East Asia and experience of leading ambitious research, educational and strategic initiatives within a research-intensive environment.

In addition, you will demonstrate:

• An excellent track record of internationally recognised research and publication.
• Significant success in securing major external research funding.
• Ability to build collaborations across disciplinary boundaries.

Experience of establishing new academic initiatives, developing international partnerships, and securing philanthropic or alternative income streams would be particularly advantageous.

For informal enquiries, please contact Professor Li Wei, Executive Dean, IOE li.wei@ucl.ac.uk.

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer a range of excellent benefits including:

• 41 days leave (27 days annual leave, 8 bank holidays and 6 closure days)
• Additional annual leave purchase scheme
• Defined benefit CARE pension scheme
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loans
• Relocation support for eligible appointments
• Enhanced family leave provisions
• Employee assistance programme
• Extensive learning and development opportunities
• Flexible working arrangements

Visit UCL's Reward and Benefits webpages to find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

We particularly encourage applications from candidates underrepresented in UCL’s workforce, including those from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds, disabled people, and – for Grade 9 and 10 roles – women.

Read more: UCL Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

Applicants should also familiarise themselves with UCL’s policies on: Prevention of Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy and Personal Relationships Policy.