Bhagavan Sambhavnath Endowed Professorship in Jain Studies, Assistant Professorship

The Department of Philosophy at Florida Atlantic University invites applications for the Bhagavan Sambhavnath Endowed Professorship in Jain Studies at the rank of Assistant Professor (2/3 teaching load). The position will be primarily devoted to and focusing on Classical Jain Studies and Contemporary Jainism, including but not limited to animal welfare, environmentalism, consciousness studies, technology ethics, health ethics, metaphysics, and human flourishing. Note that some aspect of the candidate’s research must be substantively committed to Classical Jain Studies and Contemporary Jainism. While the AOC is open, the department has teaching interests in South Asian Philosophy, Comparative Philosophy, a World Philosophies course (an introduction to philosophy course that draws from Jainism and other Eastern philosophical traditions), and other non-Western Philosophy courses.

The purpose of the endowed professorship is to foster the exchange of ideas; to enhance the creation of new knowledge; to support undergraduate and graduate student education in South Asian culture and religions; and to ensure, through education, that knowledge and scholarship about the ancient Jain religion is available in the future, thus establishing a unique lens through which to view some of the world’s opportunities and most pressing challenges. On this aspect of the world’s needs, the Donor believes one cannot but emphasize the ecological principles enunciated in Jainism at least 2500 years ago.

The Department of Philosophy is a core academic discipline in the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters and the University, teaching more than 1,200 students each year through their general education courses, majors, and minors. The Department of Philosophy at Florida Atlantic University seeks scholars who are committed to supporting the learning needs of students from diverse backgrounds and to thoughtfully engaging all communities in higher education. Florida Atlantic University embodies a culture of strategic and collaborative community engagement that results in mutual benefit to the institution and the various internal and external communities that it serves.

There are many exciting opportunities for collaboration with various centers across the college and university, such as:

• The Center for Body, Mind, and Culture, an interdisciplinary initiative dedicated to promoting research, programming, and teaching of topics concerning the body-mind culture nexus. 
• The Center for Future Mind, a multi-disciplinary Center where thought leaders in areas such as philosophy, AI, psychology, and neuroscience analyze vital scientific, societal, and ethical issues involving technology, mindedness and human flourishing. 
• The Center for Peace, Justice and Human Rights, which is a university-wide, multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary effort that brings together scholars, students, practitioners, and community leaders engaged in the themes of justice, human rights, and peace and nonviolence. 

The professor will also engage with the broader Jain community in the United States, particularly including the Jain community in Florida, and with the Jain community in India, in advancing Jain Studies at FAU. There is a growing network of Jain scholars around the world with whom our professor may interact and support.

Minimum Qualifications: At the time of appointment, the selected candidate must have a doctoral degree in philosophy.

Preferred Qualifications: Some familiarity with one or more of the languages of Jain primary sources such as Kannad, Hindi, Gujarati, Prakrit, Sanskrit, etc.