Director, University Professor, Education ​/ Teaching

The Center for Arabic Studies and Islamic Civilizations (CASIC) at the American University of Sharjah (AUS) in the United Arab Emirates invites applications for the full-time CASIC Faculty Director position. The successful candidate will have a specialization in a relevant field of Arabic studies, Islamic civilization, or a closely related discipline, broadly defined.

The successful candidate will also serve as Co-Chair of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair in Arabic Language, AI, and Digital Heritage. The UNESCO Chair promotes interdisciplinary research, education, and international collaboration at the intersection of Arabic language studies, artificial intelligence, and digital heritage preservation. In this role, the candidate will provide academic leadership and build partnerships that advance the Chair’s research, education, and outreach and strengthen its regional and global impact.

CASIC draws on AUS’s expertise across academic disciplines to promote innovative, multidisciplinary research on the cultural continuity and diversity of the Arab and Islamic worlds. CASIC aligns its research objectives with key priorities in Sharjah and the UAE, emphasizing the study of the Arabic language, heritage, history, and cultures of the Arab and Islamic worlds. Situated at the heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds and shaped by cultural influences from both East and West, CASIC offers a counterpoint to Western approaches to the study of the Arab world and Islamic civilization.

CASIC conducts in-depth research on the region’s history, cultures, arts, contemporary dynamics, and diasporas. Its work will focus on cultural heritage, arts, and architecture; language, literature, and media studies; humanities, performing arts, and visual communication; economy, society, and the digital age. The center seeks to reorient the study of the Arab world and Islamic civilization both regionally and globally. CASIC seeks a director with deep knowledge of the culture, history, and contemporary realities of the Arab and Islamic worlds.

Proficiency in Islamicate languages is desirable. The director will shape the center’s long-term strategy, set clear priorities, and foster a culture of innovation and collaboration. The center will build research programs that combine the scholarly traditions of Arab and Islamic civilizations with contemporary methods, applying them to the needs of modern UAE society, the Arab region, and the wider world.

Faculty Director candidates must hold a PhD in a relevant field at the time of appointment, demonstrate an excellent record of academic and research leadership, and, ideally, be prepared to relocate to the UAE by December 2026
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AUS prioritizes candidates with significant experience in similar educational systems, given its American model of higher education and English as the medium of instruction.

Salary and benefits are competitive.

Please fill the application form.

The complete application will include the following documents, uploaded as separate files:

• a letter of application
• curriculum vitae
• list of three referees with contact information
• research statement
• teaching statement
• chapter- or article-length publication sample
• evidence of prior research leadership experience