Assistant / Associate Professor in Medical Humanities

Nanyang Technological University Singapore; Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

NTU Singapore's College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences invites applications for an Assistant/Associate Professor to shape the medical humanities in Asia. The appointment will explore care, uncertainty, and the limits of biomedicine amid ageing populations, plural medical cultures, and rapid clinical technologies.

The successful candidate will conduct internationally recognised research, teach in the MA in Health and Human Experience, and build partnerships with healthcare practitioners

Qualifications

• A PhD in a discipline relevant to the medical humanities; applicants from literary studies, history, philosophy, religious studies, anthropology, cultural studies, science and technology studies, art history, disability studies, or practice-based research are welcome.
• Candidates holding a PhD in medical or health humanities and those with a clinical/allied health qualification plus humanities training are equally welcome to apply.

Responsibilities

• Conduct and publish internationally recognised research in the medical humanities, including monographs, journal articles, or substantial practice-based outputs.
• Contribute to teaching on the MA in Health and Human Experience (MAHX) and core methods courses.
• Build and sustain cross-sector partnerships with healthcare practitioners, cultural institutions, and community organisations.
• Pursue internal and external research funding as a Principal Investigator and contribute to collaborative bids.
• Supervise postgraduate students and provide mentorship and pastoral support.

Skills

Narrative medicine

Literature and medicine

History of medicine

Philosophy of medicine

Ethics of care

Arts for health

Disability studies

Graphic medicine

Visual cultures of health

Medical pluralism

Education

PhD in medical humanities or related field

Job description

Young and research-intensive, Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) is ranked among the world’s top universities. The University combines technological strength with human creativity to address the significant challenges facing society and draws its faculty and students from across the world.

The College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CoHASS) aims to be Asia’s leading centre for innovative, interdisciplinary humanities, arts and social science teaching and research. It is home to the Centre for Health, Culture, and Society (CHCS), a new interdisciplinary and cross-sector research hub dedicated to advancing research and creative practice at the intersection of health, culture, and society. Central to its vision is the concept of the lifeworld: the dynamic horizon of lived experience, shaped by social, cultural, and historical forces, within which patients, practitioners, and caregivers make sense of health and sickness.

The School of Humanities and the Centre for Health, Culture, and Society are seeking an Assistant / Associate Professor who will help shape the medical humanities in Asia at a moment when questions of care, uncertainty, and the limits of biomedicine are being reopened by ageing populations, pluralist medical cultures, and the rapid entry of new technologies into clinical life. The appointment will deepen the University’s established strength in the field and extend the College’s capacity to bring humanistic inquiry to bear on health, illness, and care in Singapore and the wider region.

To learn more about the School of Humanities and Centre for Health, Culture and Society, please see: https://www.ntu.edu.sg/soh and https://www.ntu.edu.sg/hass/research/centre-for-health--culture-and-society

Areas of interest include:

• narrative medicine and illness narrative;
• literature and medicine;
• history of medicine,
• philosophy of medicine,
• the ethics of care;
• arts for health and creative practice;
• disability studies;
• graphic medicine;
• visual cultures of health;
• medical pluralism and traditional and complementary medical cultures in Asia;

We are especially interested in scholars whose work is grounded in a humanities discipline and its methods, and who are enthused by the opportunity to work in partnership with healthcare practitioners, cultural institutions, and community organisations.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct and publish internationally recognised research in the medical humanities; this may include monographs with leading academic presses, articles in major disciplinary and interdisciplinary journals, or substantial practice-based outputs;
• Contribute to teaching on the M.A. in Health and Human Experience (MAHX) including the core courses in interdisciplinary research methods and cross-sector collaboration. Further information is available here: https://www.ntu.edu.sg/education/graduate-programme/master-of-arts-in-health-and-human-experience
• Build and sustain our existing network of cross-sector partnerships with healthcare practitioners, cultural institutions, and community organisations;
• Pursue internal and external research funding as a Principal Investigator and contribute to collaborative bids;
• Supervise postgraduate students and provide mentorship and pastoral support;

A Ph.D. in a discipline relevant to the medical humanities. Applications are welcome from candidates trained in literary studies, history, philosophy, religious studies, anthropology, cultural studies, science and technology studies, art history, disability studies, or practice-based research. Candidates holding a Ph.D. in medical or health humanities and candidates who combine a clinical or allied health qualification with doctoral humanities training, are equally welcome to apply.

Applications should be submitted through the NTU career portal by the closing date. Required documents are:

• Cover letter
• Curriculum vitae, including publications
• Research statement (maximum 5 pages)
• Teaching statement (maximum 3 pages)
• Two writing samples
• Names and contact details of three referees

The closing date for applications is 8 January 2027.

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified via email.

Commitment to Diversity

NTU and the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences seek a diverse and inclusive workforce and are committed to equality of opportunity. We welcome applications from all and recruit on the basis of merit, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, marital status, family responsibilities, or disability.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at NTU

NTU believes in building an inclusive campus for its students, staff and faculty where diversity is respected. We strive to create diverse and inclusive environments to achieve a vibrant campus for education and a welcoming workplace for people from all backgrounds.