Drinan Scholars Program Visiting Assistant Professor

Boston College; Newton (MA); Hybrid; USD 63,000 - 77,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Research budget

Travel budget

Job summary

Boston College Law School seeks applicants for the Drinan Scholars Program, a two-year Visiting Assistant Professor appointment that fosters scholarship and teaching through mentorship, research opportunities, and career development.

Scholars will teach courses reflecting their research and teaching interests, pursue publication, attend faculty workshops, and benefit from a senior/junior mentor pair and teaching support.

Qualifications

• JD or equivalent (including LLM or JSD), or Ph.D. from a relevant field.
• Strong potential for excellence in legal teaching.
• Strong potential for excellence in legal scholarship.
• Demonstrated contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion; and
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Teach law courses aligned with the scholar's research and teaching interests.
• Pursue ongoing research and publications.
• Participate in law school life including workshops and mentoring.
• Receive mentorship from senior/junior faculty and use teaching support resources.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Diversity & inclusion experience

Education

JD or equivalent or PhD

Job description

Boston College: Boston College Law School

Location

Newton, MA

Open Date

Sep 16, 2026

Description

Boston College Law School seeks applicants for the Drinan Scholars Program. The Drinan Scholars Program is a two-year Visiting Assistant Professor appointment that gives promising legal scholars and teachers the opportunity to develop their scholarship and teaching through research opportunities, faculty mentoring, and career development. BC Law is known for its strong focus on law teaching, research excellence, and a collaborative atmosphere. Boston College is a major research university located in the greater Boston area, a city with a rich academic culture including six law schools and 35 colleges and universities.

The Drinan Scholars Program focuses on aspects of academic life most useful when preparing for a faculty career in legal education. The Drinan Scholar will teach law courses, with teaching assignments designed to reflect the scholar’s research and teaching interests. The teaching load will allow ample opportunities for research and publication of major works of scholarship. In addition, the scholar will be assigned a senior and a junior faculty mentor to advise and support the scholar’s teaching, scholarship, and preparation for the legal academic teaching market. Drinan Scholars participate fully in the life of the law school, including attendance at faculty workshops, opportunities to workshop papers through BC Law’s Junior Faculty Forum and elsewhere, and access to teaching support through Boston College’s Center for Teaching Excellence.

The Drinan Scholars Program welcomes applications from legal scholars across all fields, with a preference for those working on issues related to race and the law. Consistent with our mission as a Jesuit institution, we are also interested in candidates from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the legal academy. Selection criteria include the potential for excellence in legal teaching and scholarship and the degree to which the applicant’s research proposal aligns with institutional resources and needs.

Drinan Scholar appointments are for two years with support for participating in the law hiring market during the second year. Scholars will be appointed at the rank of Visiting Assistant Professor of Law. The salary for the 2027-28 Academic Year will be competitive with well-regarded law fellowship and VAP programs. In addition, Drinan Scholars will be provided with a research and travel budget and the opportunity to hire law student research assistants. Scholars will be expected to be in full-time residence at BC Law during the academic year.

The expected 9-month base salary (paid over 12 months) for this position is $70,000.

Qualifications

Educational Qualifications:

A JD or equivalent (including LLM or JSD), or Ph.D. from a relevant field of study.

Required Qualifications:

Strong potential for excellence in legal teaching;

Strong potential for excellence in legal scholarship;

Demonstrated contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion; and

Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

Desired Qualifications:

Alignment between the proposed research plan and law school resources and opportunities.

Boston College conducts pre-employment background checks as part of the hiring process.

Boston College is a Jesuit, Catholic university that strives to integrate research excellence with a foundational commitment to formative liberal arts education. The university is an equal opportunity employer. In concert with our Jesuit, Catholic mission, Boston College is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic faculty and staff committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment and strongly encourages applications from women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and covered veterans.