Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, General Faculty

Description

The University of Virginia’s Department of Religious Studies invites applications for an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, General Faculty, beginning August 2026. We seek applicants with a PhD and teaching experience that prepares them to teach in Religion, Ethics, and Environment. This is a three-year, tenure-ineligible appointment with the possibility but not the guarantee of renewal.

The Department of Religious Studies prides itself on its collegial atmosphere and its robust Graduate and Undergraduate Programs. As the largest department of religious studies at a public university, our faculty is uncommonly diverse, trained in many languages, traditions, and fields. We are also uncommonly pluralist in the range of research and teaching methods we employ. The environmental humanities at UVA build on similar strengths in interdisciplinary work.

The core responsibility of the position is teaching three classes per semester, including two sections of "Religion, Ethics, & Global Environment" (a required course of the Sustainability track of the College's Global Studies major) and a third class to be determined by expertise of the candidate and needs of the department.

We expect applicants to be conversant with contemporary sustainability issues and how these intersect with religion, ethics, and / or culture. We are open to expertise in religious studies in any tradition, geography, and time period. We are particularly interested in candidates who can teach courses that consider all three areas—religion, ethics, and environment—and who have demonstrated promise in teaching excellence.

Qualifiations

Applicants should hold a PhD in religious studies, ethics, or a related field. Candidates must defend their dissertations by June 1, 2026, and have a terminal degree conferred by August 1, 2026.

Application Instructions

Review of applications begins on December 1, 2025 and will continue until the position is filled.

Required documents

Apply online through Interfolio at apply.interfolio.com / 172794  and upload the following :

• Cover letter (3-page single spaced maximum) that includes (1) an overview of your academic training and research and (2) your teaching interests and classroom experience;
• Current curriculum vitae
• Names and contact of three recommenders

Questions about the application process should be directed to Melanie Sponaugle, unw5dq@virginia.edu.

Questions about this position should be directed to Prof. Martien Halvorson-Taylor, chair of the search committee, at REL-job@ virginia.edu.

The university will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment.