Assistant Professor in the History of International Political Thought c.1700 to the Present

The Faculty of History is seeking to appoint an Assistant Professor in the History of International Political Thought, c.1700 to the Present. It is expected that the successful candidate will take up the post with effect from 1 September 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

International Political Thought is a fast-expanding field; the successful candidate must be able to develop this new field through research and teaching while also possessing a proven record in the history of political thought and the ability to build on the existing strengths of the subject in Cambridge.

The successful candidate must normally hold, by the start of the appointment, a doctorate in a relevant field and outstanding abilities in teaching and research. They will have an exceptional record of research and publications for their career stage and commensurate with the criteria for the Research Excellence Framework. They will show the potential for research leadership within and beyond the Faculty and demonstrate an ability to contribute to its impact strategy. Applications are invited from scholars with expertise in any aspect of the History of International Political Thought, c.1700 to the Present.

The postholder will teach at the undergraduate, MPhil, and PhD levels.  In the first year of appointment, they will be expected to deliver lectures, classes, and supervisions (small-group teaching). They will also be expected to contribute to broader team-taught courses, and the flexibility to teach outside their period of expertise will be an advantage. In addition, they will supervise final-year undergraduate dissertations and MPhil dissertations and will have the opportunity to design and teach their own MPhil course. In due course, the postholder will be expected to offer new undergraduate courses and to supervise PhD students. They will be remunerated by colleges for the undergraduate supervisions they undertake. 

The Faculty has recently undertaken a thorough-going reform of Part I of its curriculum and the post holder will be expected to contribute to redeveloping the History of Political Thought papers within the new framework.  The postholder will be expected to examine at all levels, and to take their share of Faculty administration. 

The appointee will contribute to teaching the M.Phil. in Political Thought and Intellectual History, an inter-disciplinary Masters degree offered jointly by the History Faculty with Politics and International Studies and Classics. Recruiting and supervising postgraduate students in the History of International Political Thought will also be a major responsibility for this postholder.

The postholder will have: excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills; show a commitment to supporting students academically in the Faculty; become a regular participant in research seminars; have a proven record of high-quality research and teaching; and be able and ready to participate in the life of the Faculty and University more generally.  The successful candidate will be part of a lively and intellectually stimulating research community, which performs to the highest international levels in research and publications. They will be expected to participate in and help to convene the research seminar in Political Thought and Intellectual History which meets regularly during termtime.

More information about the Faculty of History is available here:

https://www.hist.cam.ac.uk/

https://www.hist.cam.ac.uk/course/mphil-political-thought-and-intellectual-history

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click on the ‘Apply’ button above

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