Utrecht University (UU) invites applications for a Full Professor in Performing Arts & Society. The chair is situated at the Department of Media & Culture Studies of the Faculty of Humanities. We are looking for an experienced and ambitious scholar and educator, who is committed to teaching, research, and public engagement, and to being a visionary, engaging, and empathic leader.

Your job
As the Chair of Performing Arts & Society, you are responsible for the development of research, teaching, and public engagement in relation to the performing arts in the broadest sense – from theatre, dance, opera, and musical theatre to more experimental forms at the interfaces of theatre/dance, music, visual arts, media, interventions in public space, bottom-up community-driven performances, and online performances. Your approach can be positioned within the interdisciplinary field of performance studies, which brings together insights from theatre and dance studies, anthropology, art studies, social sciences, critical theory, and philosophy, and is characterised by a strong societal orientation. Specifically, you focus on the relation between the performing arts and various societal issues related to the challenges of a rapidly changing world – i.e. issues around inclusion and exclusion, social and ecological justice, globalisation, and cultural diversity, and living and contested heritage.

As chair, you are expected to:

• supervise and initiate research, supervise PhD projects, publish nationally and internationally, and attract research funding from Dutch, and/or European or international schemes;
• participate in local, national, and international research and professional networks and build and sustain collaborations with cultural institutions and other societal partners;
• teach and supervise in the Bachelor's and (Research) Master's programmes at the department and faculty – specifically, the BA Media & Culture and MA Contemporary Theatre Dance & Dramaturgy, MA Arts & Society, and RMA Media, Art & Performance Studies – and actively participate in curriculum development and programme coordination;
• take up management and leadership tasks and board functions within the department and/or faculty;
• develop a research agenda that relates to the University’s strategic themes, such as Institutions for Open Societies, Pathways to Sustainability, or Dynamics of Youth, and the impact agenda of the Faculty of Humanities.

We are looking for you if you have strong social skills and are committed to work together with a diverse team of scholars, university staff, students, and societal partners. You are expected to take on management tasks and lead and inspire teams and collaborations with colleagues and partners who enjoy working together and contribute to cutting-edge and significant scholarship.

Your competences include:

• You have a PhD and disciplinary background in theatre, dance or performance studies, or an adjacent field, with a focus on the relation between the performing arts and contemporary societal debates and challenges.
• You have an excellent track record in research, including international publications and you have had demonstrable success in acquiring research funding.
• You are a dedicated and inspiring educator with experience at BA, MA, and PhD level; you are committed to mentoring young researchers, and are keen to contribute to the development and coordination of our teaching in disciplinary and interdisciplinary frameworks.
• You are a good networker, you actively participate in symposia and conferences on an international level, and you are eager to work with practitioners and professionals working in various cultural institutions, creative spaces, or other artistic or activist organisations.
• You are a team player with proven managerial and interpersonal skills in the collaboration with colleagues and are ready to take on a leadership role in (teams within) the department.
• You are able and willing to teach in Dutch (within two years if you do not speak Dutch yet) and in English.

Leadership and responsibility are an important part of your position. That is why you identify with the core values that are central to the Faculty of Humanities: professionalism, transparency, responsibility, connection, and safety.

We offer:

• a working week of 38 hours and a gross monthly salary between €6,648 and €9,680 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale H2 under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

Universiteit Utrecht

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow.

The Faculty of Humanities has around 7,000 students and 1,100 staff members. It comprises four knowledge domains: Philosophy and Religious Studies, History and Art History, Media and Culture Studies, and Languages, Literature and Communication. With its research and education in these fields, the Faculty aims to contribute to a better understanding of the Netherlands and Europe in a rapidly changing social and cultural context. The enthusiastic and committed colleagues and the excellent amenities in the historical city centre of Utrecht, where the faculty is located, contribute to an inspiring working environment.

The faculty strives for diversity among its employees and students and is committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment for everyone, as can be read in Utrecht University's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy.

The core values of the faculty for Humanities are professionalism, transparency, responsibility, connectedness and safety. These values apply to everyone and we uphold these values in our work and in our communication with each other and with others.

UU works with the model of Recognition & Rewards and TRIPLE that values teamwork over individualism and calls for an open academic culture that promotes accountability, reproducibility, integrity and transparency, and where sharing (open access, FAIR data and software) and public engagement are normal daily practice.

For more information, please contact Professor Nanna Verhoeff (Head of Department) at n.verhoeff@uu.nl.

Are you interested? Download the profile description of the Chair of Performing Arts & Society here.

Candidates for this vacancy will be recruited by Utrecht University.