Bryant Drake Guest Professorship Position, Kobe College 2026-2027: Japanese architecture

Kobe College is a liberal arts and sciences college and one of the oldest educational institutions for women in Japan. We are currently accepting applications for the Bryant and Alberta Drake Guest Professorship, a one-year teaching appointment for the 2026-2027 (start April 2026) academic year. The one-year appointment is part of a new program in Architecture in the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences within the School of Life and Environmental Sciences.

We seek someone specializing in the history of Japanese Architecture, preferably with a specialty in the architect William Merrell Vories whose buildings on the Kobe College campus are designated as an Important Cultural Property. We especially welcome applicants who are interested doing fieldwork in the history of Architecture in Japan.

This position is financially supported by the US-based Kobe College Corporation-Japan Education Exchange (KCC-JEE), in conjunction with Kobe College. For more information about KCCJEE and the program, see:

https://www.kccjee.org/bryantandalbertadrakeguestprofessor

Position Details

Period of Employment:  One year, starting approximately 1 April 2026

Qualifications:

1. At least 3 years teaching and research experience at the graduate/undergraduate levels, with preferred specialty in at least one of the following: Japanese architecture, Japanese Architectural history, and/or the architect William Merrell Vories (Hitotsuyanagi)
2. Currently teaching at university level or working at an academic institution.
3. English language skills consistent with college and graduate level teaching.
4. Japanese language proficiency (teaching level) preferred.
5. Supportive of the educational ideals of Kobe College, a small liberal arts women’s college situated in Nishinomiya, Japan (between Kobe and Osaka) that is dedicated to the education of women at all levels, ranging from high school to the Ph.D.

Responsibilities:

1. Willing to actively participate in educational programs for undergraduate students in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Architectural Program.
2. Willing to teach classes that meet department needs and that are based, at least in part, on the applicant’s research and teaching specialties. The teaching load is comparable to that of a US liberal arts college or university.  Desired courses include: [Architecture and Culture, Special Topics in Architecture]

Benefits:

1. Competitive salary.
2. Subsidized housing in furnished apartment.
3. Airfare and moving expenses to Japan (maximum of 5,000.00 USD)

Documents to be submitted:

1. Curriculum vitae.
2. Copies of two representative publications in English.
3. Statement of interest in teaching at a women’s college in Japan—not to exceed 250 words/one page.
4. One-page Summary of Teaching and Areas of Research—not to exceed 250 words/one page.
5. Name, affiliation, and e-mail address of two referees.

Please direct all inquiries to: programs@kccjee.org
Please send all materials, electronically, to programs@kccjee.org
Initial review of applications will begin October 15, 2025.