Associate Professor/Professor | Associate Curator/Curator and Director - University of Pennsylvania

Associate Professor/Professor of Anthropology and Associate Curator/Curator and Director of the Penn Cultural Heritage Center – University of Pennsylvania

• Institution: University of Pennsylvania

• Academic Unit / Department: School of Arts and Sciences – Department of Anthropology / Penn Museum

• Job Reference / Requisition ID: 192265

• Appointment Type: Full-Time, Tenured

• Academic Rank / Level: Associate Professor / Professor; Associate Curator / Curator

• Salary / Remuneration: Not specified

• Location: Philadelphia, PA, USA

• Application Deadline: Review of applications begins November 1, 2026

📋 Overview of Role

The Department of Anthropology and the Penn Museum at the University of Pennsylvania invite applications for a tenured faculty position combined with an Associate Curator/Curator appointment and Director role at the Penn Cultural Heritage Center (PennCHC), beginning in the 2027–28 academic year.

The successful candidate will have expertise in archaeology and cultural heritage, with a record of bringing together academic and non-academic stakeholders and organizing cultural heritage initiatives. Candidates with active research in the Americas and/or Africa situated within global heritage scholarship are particularly encouraged to apply.

🎯 Key Responsibilities & Teaching Scope

• Teach undergraduate and graduate courses in the candidate's area of research specialization.

• Mentor undergraduate and graduate students and direct research across diverse student populations.

• Conduct and maintain a significant program of scholarship in anthropological archaeology and cultural heritage.

• Serve as Associate Curator/Curator within the Penn Museum's Curatorial Section most closely aligned with the candidate's research specialization.

• Participate in exhibition, research, education, and outreach activities related to museum collections.

• Lead or oversee the PennCHC's growing portfolio of global cultural heritage projects.

• Collaborate with Penn Museum and University colleagues involved in cultural heritage research.

• Position the PennCHC as a research and convening center for heritage-related activities.

• Develop and implement an ambitious new strategic plan for the PennCHC.

• Work with the PennCHC Director of Research and Programs and the Museum's Williams Director and Executive Team to build greater capacity for cultural heritage initiatives.

🎓 Qualifications & Candidate Profile

• Required Education: PhD in Anthropology or a related discipline.

• Experience & Specializations: Expertise in anthropological archaeology and cultural heritage, with experience organizing and managing cultural heritage initiatives.

• Scholarship: Significant research and publication record, including an external funding record.

• Teaching & Mentoring: Experience teaching at both graduate and undergraduate levels and mentoring and supporting a diverse student body.

• Research Direction: Experience directing graduate and undergraduate research for students from a wide range of backgrounds.

• Certifications / Licensure: Not applicable / not specified.

💼 Remuneration & Benefits (if mentioned)

• Salary: Not specified in the position announcement.

• Faculty-curators have a reduced teaching load of two courses per year, compared with the standard four-course teaching load.

• Tenured faculty appointment included.

📄 Application Checklist & Required Documents

1. Letter of Application

2. Curriculum Vitae (CV)

📬 Application Process

• 🔗 Application Link: https://apply.interfolio.com/192265

• 📧 Contact / Enquiries: Colleen Lawson — lawsonco@sas.upenn.edu — (215) 898-7443

• 📅 Deadline: Applications will begin to be reviewed on November 1, 2026.

• Application Platform: Interfolio Faculty Search

• Additional Information: Applicants receive a free Interfolio Dossier account and can submit application materials, including confidential letters of recommendation, free of charge.

🌐 Official Website / Domain: https://www.upenn.edu/