Open Position

Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Positions, Exploratory Research Laboratory (8/29 deadline)

2025/06/16

Application
Assistant professor (Total 3 positions available, including associate professor positions)
Research Division

Exploratory Research Laboratory

Research Field and Desired Researcher 

The Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University is advancing original and internationally recognized research in materials science, grounded in the university’s core principles: the tradition of “Research First”, “Open Doors” and “Practical Orientation.” Following Tohoku University’s certification as Japan’s first University for International Research Excellence, IMR is working to further expand and invigorate its research efforts. As part of this initiative, we are now inviting applications for tenure-track Assistant Professor positions from highly motivated early-career researchers. We seek individuals who are eager to take on the challenge of exploring and developing new frontiers in materials science from diverse perspectives.
We welcome applicants conducting research across all fields of materials science covered by the Institute.

Materials science fields covered by the Institute for Materials Research
(Reference: https://www.imr.tohoku.ac.jp/en/research/research-areas/)
Deadline
Friday, August 29, 2025 17:00 JST
Qualifications Ph.D. upon taking up the post
Start of Appointment
February 1, 2026 or the earliest possible date thereafter (start date open to discussion)
Employment type
Full-time, fixed-term (tenure-track)
Discretionary Labor System for Professional Work; a total of 7.75 hours is to be worked by the hired candidate a day, with the time worked left to their discretion (in general, business hours are from 8:30am to 5:15pm).
Term

7 years for Assistant Professor
*A tenure review will be conducted at least 2 years before the end of the term, and successful candidates will be granted tenure. Assistant Professors may be promoted to Associate Professors by selection if they meet the criteria for promotion after passing the tenure review.

Compensation
Annual salary system (Determined in accordance with university regulations)
Research Funding Successful candidates will be allocated funding to hire one research support staff member, as well as 2 million JPY as start-up funding and 4.5 million JPY/year as research funding.
Submission methods
Please submit application materials 1 to 6 listed below as PDF files via email (total size 20 MB max).
Application
materials
  1. Curriculum Vitae (free format, photo attached)
  2. List of research achievements (original papers, proceedings, books/reviews, domestic and international conference presentations, patents, status of competitive research funding acquisition, etc.)
  3. Copies of 5 key papers
  4. Summary of accomplishments (approximately two A4 size pages)
  5. Statement of future research plans and aspirations upon appointment (approximately two A4 size pages)
  6. Names and contact information of two references
Address of submission
and notes
 
Submission email: imr-jin_at_grp.tohoku.ac.jp (change “_at_” to @)
Notes:

*Please submit your application via email, with the following applicable subject line:
Tenure-Track Faculty Application (Assistant Professor)
*Please note that application materials will not be returned.
*The resume will be used only for the purpose of this application, and personal information will not be disclosed to any third party without justifiable reason.

Selection and Result
Selection Process
Document screening followed by interviews based on necessity (interview-related travel expenses will be borne by the candidate).
Result
Applicants will be notified of the results of the document screening by e-mail. Candidates successfully proceeding to the interview stage will be sent another email regarding the details of the interview.
Contact
Institute of Materials Research, Tohoku University
General Affairs Division Personnel Affairs Section
TEL: +81 22-215-2185
Email: imr-jin_at_grp.tohoku.ac.jp (change “_at_” to @)
Notes
Tohoku University has established a support system to assist the spouses of qualified faculty members in finding employment opportunities for academic and non-academic jobs within the university. For more information, please contact the recruiting department.
  • Tohoku University promotes activities to increase Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and encourages people of varied talents from all backgrounds to apply for positions at the university.
    Tohoku University's website about the DEI Declaration can be found here: https://dei.tohoku.ac.jp/en/vision/about/
  • Pursuant to Article 8 of the Act on Securing, Etc. of Equal Opportunity and Treatment between Men and Women in Employment, Tohoku University shall, as a measure for increasing the presence of women among the academic staff, prioritize the hiring of women deemed qualified for each job opening, based on impartial evaluation.
  • Tohoku University has the largest on-campus childcare system of all Japanese national universities. This network comprises three nurseries: Kawauchi Keyaki Nursery school (capacity: 22) and Aobayama Midori Nursery school (116), both open to all university employees, as well as Hoshinoko Nursery school (120), which is open to employees working on Seiryo Campus. In addition, Tohoku University Hospital runs a childcare room for mildly ill and convalescent children which is available to all university employees.
  • In cases where the person hired for this position takes childcare leave, the term of employment may be extended by up to the number of days taken off for that leave, if such extension is deemed necessary for educational and/or research purposes. 
  • See the following website for information on these and other programs that Tohoku University runs to assist work-life balance, to support researchers, and to advance gender equality.