Posted: Oct 23, 2025
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Assistant/Associate Professor and Director, Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology

University of Memphis - Memphis, TN
Salary: $75,000.00 - $85,000.00
Application Deadline: N/A
Archaeology
The University of Memphis seeks a director for the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology (IEAA) to be appointed at the rank of Assistant (tenure-track) or Associate (tenured) professor commensurate with qualifications and experience.
 
Founded in 1984, the IEAA is a component of the College of Communication and Fine Arts, Department of Art and Design. IEAA is dedicated to the study of the art and culture of ancient Egypt through teaching, research, exhibition, and community education. The IEAA also supports the fieldwork of faculty and students who participate in excavations and/or epigraphic projects in Egypt.
Duties of the Director include:
  • Develop and implement strategic priorities to enhance the Institute’s educational mission
  • Foster partnerships with academic institutions and community organizations
  • Organize exhibitions, lectures, and programs that engage audiences including the Memphis and surrounding area public.
  • In addition to leading the IEAA, the director heads the Master’s in Art (M.A.) Egyptian Art and Archaeology program in Art History in the Department of Art and Design.


Key responsibilities

Vision and Direction:
  • Develop a clear vision for the future direction of the IEAA, including development of Institute-sponsored events and activities, external institutional fundraising, and coordination with other Egyptological institutes and organizations at the national and international level.
  • Cultivate proactive strategies for the expansion of the program, including the attraction of high caliber graduate students, that showcase the Institute’s strengths and opportunities.
  • Oversee the operating budget for the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology, including coordination with other Egyptology faculty and students on the allocation of funds for research, conference travel, and other activities and purchases relating to the mission of the Institute.
  • Coordinate with the curator of the University of Memphis’ collection of Egyptian antiquities, including internal and external requests for collections research, exhibition planning and management, website maintenance, and cooperation with lending institutions.
  • Engage the surrounding area as well as Memphis’ many and various stakeholders; plan and facilitate community outreach activities, and collaborate with community institutions in furtherance of the mission of the IEAA and the University of Memphis.
  • Work with University Advancement and Alumni Association to develop outside support for the Institute’s mission.
Teaching and Advisement:
  • Teach a 1/2 (Fall/Spring) load including one course in Egyptian Art each Fall and Spring, and one course in Greek Art in the Spring.
  • Academic advisement of graduate students (M.A.) in Art History, with a concentration in Egyptian Art and Archaeology.
  • Serve on M.A. and Ph.D. thesis committees in the Department of Art and Design and the Department of History.
  • Coordinate with faculty in Egyptology and Art History for program development of a Ph.D. in Art History and Visual Studies.
Professional Activity:
  • Maintain an active research and publication agenda within the candidate’s area(s) of expertise in furtherance of the mission of the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology.
  • Strengthen and maintain the national and international profile of the IEAA through coordination with outside scholars, attendance and participation at professional conferences, and development of public programs in furtherance of the IEAA’s mission through collaboration with the Institute’s faculty in Egyptology.
This full-time position is funded by the Department of Art and Design and the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology, a Tennessee Center of Excellence. The position reports directly to the chair of the Department of Art and Design and will work collaboratively with other full-time faculty in Egyptology in both Art History (Dept. of Art and Design) and History (Dept. of History, College of Arts and Sciences), including the curator of the University of Memphis’s collection of Egyptian artifacts (Dept. of Art and Design).

Minimum Position Qualifications

Requires a Ph.D. in Egyptology or a closely related field (e.g., NELC) with a concentration in ancient Egypt. The successful candidate will possess undergraduate and graduate level teaching experience in ancient Egyptian art and monuments from the Predynastic era through Late Antiquity as well as the ability to teach a graduate-level survey of Greek Art for M.A. students once per year.

As a tenure-track or tenured Egyptologist, the successful candidate shall possess the necessary competence in Middle Egyptian. As Director of the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology, the successful candidate should be familiar with new and emerging trends in research within Egyptology (e.g., digital Humanities) and should possess relevant experience teaching at the university level, mentoring and advising students, and applying for grants or other sources of external funding.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

Special Conditions

Special consideration for candidates whose primary research concerns the art history of Greco-Roman Egypt and the ability to teach at the graduate level on the art of the larger Greek world. Prior administrative and institutional fundraising experience is strongly preferred.

The Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology is a Tennessee Center of Excellence devoted to the study of the art and culture of ancient Egypt through teaching, research, exhibition, and community education. It is housed within the Department of Art and Design at the University of Memphis, in Memphis, Tennessee (USA).
 
The University of Memphis is a R1 research institution with enrollment of over 22,000 that is divided among six colleges. The University is in the largest urban center in Tennessee and the Mid-South region. The Department of Art and Design is a component of the College of Communication and Fine Arts along with the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music, the Art Museum of the University of Memphis, the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology (IEAA) — a Tennessee Center of Excellence, along with the Departments of Architecture, Theatre and Dance, Communication, and Journalism and Strategic Media. The Department of Art and Design is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.
The Department of Art and Design offers Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees in various fine arts concentrations as well as Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Art History. Further information about the Department of Art and Design and the University of Memphis is available on the following websites: https://www.memphis.edu/artanddesign and www.memphis.edu.

Posting Date 10/22/2025 Closing Date 01/06/2026 Open Until Screening Begins No Hiring Range $75,000 - $85,000 per year Full-Time/Part-Time Full-Time: Benefits Eligible Special Instructions to Applicants

Candidates should go to https://workforum.memphis.edu to submit an application. Candidate must upload the following documents:
1. Cover letter
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. Statement describing the candidate’s philosophy and vision for the IEAA, a research center at a public institution with a mandate for community engagement. (Use Teaching Philosophy for this purpose)
4. Candidate will also need to provide email addresses for three professional references

Review of applications will begin on November 30, 2025, and may continue until position is filled.