Assistant Professor - Environmental Humanities with Area Studies Expertise in Eastern Europe and Eurasia

Screen reader users may encounter difficulty with this site. For assistance with applying, please contact If you have questions while submitting an application, please review these frequently asked questions. Current Employees and Students: If you are currently employed or enrolled as a student at The Ohio State University, please log in to Workday to use the internal application process. Welcome to The Ohio State University's career site. We invite you to apply to positions of interest. In order to ensure your application is complete, you must complete the following: Ensure you have all necessary documents available when starting the application process. You can review the additional job description section on postings for documents that may be required.

Job Title: Assistant Professor - Environmental Humanities with Area Studies Expertise in Eastern Europe and Eurasia

Department: Arts and Sciences | Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures Transnational World Language Studies Environmental Humanities with Area Studies Expertise in Eastern Europe and Eurasia

Rank: Tenure-Track Assistant Professor

Position Overview

The Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures (SEELC) at The Ohio State University invites applications for a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor position in Transnational World Language Studies in the area of interdisciplinary Environmental Humanities beginning August 15, 2027. We aim to hire a dynamic scholar who will contribute to the vibrant and collegial intellectual communities of our department by engaging with interdisciplinary research, innovative teaching, program development, community engagement, and service. This is one of three tenure-track hires in Transnational World Language Studies, the other two being in the departments of East Asian Languages and Literatures and Spanish and Portuguese. We are also conducting searches for three Postdoctoral Scholar to Tenure-Track Assistant Professor positions in Humanities-based Interdisciplinary World Languages and Cultures in the departments of French and Italian, Germanic Languages and Literatures, and Near Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures.

In keeping with the department’s commitment to interdisciplinarity, we are especially interested in scholars who examine the complex relationships among environment, society, culture, politics, and technology across the region, with particular attention to contemporary environmental challenges and their historical, cultural, and geopolitical dimensions. This position builds on current departmental strengths in interdisciplinary world languages and cultures, including in environmental and transnational indigenous studies, transnational media literacy, intercultural competency and global security, experiential learning, and community engagement.

The position is grounded in the broad field of environmental humanities and welcomes applicants from disciplines such as cultural and literary studies, media and technology studies, anthropology, environmental studies, area studies, or related interdisciplinary fields. The successful candidate will demonstrate a strong research and teaching agenda that advances understandings of how regional and transnational environmental transformations shape intercultural, economic, and social processes across Eastern Europe and Eurasia.

The successful candidate will contribute to interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching on environmental issues affecting Eastern Europe, Russia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Arctic, and neighboring regions— a vast geographical area that is central to global discussions about climate change, environmental transformations, and sustainability. This centrality has only intensified amid the ongoing environmental and human impacts of military conflicts and security concerns.

We are especially interested in applicants whose research engages one or more of the following areas: climate change and climate adaptation; energy sources and transitions; climate security in the Arctic and Eurasia; migration and environmental displacement; environmental impacts of war and conflict; energy geopolitics; environmental justice; resource extraction; sustainability; and/or the intersections of environment, technology, and society in a regional and transnational frame.

As global climate and security crises become increasingly intertwined, transnational interdisciplinary linguistic and cultural expertise in Eastern Europe and Eurasia is essential for advancing public understanding of some of the most pressing challenges facing societies worldwide. We seek candidates who can translate their expertise beyond the academy, as well as for current and emerging careers that require skills in humanistic inquiry, global fluency, and multi-disciplinary literacies. Successful candidates would be charged with conducting research and creating courses that engage their discipline beyond national borders from the perspective of intercultural competence and global fluency.

Partial startup for the Transnational World Language Studies tenure-track positions is funded by the Mellon Foundation grant “Global Fluency, Career Agility: Transforming World Languages at Ohio State.” The new hires will participate in the activities within the Department and have designated faculty mentors who are engaged in research on topics relating to transnational world language education, global fluency and intercultural competence, and to their area of specialization.

Performance Objectives

Maintain an active scholarship program.

Teach undergraduate and graduate courses in Environmental Humanities, East European and Eurasian Studies, and related interdisciplinary fields.

Advance the Mellon-funded Transforming World Languages at OSU initiative by collaborating with faculty and staff across disciplines, contributing to innovative programming, and creating new courses that strengthen students’ global fluency and intercultural competence.

Mentor students in engaged research and career pathways.

Develop innovative courses that bridge departments and programs.

Contribute to departmental service.

Foster innovative collaboration across units engaged in interdisciplinary environmental studies, international studies, media and technology, energy and climate research, and/or security studies broadly understood.

Education and Experience Qualifications

Qualifications Required: PhD in disciplines such as cultural studies, literature & culture, anthropology, media studies, area studies, or related interdisciplinary fields is required at the time of appointment which is August 15, 2027. ABDs are welcome to apply.

Native or near-native fluency in one language from the multilingual environment of Eastern Europe and Eurasia is required. Candidates must demonstrate achievement or strong promise of scholarly success.

Desired: Experience in and/or commitment to public-facing or community engaged scholarship, teaching, and/or service.

Desired: Competency in one additional language of the region. Engagement with ethical AI and/or media.

Contract Type and Hours

Position Type: Regular

Scheduled Hours: 40

Shift: First Shift

Location

Location: Hagerty Hall (0037)

Benefits

Ohio State benefits give you options to take care of what matters most to you — and opportunities to make adjustments as your life and needs change, including:

• Medical, dental and vision coverage, with Ohio State paying a significant portion of the cost.
• Paid time off, including sick and vacation time and 11 holidays.
• State retirement plan or an alternative retirement plan, both with generous employer contributions.

Final Candidate Requirements

Final candidates are subject to successful completion of a background check. Additionally, there may be further requirements specific to the college or unit, which could include drug and health screenings, as well as faculty misconduct checks depending on the rank of the position.

Final candidates are subject to successful completion of a background check. A drug screen or physical may be required during the post offer process.

Equal Opportunity

The university is an equal opportunity employer, including veterans and disability.

Application Deadline

Application period closes November 19, 2026.

Inquiries

Inquiries may be directed to SEELC (interim) Chair, Dr. Jennifer Suchland ( ) and the search committee Chair Dr. Alex Burry ( ).

About Ohio State

Ohio State is a top-20 public university, and its Ohio State Wexner Medical Center is one of America’s leading academic health centers. The university enjoys a shared values system that welcomes differences, encourages open-minded exploration, and upholds freedom of expression. Ohio State promotes a culture of work‑life balance through institutionalized policies, programs, and resources that help faculty, staff, and their families thrive both professionally and personally. Ohio State is a dynamic community where opportunity thrives, and individuals transform themselves and their world.

Columbus Campus

Located in Ohio’s capital city, Ohio State’s Columbus campus is near the center of a rapidly growing and vibrant metropolitan area with a population of over 1.5 million. The area offers a wide range of affordable housing, many cultural and recreational opportunities, excellent schools, and a strong economy based on government as well as service, transportation, and technology industries. Additional information about the Columbus area is available here.

Other Campuses

Beyond its Columbus campus, Ohio State has four regional campuses including Ohio State Lima, Ohio State Mansfield, Ohio State Marion, and Ohio State Newark, in addition to the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) Wooster Campus, which houses Ohio State ATI.