Since its establishment in 2008, Keio University Graduate School of Media Design (KMD) has spent the past 18 years pioneering the frontiers of design, technology and social innovation. Looking toward the next decades, KMD seeks outstanding faculty members who will lead their own Real Projects (*1), cultivate emerging research domains through collaboration with society, and contribute to KMD’s diverse community of faculty and students from a wide range of nationalities, cultures, and disciplinary backgrounds.
Positions Available:
- Full Professor (Tenured)
- Associate Professor (Tenured or Tenure-track)
- Senior Assistant Professor (Tenure-track or Fixed-term)
Planned Number of Hires: Two
Qualifications:
Applicants should
- Hold a PhD. / Doctoral degree (or be expected to obtain one before the appointment date.)
- Be capable of supervising master’s and doctoral students in English.
- Be capable of teaching graduate-level courses in English.
- Reside in Japan and be able to work on-site at Keio University’s Hiyoshi Campus after appointment.
Desired Profile:
Successful candidates are expected to
For Professor/Associate Professor
- Lead a Real Project (*1) as Principal Investigator (PI), advancing academic research and societal activities while securing external funding and collaborating with industry, government, civil society, and international partners.
For Senior Assistant Professor
- Co-direct a Real Project (*1) with a PI, advancing academic research and societal activities while securing external funding and collaborating with industry, government, civil society, and international partners.
For All
- Engage in dialogue and collaboration with diverse stakeholders across disciplines, sectors, and cultures, without being constrained by conventional disciplinary boundaries or their own area of expertise.
- Embrace Keio’s spirit of Han-Gaku Han-Kyo (*2), engaging with students from diverse national, cultural, and professional backgrounds and growing together through mutual learning.
- Basic Japanese communication skills are desirable for interacting with Japanese students and research collaborators.
Examples of Research Areas
Successful candidates are expected to establish new research domains by integrating research, education, and societal implementation through Real Projects.
The following examples are illustrative and not exhaustive:
- Interdisciplinary research spanning design, technology, and philosophy to envision and shape future ways of living and working in the post-AI era.
- Interdisciplinary research spanning design, technology, and philosophy to create a more inclusive future society for people with diverse backgrounds, abilities, and perspectives.
- Interdisciplinary research and practice in digital democracy, governance, and international politics in the post-AI era.
- Creation of next-generation innovation ecosystems and interdisciplinary entrepreneurship methodologies for translating emerging technologies and knowledge into societal impact and transforming communities at both local and global levels.
- Interdisciplinary research exploring new relationships between humanity and the planet and creating future cultures from a long-term perspective extending into the next century.
- Other emerging research areas that can be developed in collaboration with KMD’s existing fields of research.
Responsibilities
- Participation in the administration and management of the Graduate School
(faculty meetings, admissions processes, internal/public events, public relations activities, etc.). - Coordination and teaching of mandatory courses.
- Teaching at least one elective course in theoretical and strategic subjects.
- Primary supervision and co-supervision of graduate students in master and doctoral program.
- It is also expected to co-supervise students from different disciplines beyond your expertise.
- Qualification for doctoral supervision (called as D◯合) is required to supervise a doctoral student in universities in Japan. The reviewing process will be conducted along with the job interview.
Expected Start Date
- April 1, 2027 (negotiable)
Application Deadline
- Please combine all application materials into a single PDF file of no more than 20 MB. Alternatively, the portfolio may be submitted as a separate PDF file, with all other materials combined into one PDF.
- Submit the file(s) by email to faculty-search-2026@kmd.keio.ac.jp no later than 9:00 a.m. JST on October 13, 2026.
- Applicants will be notified of the results of the first-round screening by November 2, 2026.
- Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a second-round screening consisting of an online interview in English via Zoom on November 19, 2026. Time (JST) will be announced for successful candidates.
Application Materials
Please submit the following documents in A4 or US letter size. No prescribed format is required.
- Letter of Interest: Why you are interested in joining KMD and how you envision collaborating with us.
(up to two pages) - Curriculum Vitae: Include your educational background from high school onward, a recent photograph, telephone number, and email address.
- Research Statement: Describe your vision for research at KMD, including a proposal for a Real Project and its mission. (up to three pages)
- Teaching Statement: Describe your vision for education and teaching at KMD. (up to two pages)
- Portfolio: Provide a portfolio or summary of your principal research, creative, or professional activities.
- Research achievements:Provide a list of relevant achievements, including journal articles, conference papers, books, creative works, patents, awards, and other accomplishments, as applicable.
- Teaching and Supervision Experience: Provide a list of courses taught, master’s and doctoral students supervised, and other relevant educational achievements.
- References:Provide the names, affiliations, and contact information of up to three referees.
(*1) Real Project: A faculty-led education and research unit at KMD in which faculty members and students collaboratively address real-world challenges through partnerships with industry, government, and civil society. While it serves a role similar to a laboratory or research group at many universities, the Real Project framework is designed to be more flexible, interdisciplinary, and socially engaged, allowing research, education, and societal implementation to evolve together.
(*2) Han-Gaku Han-Kyo: (Learning while Teaching, Teaching while Learning) A founding philosophy of Keio University emphasizing mutual learning and growth through collaborative interaction between teachers and students.
https://www.keio.ac.jp/en/about/philosophy/
