Senior Research Fellow

About the Job

The Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences department at the Singapore University of Technology and Design invites applications for the position of Senior Research Fellow in Buddhist Studies. During the two-year contract, the selected candidate will contribute to a research project on pre-colonial Buddhist moral philosophy in Southeast Asia. This project will begin on 1 November 2026.

What You'll Do

• Digitizing palmleaf manuscripts held in temple archives in northern Thailand and Laos.
• Interviewing the custodians of these archives and monastic experts.
• Reading traditional Thai and Lao materials related to Buddhist ethics (both in print and on palmleaf manuscripts).
• Conducting historical research and co-authoring publications.

Who We're Looking For

• Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies, Asian Studies, or another relevant discipline (essential)
• Proficiency in spoken and written Thai and Lao, together with the ability to read Tham, Khom and Burmese scripts, is essential as the role involve interviewing archive custodians and monastic experts, and analysing primary manuscript sources written in these languages and scripts (essential)
• Ability to read Pali or Sanskrit as these languages may be relevant for interpreting source materials (desirable)
• Experience in the digitization of palmleaf manuscripts (desirable)

Interested applicants should contact Alastair Gornall ([email protected]) with a CV, the contact details of two referees, and a short letter of application. The deadline for applications is 1 October 2026. We will notify the candidates selected for an interview by 5 October 2026.