Hokkaido University, Dpartment of Physics

Position ID:

Hokkaido University-Dpartment of Physics-AP [#32094]

Position Title:

Assistant Professor

Position Type:

Postdoctoral

Position Location:

Sapporo, Other / Non-US 065-0011, Japan

Subject Area:

Physics / Any

Starting Date:

2026/10/01

Appl Deadline:

2026/06/30 23:59:59 (posted 2026/05/21, listed until 2026/06/30)

Position Description:

The Institute for Academic Innovation at Hokkaido University invites applications for a 5-year fixed-term faculty position in any area of physics. The primary duties of the appointee will be to (1) teach a major component of the physics curriculum of the Englishlanguage undergraduate degree program for international students (Integrated Science Program; ISP), which has successfully operated since 2017, and (2) conduct worldleading research in their physics-based discipline of specialty. The appointee will, in part, join the Department of Physics at Hokkaido University, which has active research in the areas of theoretical condensed matter, particle, nuclear, and astrophysics, as well as experimental condensed matter physics and observational astrophysics.

1. Position Assistant Professor (5-year appointment. Upon completing the initial five-year period, the appointee will be subjected to a performance evaluation, and a positive assessment may lead to reappointment for an additional five years.)

2. Department Institute for Academic Innovation. The prospective staff member will be allocated office space in the Faculty of Science.

3. Field of Research Physics – any subfield

4. Location Hokkaido University, Sapporo Campus, Hokkaido, Japan

5. Duties

(1) Teaching: approximately six unit-hours per week per semester for the undergraduate ISP curriculum in English, ranging from entry-level physics for general science majors to advanced latter-year topics. Preliminary course responsibilities: Physics 1, Classical mechanics 1 and 2, Thermodynamics and Statistical mechanics 2, Fourier analysis, and accompanying seminars associated with these courses.

(2) Contribute to the evaluation of prospective ISP students. Duties include the screening of application documents, conducting interviews, and overall evaluation of applicants.

(3) Conducting world-leading research in the area of expertise of the applicant. The applicant has relative freedom in their research topic. Still, those who can clearly show the possibility for synergy with the research interests of existing groups within the School of Science are particularly encouraged. The appointee will be eligible to apply for national research grants.

(4) Additional ISP-related duties may include assisting with promotional activities, the recruitment of international students by visiting foreign countries, and similar activities that act to contribute to the growth and continued successful operation of the program.

(5) The supervision of graduate and undergraduate research students is encouraged if the appointee is to be associated with a laboratory that is a member of the Graduate School of Science.

6. Application Criteria

(1) Possess a Ph.D. in physics or a closely related discipline from an accredited university at the appointment time.

(2) Native/near-native English language ability (Japanese proficiency not required).

(3) Previous experience in teaching physics-related courses at the college/university level is highly desirable.

(4) Proven track record of research excellence as evident through peer-reviewed academic journals, presentation at conferences, and the potential to be an effective mentor to research students.

7. Basic Salary

(1) The basic salary will be determined in accordance with the regulations of Hokkaido University, with consideration for qualifications, work experience, and previous achievement.

(2) Relocation expenses will be provided if the eligibility requirements are met.

8. Working hours, etc.

- Monday to Friday

- Discretionary work System (standard 8:30-17:00) (The working hours for a day are deemed as 7 hours and 45 minutes.)

- Break time 45 minutes

9. Health insurance, etc.

- Employee pension insurance

- Mutual Association of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

- Employment Insurance- Workers' accident compensation insurance

10. Name of Recruiting Institution

Hokkaido University

11. Measures to prevent second-hand smoke

Smoking is prohibited on the premises except for specific outdoor smoking areas.

12. Start Date

September 16th, 2026 (October 1st, 2026 at the latest) October 1st marks the start date of the new semester.

13. Probation Period

Three months

14. Documents to be submitted

(1) Curriculum Vitae (max. 4 pages) At minimum should include a photo, date of birth, current address, contact details (telephone number, e-mail address), education history for undergraduate and above, year and month of acquisition of degree diplomas and title of the Ph.D. thesis, other relevant qualifications, and working experience.

(2) Research Accomplishments (max. 3 pages):

a. Achievements: Categorized into academic papers in refereed journals, international conference proceedings, and presentations, book publications, academic commentaries, reviews, talks at academic associations/societies, etc.

b. Status of securing competitive research funding: categorized into Scientific Research Aid, Joint/Contract Research, Public Research funds, etc.

c. Summary to date of research achievements (max. 500 words).

d. Other relevant information: affiliated associations and their activities, contributions to society, relevant awards, etc.

(3) Educational Achievements (max. 3 pages). Clearly detailed achievements in teaching including, but not limited to, previous lecturing experience, conducting experiment-based classes at the college level, supervision/mentoring/teaching postgraduate students, and any other relevant educational achievements.

(4) One copy of 3 of the applicant's most important peer-reviewed papers. If the applicant is not the first author, then a clear statement of their explicit contribution to the paper should be included.

(5) Research proposal upon appointment (max. 500 words). This should indicate a clear vision for the duration of the appointment, including how the applicant would both benefit and contribute to existing physics-based research at the University, contribute to the University’s competitive grant portfolio, and plan for involving students in their research.

(6) Statement of teaching plan/vision and/or philosophy, particularly in how the applicant would deliver the assigned physics courses (max. 500 words).

(7) Two professional letters of recommendation, preferably from those who can attest to the applicant’s teaching and research aptitude. These should be sent independently by the referees themselves in the manner outlined in Section 16.

If necessary, candidates may be requested to provide additional documents throughout the review process. Following the initial document screening, shortlisted candidates will be interviewed. Interviews are preliminarily scheduled around the third week of July. For candidates located outside of Japan, this will be done via teleconferencing software. Travel expenses for participation in interviews in person (e.g., if currently located in Japan) will not be reimbursed.

15. Submission deadline

For full consideration, documents must arrive no later than: June 30th, 2026 (23:59 JST)

16. Submission procedures

Application documents should be submitted electronically to the Director of the Institute for Academic Innovation:

E-mail: jinji@academic.hokudai.ac.jp

The title of the e-mail from the applicant should read:

“Application for ISP Assistant Professor: Physics (name of applicant).”

The title of the e-mail from a referee should read:

“Reference for ISP Assistant Professor Applicant: Physics (name of applicant).”

Once submitted, documents will not be returned and would not be used for any other purposes than for recruitment by Hokkaido University.

17. Further inquiries

For queries regarding personnel matters: