Assistant Professor of Christianity in Late Antiquity, Department of Theological Studies

Our Invitation

The Department of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), a Carnegie classified R2 institution in the mainstream of American Catholic higher education, seeks outstanding applicants for the tenure-track Assistant Professor of Christianity in Late Antiquity position who value its Mission and share its commitment to inclusive excellence and the building of a just society.

Who We Are

LMU is federally recognized as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) and is recognized by the State of California as a Black-Serving Institution (BSI). These designations reflect the university’s continuing commitment to supporting student success, belonging, and thriving within a diverse academic community.

As a Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount university, LMU seeks faculty members who will contribute to the university’s mission to encourage learning, educate the whole person, and serve faith and promote justice. Faculty are encouraged to contribute to the LMU Core Curriculum, such as through the development of a First-Year Seminar and/or courses incorporating Engaged Learning for Mission. We welcome candidates who demonstrate both disciplinary excellence and a clear capacity to advance LMU’s mission through their teaching, scholarly, creative, professional, and service-related contributions, as appropriate to their discipline and appointment.

LMU’s faculty play a central role in realizing our mission by shaping learning environments, advancing knowledge, mentoring and forming students, and contributing to the intellectual and institutional life of the university. The successful candidate will engage students as whole persons and pursue scholarly and creative work that promotes justice, equity, and the common good in alignment with LMU’s teacher-scholar model, contributing to the larger body of knowledge while setting an example for the importance of lifelong learning. A teacher-scholar at LMU is dedicated to 1) teaching a diverse student body in a transformative learning environment, 2) developing a thriving portfolio in research/scholarship/creative works and mentoring students, 3) participating in service activities at the academic, professional, and/or community levels, and 4) working towards greater equity, inclusion, belonging, and accessibility for all in the profession. For more information about our current faculty, please visit Join Our Faculty.

Position Description

The Assistant Professor will be dedicated to the scholarship and teaching of the first millennium of Christianity, from its post-apostolic period (ca. 100 CE) down to the later Byzantine or early Medieval period (ca. 1000 CE). The ideal candidate’s training and research agenda should reflect the regional and linguistic diversity of the “Christianities” which existed in Late Antiquity: from Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon in the East to Africa, Gaul, Italy, and Spain in the West, and beyond. In addition to church fathers, the ideal candidate’s teaching will also bring attention to neglected church mothers. Furthermore, the ideal candidate will be prepared to teach not only the major figures within Christian orthodoxy but also more marginalized figures and movements who were deemed heterodox and suppressed. Alongside this focus on the diversity within Christianity itself, the ideal candidate should be prepared to engage the broader religious and social world of Late Antiquity addressing how Christian beliefs, practices, debates, and moral imaginaries took root in a culturally and ethnically heterogenous world. This might include, for example, addressing Jewish traditions, ancient Mediterranean traditions, classical Greco-Roman philosophies, and eventually the emergence of Islam.

The position involves undergraduate teaching in the University Core, the Theological Studies Major and Minor programs, as well as in the MA in Theology and MA in Pastoral Theology programs. The teaching load is defined as 2-2-2-3 over two years (i.e. two classes per regular semester and three classes every fourth semester). Desirable areas of scholarship and/or teaching may include: development and controversy within Christian doctrine (Christology, Trinity, Pneumatology, Anthropology, Eschatology); Patristics; the emergence of diverse Christian cultures in the form of  institutions, literary and textual production (hagiography, monastic rules), or moral program; the history of Christian Asceticism, especially its diverse attitudes toward the body (i.e. food, sex, death, decay, and resurrection); the development of Christian ethics or political thought; the history of biblical interpretation (biblical scholarship, competing exegetical practices, ideal interpreters).

This is a tenure-track faculty appointment. Applicants must hold a Ph.D. or other relevant doctoral degree (e.g., Th.D) from an accredited institution. ABD candidates will be considered but must fulfill all degree requirements by August 15, 2027. This full-time, 9-month academic appointment (August – May) has an annual salary paid over 12 consecutive months, allowing for continuous benefits coverage. Visa sponsorship may be available for qualified candidates.

How To Apply

The following application materials must be uploaded by September 8, 2026 at 5:00 pm (PST) via the LMU Employment portal for an applicant to be considered for this position. Please note that a maximum of 5 PDFs may be uploaded with each file size limited to 5MB. Only online applications will be accepted.

Applications missing any of the materials or arriving after September 8, 2026 will not be considered. Questions may be directed to: Amir Hussain, Late Antiquity Search Committee: [email protected]. Preliminary interviews will be conducted virtually on Zoom in October, with short-listed candidates invited to campus for interviews in early November.

Cover letter, outlining areas of teaching and research interests and resonance with LMU’s mission; Curriculum Vitae detailing your educational background, scholarly accomplishments, and work experience, as well as any leadership and service experience (e.g., academic, professional, community) that you believe are relevant to this position; Teaching and Student Engagement Philosophy Statement: Statement of teaching philosophy including resonance and/or alignment with LMU’s mission, a liberal arts education, the practice of Ignatian Pedagogy, and/or your overall vision for yourself as a teacher-scholar; evidence of successful university-level teaching experience, both in-person and/or online. Scholarship Statement and Sample of Scholarly Work: A statement of current scholarly agenda, anticipated trajectory of scholarship at LMU, including how you plan to involve undergraduate and/or graduate students in your work. Please also include a sample of your scholarly work. Unofficial transcript from candidate’s doctoral program(s).

Across their application materials, candidates should address their commitment to any past and/or potential contributions to advancing LMU’s mission and promoting the success, sense of belonging, and thriving of students from a variety of lived experiences. Candidates may address these commitments in relation to their scholarship, teaching, mentorship, advising, and/or service, as appropriate to their experiences and future goals. Relevant examples may include fostering inclusive and accessible learning environments, supporting equitable educational outcomes, engaging multiple perspectives and ways of knowing, mentoring students from varied backgrounds, or pursuing scholarship and service that contribute to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, justice, and/or accessibility.

Letters of Recommendation

Three academic and/or professional letters of recommendation are required and should be signed by the letter writer and placed on their institutional or professional letterhead (PDFs only). Each letter should be emailed by the recommender directly to the following email address: [email protected]. The subject line should read: “[Candidate Name] Recommendation for Late Antiquity.” Letters must be received by September 8, 2026 at 5:00 pm.

#HERC# #HEJ#

Faculty Regular

Reasonable expected salary: $90,000.00

Please note that this position may not be eligible for visa sponsorship now or in the future.

Loyola Marymount University, a Carnegie classified R2 institution in the mainstream of American Catholic higher education, seeks outstanding applicants who value its mission and share its commitment to inclusive excellence, the education of the whole person, and the building of a just society. LMU is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing an environment free from discrimination and harassment as defined by federal, state and local law. We invite all persons in the full diversity of their being, life experience, and beliefs to apply. (Visit www.lmu.edu for more information.)

LMU is committed to providing equal access to employment opportunities and ensuring a comprehensive recruitment and selection process for all applicants.

 

Individuals who require a reasonable accommodation to participate in any stage of the application, interview, or selection process may contact Human Resources at [email protected] or by phone at (310) 338-2723. Applicants who use relay services or other assistive communication technologies are welcome to utilize those services when contacting Human Resources.

 

When contacting Human Resources, please include the job posting number, title of the position and department for which you are applying. Applicants are not required to disclose the nature of a disability or provide medical information when requesting an accommodation during the recruitment process.

 

LMU will work with applicants in a timely and interactive process to identify and provide reasonable accommodations consistent with applicable federal and state law.