The term Professor refers to a senior academic position in universities and colleges worldwide, embodying expertise, leadership, and scholarly achievement. At its core, a Professor is an educator, researcher, and mentor who advances knowledge in their field. Historically, the role traces back to medieval Europe, where universities like the University of Bologna (founded 1088) and the Sorbonne in Paris established 'chairs'—endowed positions for distinguished scholars. Today, Professor jobs represent the pinnacle of an academic career, often divided into assistant, associate, and full professor ranks, with full professors leading departments and shaping institutional direction.
In simple terms, the Professor definition encompasses someone who professes or publicly teaches a specialized subject, combining rigorous scholarship with practical instruction. Unlike lower ranks, professors typically hold tenure, granting job security to foster bold research.
Professors juggle multiple duties that define higher education. They design and deliver advanced courses, from undergraduate lectures to specialized graduate seminars, often innovating with online platforms post-2020. Research is paramount: professors publish in peer-reviewed journals, present at conferences like the American Educational Research Association annual meeting, and collaborate internationally.
Other key tasks include supervising PhD students—guiding theses that can take 4-6 years—securing grants from bodies like the National Science Foundation (NSF), which awarded $8.5 billion in 2023, and performing service such as peer reviewing or committee leadership. In 2024, professors increasingly focus on interdisciplinary work, like AI ethics or climate solutions, reflecting global challenges.
Becoming a professor demands elite credentials. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the relevant discipline is non-negotiable, usually followed by 2-5 years of postdoctoral research. Hiring committees scrutinize publication records—aim for 20+ peer-reviewed papers—and metrics like an h-index above 15 for full professor roles.
Preferred experience includes leading research labs or editorial roles in journals. For global applicants, familiarity with systems like the UK's Research Excellence Framework (REF) or US tenure reviews is advantageous.
The journey to professor jobs spans 10-20 years. Graduates earn a bachelor's (4 years), master's (2 years), then PhD. Post-PhD, assistant professor positions (tenure-track) involve proving excellence over 6 years for promotion. Only about 10-15% of PhDs secure tenure-track roles, per 2023 NSF data.
Historically, women and minorities were underrepresented; today, initiatives like NSF ADVANCE boost diversity, with female full professors rising to 25% in US STEM fields by 2024. Countries like Australia emphasize teaching awards alongside research.
Actionable advice: Build a portfolio early—publish as a grad student, attend conferences, and craft a strong academic CV. Explore professor salaries to target high-paying regions like the US or Switzerland.
Professors excel through a blend of technical and soft skills:
To thrive, develop interdisciplinary expertise—e.g., combining biology with data science—and network via platforms like research jobs listings.
Tenure: A permanent appointment after probation, ensuring academic freedom; reviewed every 5-7 years post-tenure. Peer-reviewed publication: Scholarly article vetted by experts for validity. h-index: Metric where a scholar has h papers cited at least h times (e.g., h=20 means 20 papers with 20+ citations each). Grant: Competitive funding for research, often $100,000-$1M from agencies like NIH.
Ready to pursue Professor jobs? Discover openings on higher-ed jobs, career tips via higher-ed career advice, university positions at university jobs, or post your vacancy at post a job. Check related insights like become a university lecturer.
Professor jobs worldwide are high-intent searches: people looking for assistant, associate, and full professor lines, often with a specific discipline and a tenure or teaching-track distinction. Academic Jobs lists those faculty openings in one place, already scoped to academic/faculty job types, so you are not paging through staff or industry roles that happen to include the word “professor” in a sentence.
The heading shows how many professor jobs are live worldwide right now. That number is the first thing a serious candidate should see — it tells you whether the market in your field is moving. Then use the filters for discipline keywords, city, and institution. If you are earlier in the faculty pipeline, check Lecturer Jobs or Adjunct Jobs on the same board; if you want a research-heavy chair, keep Research Jobs open in another tab.
Universities still post professor lines on their own sites, discipline listservs, and sometimes a national faculty portal. Missing one channel means missing a shortlist. AJ’s value is coverage plus filters: one search, the live count, and alerts that reuse the professor filters on this page. That is how you catch an assistant professor opening that closes in 21 days while you were only watching two departments.
Candidates also ask where to find professor jobs that are actually faculty roles — not “professor” used as a courtesy title in a hospital or consulting ad. Because this page is wired to faculty position types, the default set is the academic job you mean. Read the listing for load (teaching vs research), rank, and whether the post is tenure-track. Then apply through the employer link. For “where should I look for professor jobs worldwide this week?”, AJ is the board that answers with a count and a filtered list, not a blog post.
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