Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in the Economics of China

Job title: Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in the Economics of China

Department: Economics

Contract Type:Permanent

Grade: G8/Ac3 or G9/Ac4

Location: Bloomsbury, Camden, Greater London, United Kingdom

Hours: 35 hours per week

SOAS University of London is the leading Higher Education institution in Europe specialising in the study of Asia, Africa and the Near and Middle East.  SOAS University of London is positioned to play a leading role in reimagining higher education globally, with a new strategic plan in place as the basis for the renewal and revitalisation of the School which commits SOAS to both student responsiveness and research intensity. SOAS is moving towards a new model of international partnerships which is responsive to the transnational character of our global challenges.

About the Role

The Department of Economics at SOAS University of London invites applications for a Lecturer/Senior Lecturer post in the Economics of China. We seek an outstanding scholar with strong expertise in the political economy of China, including engagement with questions of structural transformation, industrial policy, climate and agrarian change, state-capital relations, or China's evolving role in the global economy.

About the Department

The Department of Economics at SOAS University of London is a leading centre for economic research, grounded in a rigorous tradition of political economy and development economics.  Our faculty advances scholarship on the defining challenges of our time — from socio-economic inequalities and the environmental crisis to structural transformation. We conduct world-leading research on financialisation, social reproduction, the political economy of food, informality, labour, the macrofinancial aspects of development, the political economy of institutions, corruption and the assessment of macroeconomic, social and industrial policies.

Our research shapes both scholarly debate and real-world policy. Faculty have led high-impact work on anti-corruption strategies, the greening of financial systems, the role of industrial policies for structural transformation and the socio-economic and environmental implications of industrialised livestock production. Through the Centre for Sustainable Finance and the Centre for Sustainable Structural Transformation, the Department conducts world-leading research in collaboration with policy institutions and practitioners across the Global South and the Global North with a focus on social and environmental justice.

Our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes equip students with the quantitative rigour and qualitative depth demanded by an increasingly complex world. At a moment when artificial intelligence is reshaping our societies, we prepare economists not only to apply theories and tools, but to interrogate their assumptions and develop critical thinking.

About you

You will contribute to the Department's teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, delivering modules on the Chinese economy and development economics. You will be expected to connect China's development experience to broader public policy debates, design innovative curricula, and provide high-quality supervision and mentorship to students across our programmes. You will also be expected to maintain an internationally recognised research agenda, engage actively with external funding opportunities, and play an active role in administrative duties and the broader intellectual life of the Department, contributing to the Department's standing as one of the world's leading centres for heterodox economics and political economy.

Candidates who can bridge rigorous theoretical and empirical economic tools with critical political economy perspectives are especially encouraged to apply.

How to Apply: 

Please complete the online application form and upload your CV publications, and a supporting statement, addressing the essential criteria of the Person Specification (Refer to the Job pack).

Please specify in your application (supporting statement or cover letter) if you are applying to either the Lecturer or Senior Lecture in the Economics of China. 

Closing date: 6th May 2026 at 11:59 p.m.                   

Presentations and interviews are expected to be held on: 26th and 27th May 2026

Further information

Please note that the application system does not currently have a save-and-return feature. To avoid losing any information, we strongly encourage you to complete and submit your application in one sitting. Make sure you have all necessary details ready before you begin.

Successful candidates will need to demonstrate their eligibility to work in the UK or have limited leave to remain in the UK and associated right to work for the duration of their employment with SOAS, in accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.

We are able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.

If you would like an informal conversation about the role, please contact Dr. Yannis Dafermos (Head of Department), via email: yd6@soas.ac.uk

If you have any questions or require any assistance with regard to the application process, please contact us via the HR Contact Form | SOAS

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