Call for Applications: BFSU-FASIC Colin Mackerras Chair in Australian Studies Program 2026

About the Program 

Emeritus Professor Colin Mackerras at Griffith University is a specialist in Chinese history, musical theatre and ethnic minorities, as well as Australia-China relations and Western images of China. He has also worked frequently at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), the first time from 1964 to 1966. He won a Friendship Award from the Chinese government in 2014. From the 1980s to recent years, Professor Mackerras taught at BFSU more than a dozen times and offered courses such as Australia-China Relations, Political Issues in Australia and Western Images of China at undergraduate and graduate levels. To honour the great contributions of Professor Mackerras to the educational and intellectual exchanges between China and Australia, the BFSU Australian Studies Centre and Foundation for Australian Studies in China (FASIC) agreed to establish the BFSU-FASIC Colin Mackerras Chair in Australian Studies Program (“Colin Mackerras Program” and “Chair”) in 2024.

Key selection criteria 

1. The Chair will start working at the BFSU Australian Studies Centre in September 2026, for a period of at least four weeks and up to 18 weeks within a semester. 

2. The Chair has relevant experience in teaching Australian studies courses and supervising theses at a higher education institution. 

3. The Chair has a fine record of publications in the field of Australian studies. 

4. The Chair holds the rank of associate professor or above at an Australian higher education institution.

Benefits 

1. The Colin Mackerras Program is jointly-funded by BFSU and FASIC, covering the Chair’s round-trip airfare, accommodation and a monthly salary. 

2. BFSU provides appropriate office space, equipment and utilities, support staff and administrative assistance for the Chair.

How to apply 

Australian academics with teaching and research experience in the humanities and social sciences in tertiary education are welcome to apply. Submit your cover letter and CV to australianstudies[at]bfsu.edu.cn by 27 February 2026.