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  • Join New Zealand’s world-ranked Faculty of Arts and Education (#61 QS Ranking) and provide discipline leadership to our growing Criminology programme
  • Inspire our outstanding students and collaborate with highly reputed colleagues
  • Live and work in Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest, most cosmopolitan and culturally diverse city

The University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau is Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading higher education institution and a comprehensive, research-intensive university encompassing six diverse faculties and two research institutes. This standing is reflected in our global ranking of 65 in the 2026 QS World University Rankings, and our position as the only university in New Zealand ranked in the top 30 of both THE University Impact Rankings (#28) and QS Sustainability Rankings for 2025 (#17). The University of Auckland employs over 5.400 academic and professional staff to support over 47,000 students, making us one of New Zealand’s most significant and complex entities and one of NZ’s largest employers.

Situated within the Faculty of Arts and Education, the School of Social Sciences engages critically with studies of culture, politics and issues confronting humanity and society in the past, the present and into the future. Our academics are regarded as experts in their fields. They are at the forefront of New Zealand’s academic presence in anthropology, archaeology, criminology, gender studies, international relations, politics, public policy, and sociology. The School attracts approx. 4,800 students each year and hosts over 130 PhD students. We are striving to provide a School that reflects the demographics of our student base and Aotearoa New Zealand.

We are seeking an established research leader in the field of Criminology. The successful applicant will demonstrate excellence and leadership in research, commitment to high-quality research-informed teaching (under- and postgraduate level), and to supporting and mentoring postgrad students and highly motivated academic colleagues in Criminology.

In addition, you will bring a track record of successfully competing for external research income; and contributing to transdisciplinary collaborative research projects.

The Criminology programme at the University of Auckland has grown significantly over the last ten years and represents one of the most popular majors in the Bachelor of Arts. Researchers and educators in Criminology take broadly critical approaches to the discipline, including an emphasis on Indigenous perspectives, restorative justice, cybercrime, penology, gender, policing, prisons, cultural criminology and justice policies.

The successful candidate will have expertise that adds to or extends these existing strengths. Applicants with expertise in Indigenous, race, ethnicity, gender and/or intersectional approaches are particularly encouraged, although the position is open to a wider range of critical approaches to criminology.

The successful candidate will be familiar with or open to learning about Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi) and be prepared to build or extend relationships with Māori and Pacific communities in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The University of Auckland occupies a unique position in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Asia- Pacific. It is New Zealand’s largest university and an international centre of learning and academic excellence. Auckland is a vibrant, cosmopolitan, and rapidly growing city with a population of 1.6m, and is the commercial heart of Aotearoa New Zealand. We have an abundance of natural features, including four stunning harbours and accessible coastline, native bush and moderate temperatures, which help us to retain our reputation as one of the best cities in the world in which to live.

We aspire to contribute to a fair, ethical, and sustainable society, reflecting our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and our foundational relationship with tangata whenua. The University is committed to a culture that encourages and supports staff to reach their full potential in an inclusive and collaborative community of scholars. We welcome applications from Māori and Pacific candidates, as well as other applicants that will enhance the diversity of our staff and strengthen our links with diverse communities.

This is a permanent, 40 hours per week, full-time employment contract. The salary range for this role is: Senior Lecturer $124,375 – $1155,788 p.a.; Associate Professor starting at $162,557 p.a. and Professor starting at $186,563 p.a. depending on experience and qualifications.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted by 14 September 2025 (further detail in the Candidate booklet).

For a confidential conversation about the role please contact:

Dr Kathrin Soehnel, Academic Executive Search Consultant, University of Auckland, k.soehnel@auckland.ac.nz

Immigration & relocation support

To make the immigration process as easy as possible for our applicants, the University has an in-house immigration manager who is licensed by the New Zealand Immigration Advisers Authority to provide advice and support to staff as they navigate the visa and immigration process together.

Immigration and Relocation Support

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