An endowed chair in Buddhist Studies is to be established at the University of Oxford. It will be the first such chair in the UK.

The chair has been endowed by means of a generous benefaction, held in trust by Balliol College, from the Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai (BDK) of Tokyo, which is a society for the promotion of Buddhism. The Chair is named after the BDK’s founder, Mr Yehan Numata.

The Numata Chair will be a member of the Oriental Studies Faculty in the Humanities Division of Oxford University, and the Professor, once appointed, will be a fellow of Balliol College.

The vacancy will be advertised soon with a view to making an appointment from 1 October 2007 or as soon as possible thereafter. The advertisement will be posted on the University website at www.ox.ac.uk/jobs/, after which time further particulars and information about how to contact the University for further information about the post, and how to apply, will be available.

More Information

• The Numata Chair: Background and Status Report
• The Numata Chair: Press Release
• Professor Richard Gombrich’s Numata Lecture: ‘Appreciating the Buddha as a pivotal figure in world history.’