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Job-Market Reporting Thread (2026-27)
Job-Market Discussion Thread (2026-27)

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Job-market discussion thread (2026-27 season)

Given that jobs are beginning to be posted on PhilJobs for the next job cycle and things have been a bit slow around here, I figured now might be a good time to start this season’s job-market boards.

As many readers of the Cocoon may recall, each job season the Cocoon hosts two different job-market threads:

  1. A job-market discussion thread (the present thread): to commiserate about the market, discuss particular job ads, the market in general, questions about application materials, interviewing, alt-ac opportunities, and so on.
  2. A job-market reporting thread: to post news about interviews, on-campus visits, offers, rejection notices, etc.

This post will serve as the discussion thread, and as in the past I will open the reporting thread at a later date, closer to when most job applications become due (in the meantime, feel free to continue posting at the current reporting thread).

Because someone always asks, “Why two threads?”, there are a couple of reasons. First, some people may want to discuss the market but not stress over daily news regarding which jobs they still do or don’t have a chance for. Conversely, others may not want to discuss the market but just want news about the jobs they’ve applied for. Second, these threads can get very long already, so I think the best way for people to get the information they want in a well-ordered format is simply to have two threads.

A few final notes:

  • This thread (the post you are reading right now!) will be the home of this year’s job-market discussion thread. So, if you want to discuss this year’s job-market, just comment below.
  • Please reserve job-market news (i.e. interviews, on-campus visits, hires, etc.) for the job-market reporting thread (which again will be posted at a later date).
  • A ‘permalink’ to this thread will be on the upper right of blog’s right sidebar for the rest of the job season. –>
  • Because of Typepad’s functionality limitations (which only permits 100 comments before starting a new comment page), readers may elect to bookmark each new page of comments as each new page emerges. I recognize that it can be frustrating to scroll through page after page to get to new comments, and I think this is probably the best solution given Typepad’s functionality limitations.

Finally, as always, readers are asked to please bear in mind the Cocoon’s supportive mission. I try not to moderate with too heavy of a hand, as I don’t like to squelch reasonable discussion and debate. I also realize that the job-market can be an emotional roller-coaster, and that passions can run deep on job-market issues. But the Cocoon has always been intended to be an unique oasis of sorts: as a refuge for early-career philosophers to support each other and discuss issues related to their careers and the profession in productive, supportive way. So, I will moderate carefully to ensure that these threads remain a welcome environment for everyone–and, of course, if anyone has any concerns, please do not hesitate to let me know.

All that being said, discuss away!

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49 responses to “Job-market discussion thread (2026-27 season)”

  1. Anonymous

    PPR is obviously overwhelmed, possibly due to AI generated/assisted submissions. Is this true of other top-ish journals? Asking for a friend on the market with papers under review who is hoping to have decisions within the normal time frame.

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      The situation at PPR seems to be getting worse since earlier this year, from what I heard and from other Cocooners reporting long wait times. Curious how long the backlogs must be at PPR and other top journals, and how well they are coping!

      Reply
    2. David Thorstad

      Phil Imprint and Phil Review make very fast desk decisions on many papers. They only keep you waiting if you have a decent chance of acceptance. I have never regretted sending them a paper. BJPS and Philosophy of Science are consistently good as well, if they are good fits for the paper. AJP has a history of decent behavior and decision times. (One good thing about PPR: they are very quick at getting papers up as early view / online first. They just did this for me within a week of acceptance.)

      I know you know this and probably hate me for repeating obvious unsolicited advice, but many people put too much emphasis on quick publications for job market outcomes, which tends to hurt them in the long run since the job market is increasingly a multi-year process for many applicants.

      Reply
      1. Anonymous

        Great advice! Could you elaborate a bit on the last point?

    3. Anonymous

      No idea if this generalizes but here’s a recent data point from a different journal: I’ve had my paper under review with Analysis for a year.

      Reply
      1. Anonymous

        Don’t pester them about it: a friend of mine did, got a rejection the next day even though one of the reports was a *conditional acceptance*.

  2. David Thorstad

    Yep! (I had to leave this as a reply to my earlier post because I couldn’t find a reply button next to yours.)

    Some people get lucky and land their dream tenure-track job on the first try. But most people spend a few years in postdocs or other temporary positions. (For example, I spent three years as a postdoc before landing a tenure-track job). What gets them out is slow and steady production of good work. Every year, you accumulate a better CV and start getting more and better interviews. But that doesn’t work if you undersell yourself by pushing out papers too quickly and compromising on paper quality or journal prestige. Then you end up with a CV that isn’t much better than the one that didn’t work the first time. It’s really hard to avoid compromising when you’re not sure where your paycheck will come from next year, and I don’t want to tell people how to live their lives when that is the case. But if you’re in a situation where you can wait and not compromise, it’s often better to wait.

    Reply
  3. Anonymous

    Did Bowdoin College fail their search last year?

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      Yes, same search again

      Reply
  4. Anonymous

    Anyone else a bit worried that this cycle will be like the last one, i.e., lots of AI and some applied stuff and historical stuff but not much for M&E ± phil lang?

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      M&E + lang has been pretty sparse since the pandemic at least.

      On paper, metaphysics had a good year last year, but I heard almost all the hires went to people already in permanent jobs.

      Reply
  5. Been on the Hiring Side Discussions

    Anonymous: there hasn’t been much “traditional” LEMM for years, maybe ever. But the AI hunts are just _begging_ for applied work from those fields!

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      I suppose. I just have no stomach for it. Anything I’d produce would be negative, e.g., LLMs don’t have minds, can’t be conscious, are epistemically harmful on the whole (to an existential degree). Idk that AI friendly deans would be so keen on hiring me.

      Reply
      1. Anonymous

        I think you’d be fine if you make good arguments for these views!

  6. Anonymous

    Just lamenting. I think UK higher ed is so crappy now that many people who already have jobs will be looking for jobs. At least I am because I don’t know whether my job will be next to be cut.

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      Anonymous, academics have to wake up. I worked outside the academy before I began this career, and everywhere out there knows you are ALWAYS on the job market. No one should get complacent … or your employer will screw you.

      Reply
      1. Anonymous

        i actually think this is probably not true in UK academia. Pay scales are pretty standardised. it’s very hard and time consuming to apply for jobs. you can get more money by getting promoted, and i don’t get the impression that employers try to undercut you during negotiations when you are hired. (The salaries are low, but pretty consistently low across the sector). Also there just isn’t much wiggle room for them like in the US. The job market will be flooded in the UK but it is for the reason anonymous cites: what used to be stable good permanent philosophy jobs feel precarious now, even at may major universities, because of a sector wide funding crisis. It’s a sad and scary situation.

      2. Anonymous

        I have worked in philosophy in three countries, and had a research stay in a fourth. Perhaps the UK is different, but my sense is that if you ever want to move in your career, then you have to act accordingly. Universities take their employees for granted.

      3. Anonymous

        From what I’ve heard, the UK experience resonates with the “constantly apply” model. A philosopher friend of mine was denied promotion until she had an interview; a non philosopher friend was put on an extremely low point on the pay scale until she had an offer from another university. From my small sample, universities are doing their best to pay as little as they can.

    2. Anonymous

      The incentive structure in higher education is terrible everywhere. TT or tenured people are incentivized to look elsewhere to get a reasonable income by leaving or through a retention offer, postdocs and PhDs need something to survive no matter how terrible, and we keep producing many more PhDs than there are or ever will be jobs if the current system remains intact. And the deeper we spiral into this incentive structure, the less collective bargaining power we have with administration. It’s a nightmare.

      Reply
    3. Anonymous

      totally understand you wouldn’t want to say what university you’re at, but would you be willing to give a general hint that doesn’t expose you so I can know what ‘caliber’ of universities is still below the high water line?

      Reply
      1. Anonymous

        If I do get a better job I’d like to, but for now, google

        [the name of the university you think you’d like to work for]
        +
        [severance] or [strike] or [redundancy]

        And you will have a decent idea of whether the job is precarious. Note that a precarious job typically also involves high teaching and marking.

        I think in the long run, high teaching and marking load will also undermine the attractiveness of the university to potential students and thus the financial situation of the university, as it directly translates into teaching quality.

  7. Anonymous

    Does anyone more senior in the profession have any thoughts on the optics of working for one of the new Civics Centers in Ohio and elsewhere? More specifically, I’m wondering if working for one would serve as a sort of scarlet letter were one to try to work elsewhere. I’d like to get a job but I also don’t want to screw over my long term career prospects.

    Reply
    1. Dept chai in MI

      Despite my concerns about such places, I know some good people that work at them (much like I know some good people at places that otherwise concern me, like Hillsdale). People on search committees know that working at a place doesn’t mean loving everything about a place. If you’re at such a place, do the best work you can for your students and your research.

      Reply
  8. Anonymous

    Hey y’all. Where does everyone find job ads? I typically rely on PhilJobs and HigherEdJobs. But I am wondering if there is another resource people use. Thanks!

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      the PHILOS-L listserv posts Euro jobs

      Reply
      1. Anonymous

        Pro tip: you can check the Philos-L list every now and then online (link below) without having to subscribe and have it clog up your mailbox.

        https://listserv.liv.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa?A0=PHILOS-L

  9. Anonymous

    Just a light-hearted suggestion as you prepare for the job-market-wait-time-black-hole: consider making a PFO bingo card and deciding on a reward you will give yourself if you get BINGO. (That’s what I did when I was on the market several years ago, and I enjoyed it).

    Reply
  10. Anonymous

    someone in this thread writes about using published work as a writing sample. https://philosopherscocoon.com/2026/08/21/using-a-chapter-from-a-book-manuscript-under-contract-as-a-writing-sample/

    is that really what folks are doing? i’ve always sent unpublished work. this year i was planning on using a paper that is currently under review but has already been through a couple rounds of revisions

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      I have predominantly used published work, as it is a certification that I’m good enough to be lucky. But this maybe just me: I have the tendency of overestimating the greatness of my manuscripts, and it would serve me well to have additional evidence that the work I use as writing sample is of decent quality. (I also have the feeling that journal prestige plays a role.)

      I keep the currently under review promising papers as the job talk.

      Reply
    2. Anonymous

      I have used both published and unpublished work as writing samples in job applications. The primary criterion I use is: what is the best thing I’ve written that falls within the AOS of the job ad? Sometimes this will be published work; other times, it will be work that is polished and far enough along in the process but hasn’t yet been accepted. You know your own work best–trust yourself to pick the best piece of writing!

      Reply
  11. Anonymous

    An observation: according to the wayback machine, by this point last year, the total number of listed positions on philjobs was similar. However, when you look at them more closely, it’s hard to deny that the average desirability per job is much, much lower this year. What do people make of this? Is this a consequence of hiring freezes around the US?

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      What do you mean by “the average desirability per job”? It seems like there are way more jobs in the history of philosophy than there were last year, but otherwise, things like location, prestige, teaching load, etc., don’t seem that different.

      Reply
  12. Anonymous

    Did Cornell’s metaphysics search last year fail, or are they making a second metaphysics hire?

    Reply
  13. Anonymous

    The past 2-3 years had a decent number of political philosophy job searches, but this year there’s not nearly as much. Anyone think that’s due to political reasons?

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      I think they are showing up now:

      University of Texas at El Paso
      Assistant Professor in Philosophy (Tenure-track or similar)
      AOS: Social and Political Philosophy
      AOC: Immigration ethics

      Georgetown University
      Assistant Professor (Tenure-track or similar)
      AOS: We are looking for candidates who take a philosophical approach to race, or whose work is substantively engaged with a disadvantaged or marginalized racial, ethnic, or regional group
      AOC: Open

      Chapman University
      Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Tenure-Track, August 2027 (Tenure-track or similar)
      AOS: Political philosophy, PPE (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics)
      AOC: Philosoph and economics

      College of the Holy Cross
      Assistant Professor (Tenure-track or similar)
      AOS: Political Philosophy with an emphasis on the foundations of Democracy
      AOC: deliberative democracy, epistemological aspects of democracy, philosophy of law, pluralism, and non-state democracy

      School of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University
      Assistant Professor (Education) (Tenured, continuing or permanent)
      AOS: moral philosophy, political philosophy, social philosophy, or comparative philosophy

      School of Philosophy, Australian National University
      Lecturer in Philosophy (Continuing – 2 positions) (Tenured, continuing or permanent)
      AOS: Ethics, social and political philosophy (Position 1)/Open (Position 2)
      AOC: Philosophy and AI (Position 2)

      Département de philosophie, Université du Québec à Montreal
      Assistant, Associate or Full Professor of Philosophy (Contract type open)
      AOS: Political philosophy
      AOC: Open

      Reply
  14. Confused

    There are two different advertisements for asst. prof. positions in PPE at Chapman University:

    https://www.higheredjobs.com/faculty/details.cfm?JobCode=179562698&Title=Assistant%20Professor%20of%20Philosophy%2C%20Tenure%2DTrack%2C%20August%202027

    https://www.higheredjobs.com/faculty/details.cfm?JobCode=179534665&Title=Assistant%20Professor%20of%20Philosophy%2C%20Tenure%20Track%2C%20Fall%202027

    The first ad says they are hiring one asst. prof in these areas. The second ad says they are hiring two. Does anyone know what’s going on here? Are these ads for different positions?

    Reply
    1. Tom

      Yes. One is listed as Assistant Professor in the Philosophy Department. The other is an appointment in the Smith Institute for Political Economy and Philosophy. My best guess is that the “two positions” mentioned in the latter ad refers to both of these ads together.

      Note: these civics centers are coded for a political conservative, so if you have a writing sample on Burke, send that.

      Reply
      1. Anonymous

        If you mean just the Smith Institute, then perhaps you’re right that it’s coded conservative, but I think it would be misguided to think that any and all research centers with a focus on civics are conservative coded.

      2. Anonymous

        Civics centers are definitely all conservative coded in this day and age. Just *how* conservative depends on the place. I think it’s important for applicants to know of that perception, though.

  15. Anonymous

    Has the TT position in AI philosophy at Baylor University been deleted? (https://apply.interfolio.com/188843)

    Reply
  16. Anonymous

    For applications which say that they require a list of references, as opposed to actually requiring letters, what should you expect as far as if/when those references will be contacted? Will they just be emailed and asked for a letter if you make it far enough into the application process?

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      Short answer: it varies. If you need to know, you can ask the search committee chair.

      Reply
  17. Anonymous

    Do search committees care if you don’t disclose your gender/ethnicity?

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      No, we don’t look at the HR demographic questions and at some universities won’t even have convenient access to them.

      Reply
  18. Anonymous

    We’ve had several years now of AI-focused positions making up a significant portion of all jobs posted. Does anyone have evidence about what specific sorts of jobs these are replacing? Would a lot of these have been “philosophy of X” jobs if not for the sudden demand for philosophers of AI?

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      my own suspicion is that a non-trivial proportion of these jobs just wouldn’t have existed in the first place if not for the demand for philosophy of AI. demand for higher education in other humanities fields is plummeting, enrollment is declining, funding to higher ed with the recent administration has been reduced, etc. in spite of all of this, my understanding is that there are not significantly fewer overall jobs in philosophy being advertised. in light of that, I think maybe a good number of these jobs just wouldn’t have existed. some deans are likely willing to fund a philosophy of AI job or nothing.

      Reply
      1. Anonymous

        This seems right. Some AI postings explicitly state they are part of a university AI initiative. Even the ones that don’t likely are only funded because admin see demand for AI.

  19. Anonymous

    Anyone know what’s going on with the Middlebury TT Epistemology search? Was closed but then re-opened?

    Reply

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