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         PBI Visiting Professorship           

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 Reimbursable Expenses

VISITING PROFESSORS

Applications for 2028-29 academic year will be begin being accepted on
September 15, 2027!

Next Application Deadline: November 15, 2027

The Catholic Biblical Association of America offers an annual visiting professorship at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome where tenured established scholars of the CBA have the opportunity to teach one course to an international cohort of students, equivalent of the US PhD course work, offer a public lecture on their research, interact with a renowned faculty and take advantage of the outstanding library resources.

Visiting Professors receive a $30,000 stipend and up to $15,000 of reimbursable expenses.

Application Requirements

Applicants should be tenured established scholars with a record of published research and professional contributions. Retired or Emeritus faculty are welcome to apply. The Visiting Professorship is reserved for CBA members in good standing. (The Visiting Professorship is not intended for Early Career scholars). Also, see Selection Process criteria below.

Semester Time Frames and Flexibility

The Visiting Professorship is for one semester. Applicants should be advised that: 

  • The full autumn semester of the PBI spans (typically) the beginning of October to mid-February (including an exam period)--hence, a five month period.
  • The full winter (or spring) semester of the PBI spans (typically) mid February to end of June--around four and a half months.
  • Holders of European passports could teach for the full five month period.
  • Holders of US passports are limited to a teaching period/stay in Italy of 90 days within a six-month period.
  • The PBI will work with applicants who are not able for reasons of visa restrictions to be present (in person) for the full duration of the semester. Similarly the PBI will work with applicants from North American institutions with differing calendar years, so that they may teach the autumn semester and return for their institution’s spring semester.

Indicate your preference for semester and year and also your flexibility (whether you are open to the Visiting Professorship for both semesters of a given academic year). 

2028-29 Areas of Teaching

Teaching areas of need and interest for the 2028-29 academic year are: 

  • TBA

Applicants must provide:

  1. The CBA/PBI Visiting Professor Application Form, (Revised 2026)
  2. A Letter of Intent not to exceed two pages that presents:
    • Interest in the position and fit for teaching in an international milieu,
    • Current research area(s), and potential course offerings.
    • an explanation of how the proposal relates to the work of the CBA.
      You might comment, for example, on how your project relates to the Mission of the CBA, the association as a community of scholars, or your plans for further involvement in the CBA and related programs and publications.
    • a description of how you have been involved in CBA.
      You might consider, for example, attendance at the AGM, participation in online programs, service on editorial boards, publication in the CBQ, CBQMS, or CBQ Imprints, committee service, chairing committee(s), service as an officer, and sponsorship of new members.
  3. A Curriculum Vitae (not to exceed four pages)
  4. Checklist

PLEASE NOTE:

  • All pages of the application, other than the completed form, must be standard letter size (8.5x11 inches or A4), 12-pt. standard Roman font (e.g., New Times Roman).
  • Citations (social science or humanities style) are included in page and word counts.
  • The committee will not consider incomplete or incorrectly formatted applications.

Application Process

  • Please note the following document naming protocol.
    • If possible, all documents should be pdfs.
    • Documents for the Doctoral Dissertation Stipend should be named as follows (including the number):
      1. APPLICANT'S LAST NAME-Application
      2. APPLICANT'S LAST NAME-Letter
      3. APPLICANT'S LAST NAME-CV
      4. APPLICANT'S LAST NAME-Checklist
  • The four (4) completed application documents must be submitted on or before NOVEMBER 15 to 
    cba-office@cua.edu with the subject: PBI Visiting Professor Application, in order to be considered.
  • N.B. if within a week of submitting your application, you have not received from the CBA Office an email response confirming receipt of the application, please check your SPAM folder. If it is not there, call the office (202-319-5519) and leave a message stating your name and the date you submitted your PBI Visiting Professorship Application.
  • All applicants will be notified via e-mail on or before JANUARY 15 regarding the status of their application (whether or not the CBA Committee is forwarding their application to the PBI).
  • The PBI will make its determination by October 31 and applicants notified as soon as possible thereafter.

Selection Process

The CBA Committee on Professional Development Support will assess applications based upon the following criteria and present a pool of eligible applicants to the PBI for consideration.

Criteria

  • Applicants are established scholars and a members of CBA in good standing
  • Applicants’ teaching proposal coincides with PBI curricular needs as well as applicants’ research.
  • Applicants are able or express an interest in teaching international students.
  • Applicants are prepared to teach at the doctoral level.
  • Applicants possess working knowledge of the biblical languages.
  • Applicants’ research interests would be an enriching addition to the PBI community.
  • Applications from members who have been in the CBA for at least three years will be prioritized or favored in the vetting process.
  • Applications will be evaluated on the basis of merit. Preference is normally given to applicants who have not received a grant from the CBA in the recent past. 
  • The committee will not consider incomplete or incorrectly formatted applications.

Administration of the Visiting Professorship

  • A $30,000 stipend per semester and related expenses (travel, lodging, etc.) up to $15,000 will be funded by CBA.
  • Non-US citizens will receive a wire-transfer and will need to provide the following information:
       1. The name of the Bank, street, and city:
       2. IBAN:  
       3. BIC /SWIFT:
       4. Account number:
       5. Name of the account holder/beneficiary, street, and city:
  • Reimbursable expenses will be paid after being submitted with an expense report and receipts to the CBA Office (cba-office@cua.edu). Non-US citizens will need to include the wire-transfer information (see above) at the bottom of the expense report.
  • Visiting Professors are required to submit a report to the Executive Board via the CBA Office (cba-office@cua.edu) at the conclusion of the award period.

Lodging and Health Insurance

The applicant can come with his/her spouse or family and according to their needs the PBI will provide an apartment. Therefore in the application it is necessary to mention whether the applicant needs an apartment and if so, to indicate the number of people who would come.

The applicant and the family members need health insurance. If their US health insurance covers expenses abroad, it is not necessary to buy a European health insurance. If not, it is necessary to purchase the latter. The applicant and family members should consult their health insurance agent and add whether they need to acquire health insurance.