The University of Macau (UM) is hiring a Full, Associate or Assistant Professor in Artificial Intelligence for its Department of Artificial Intelligence (AIX) in the Faculty of Information Science and Computing. This University of Macau professor of artificial intelligence job is full time, starts in August 2027, and carries a joint appointment with UM’s Centre for Artificial General Intelligence. Pay is published: from MOP 855,400 a year for an Assistant Professor up to from MOP 1,250,200 for a Full Professor, before a low local income tax.
The advert’s closing date is 22 December 2026, though UM says it will keep reviewing applications until the post is filled. The reference number is FIC/AIX/FAAP/10/2026. Below you will find the salary by rank, what UM wants, how to apply online, what the benefits cover, and how to build a research statement that fits this department. I also cover common mistakes and who should apply.
University of Macau AI professor job: key facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Employer | University of Macau |
| Department | Department of Artificial Intelligence (AIX), Faculty of Information Science and Computing (FIC) |
| Joint appointment | Centre for Artificial General Intelligence (CAGI), Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Brain Sciences (IAIBS) |
| Ranks open | Full Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor |
| Contract | Full time; THE lists it as fixed term |
| Start date | August 2027 |
| Reference | FIC/AIX/FAAP/10/2026 |
| Salary | From MOP 855,400 to from MOP 1,250,200 a year, taxable, by rank |
| Apply | Online at career.admo.um.edu.mo |
| HR contact | vacancy@um.edu.mo, +853 8822 8574 |
| Advert posted | 23 October 2026 |
| Deadline | 22 December 2026, with review continuing until the post is filled |
University of Macau AI professor salary by rank
UM is one of the few universities in this region that prints its starting pay for each rank. These are annual, taxable figures from the advert, with the advert’s own US dollar estimates:
| Rank | Annual salary from | Approx. USD (advert’s figure) |
|---|---|---|
| Assistant Professor | MOP 855,400 | About USD 105,600 |
| Associate Professor | MOP 1,052,800 | About USD 129,980 |
| Full Professor | MOP 1,250,200 | About USD 154,350 |
Your actual offer depends on your qualifications and experience. The advert says the top local income tax rate is 12%, and that after discretionary exemptions the effective rate is roughly 5% to 7%. That is far below what an academic on the same gross salary pays in the UK, Australia or most of Europe.
UM also says it may offer a lower rank than the one you apply for in special cases, and that it reserves the right not to appoint. Apply for the rank your record supports and say you are open to the others if that is true.
Benefits
- Medical insurance
- A provident fund (UM’s retirement savings scheme)
- On-campus accommodation or a housing allowance
- Other subsidies, listed on UM’s “learn more” careers page
Housing is the big one. Rents in Macau are high for a city its size, so on-campus housing or the allowance will shape how much of your salary you keep.
What the job involves
The advert describes a research-first post with teaching. You would be expected to:
- Run a strong, original research programme with a clear long-term vision.
- Teach at university level in the department.
- Contribute to CAGI’s work on foundation models, large-scale data intelligence, trustworthy AI, AI systems, brain-inspired computing and artificial general intelligence.
- Take part in department, faculty and university service and serve the wider profession.
The research areas named are machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, embodied intelligence, data science and AI for Science, plus applied work in healthcare, transport, smart cities and other emerging areas.
Requirements
| Requirement | Status in the advert |
|---|---|
| PhD in Computer Science or a related field | Required |
| Strong background in Computer Science or a related discipline | Required |
| Ability to work as a good team player | Required |
| Specialisation in Medical AI or AI in the Metaverse | Preferred |
| Research and teaching experience at university level | Preferred |
| Macao permanent residency | Priority given when qualifications and experience are equal |
The Medical AI preference is worth noting. If your work touches clinical imaging, health records or biomedical models, put it near the top of your application.
Visa and working in Macau
The advert does not mention visa sponsorship or relocation support. Non-residents need authorisation to work in Macau, so ask UM’s Human Resources Section how it arranges this for overseas faculty before you accept an offer. The advert also says that, at equal merit, Macao permanent residents get priority. In practice UM hires many international staff, and English is its working language.
About the University of Macau
UM is a public, research-oriented university in the Macao Special Administrative Region. Its campus of about 1 square kilometre sits on Hengqin Island, and a further campus is being built in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone, which the advert says should open in 2028. The university runs a residential college system and calls its model “4-in-1” education.
Rankings, with years:
- THE World University Rankings 2026: 145th, the highest ever for a Macau institution according to Macau Business. The advert cites 154th in THE’s latest table.
- QS World University Rankings: 285th in the 2026 edition; the advert cites 267th in the latest edition.
- U.S. News Best Global Universities for AI: 42nd, as cited in the advert.
- ESI: the advert says UM is in the top 0.1% for Computer Science.
The advert also notes three State Key Laboratories and describes AIX as a fast-growing department.
How to apply for the University of Macau AI professor job
- Pick your rank: compare your record against the three ranks honestly. Assistant Professor suits a strong postdoc or new faculty member; Full Professor needs an established research group and funding history.
- Open the UM portal: go to career.admo.um.edu.mo and find reference FIC/AIX/FAAP/10/2026. The THE Unijobs listing links to it too.
- Prepare your documents: the advert does not list them, so follow what the portal asks for. For faculty posts, expect a CV with a full publication list, research and teaching statements and referee details.
- Submit online: complete the form and upload your files before 22 December 2026.
- Ask questions by email: write to vacancy@um.edu.mo and quote the reference number.
- Wait three months: UM says that if you are not invited to interview within three months, you may treat the application as unsuccessful.
Deadline
The closing date is 22 December 2026, but UM reviews applications until the post is filled. Early applicants are read first, so apply in November or early December if you can.
How to write the research statement for this AI post
UM is hiring into a department and a centre at the same time, so your statement has to work for both. A structure that does this:
- Your research question: one paragraph naming the problem you work on and why it matters.
- Results so far: three or four papers or systems, with venues (NeurIPS, ICML, CVPR, ACL and similar) and what each one showed.
- Five-year plan: two or three concrete projects, and which fit CAGI themes such as foundation models, trustworthy AI or brain-inspired computing.
- Applications: link your work to healthcare, transport or smart cities where you honestly can. Medical AI is a stated preference.
- Funding and students: grants you have won, the kind of funding you plan to seek, and how you would supervise PhD students.
- Teaching: a short paragraph on courses you could teach at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Sample opening, for illustration only: “My research builds vision-language models that clinicians can audit, and I want to extend this at UM by linking trustworthy foundation models with medical imaging.” Use your own field and results.
What the selection process looks like
UM has not published interview dates. For faculty posts, the usual pattern is a departmental shortlist, an online interview, and then a seminar on your research with meetings with faculty and university leaders. Referee letters are normally requested at the shortlist stage. Because the start date is August 2027, there is time for a visit; ask about it if you are shortlisted.
Common mistakes
- Applying for a rank you can’t defend: a thin Full Professor application can be offered a lower rank, or fail outright.
- A statement written for any AI job: name CAGI’s themes and show where you fit.
- Burying medical work: if you have health or biomedical AI papers, lead with them.
- Ignoring teaching: UM expects tertiary teaching, and the advert prefers candidates who have done it.
- Forgetting the reference number: quote FIC/AIX/FAAP/10/2026 in every email.
- Using an unofficial site: apply only through UM’s portal or the THE link. UM charges no fee.
Who should apply and who shouldn’t
You should apply if you hold a PhD in computer science or a close field and publish regularly in strong AI venues, especially in medical AI, foundation models, vision, language or embodied intelligence. Applicants from anywhere can apply, and the pay and low tax make this one of the better-paid AI faculty openings in Asia.
You probably shouldn’t apply if you don’t yet have a PhD in hand, or your work is mostly applied software development without research output. Researchers who want a teaching-focused role, or who can’t move to Macau by August 2027, should look elsewhere.
Similar AI faculty jobs to compare
| Role | Institution and location | Contract | Salary as advertised | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full / Associate / Assistant Professor in AI | University of Macau, Macau | Full time | From MOP 855,400 to from MOP 1,250,200 | 22 December 2026 |
| Open rank faculty, Computer Science | MBZUAI, Abu Dhabi | Permanent | Competitive | 30 June 2027 |
| Professor in Machine Learning | UM6P, Benguerir, Morocco | Permanent | Not stated | 20 November 2026 |
| 90 Scholars for 90th Anniversary hiring scheme | Hong Kong Polytechnic University | Permanent | Not stated | 31 December 2027 |
For a senior leadership route in China’s semiconductor sector, see our post on the XJTLU Dean, School of CHIPS job. Earlier-career researchers looking for funded study or fellowships in Asia can start with our Japan scholarships guide.
FAQs about the University of Macau AI professor job
What is the salary of an assistant professor at the University of Macau?
For this AI post, Assistant Professor pay starts from MOP 855,400 a year (about USD 105,600), taxable. Associate Professors start from MOP 1,052,800 and Full Professors from MOP 1,250,200.
Is income tax high in Macau for professors?
No. The advert says the maximum rate is 12%, and the effective rate after exemptions is about 5% to 7%.
When is the deadline for the University of Macau AI professor job?
The closing date is 22 December 2026, but UM keeps reviewing applications until the post is filled, so apply early.
Can foreigners apply for University of Macau faculty jobs?
Yes. The advert is open internationally, though Macao permanent residents get priority when candidates are equal. Ask HR about work authorisation, as the advert does not cover visas.
Sources and updates
I checked this job on 29 October 2026 against the Times Higher Education Unijobs listing 416888 and the same advert on jobs.ac.uk, which give the salaries, tax note, start date, reference number and contacts. Benefits come from the advert and UM’s careers site at career.admo.um.edu.mo. The THE 2026 rank comes from Macau Business, and the QS 2026 rank from Macao News. UM has not published interview dates or a visa policy for this post. If the closing date changes, I will update this page.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
