Assistant Professor

Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit

SILS educates innovative and responsible thinkers who will lead the information landscape of the future. These future leaders will be equipped to discover principles and impacts of information, create systems, techniques, and policies to advance information processes and services, and advance information creation, access, use, management, and stewardship to improve the quality of life for local, national, and global communities.
The school’s programs are among the top ranked by the US News and World Report, and is internationally known for its outstanding research, teaching, and service. We offer multiple Bachelor, Masters, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees as well as a variety of dual degree, professional, certificate and online programs for personal enrichment at any stage of a students’ academic career (https://sils.unc.edu/programs). We are a proud interdisciplinary campus partner leading the Carolina Health Informatics Program (CHIP); Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life (CITAP); and The Knowledge Trust.

The Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life (CITAP) conducts research that creates more robust, resilient, and resolute democratic media and technology systems. Through its critical social science approach, its affiliated faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students research and write publicly about who has political and media power, how they use it, who it benefits, and with what consequences for democracy. CITAP does so to create fair, free, equal, and just media and technological systems and hold powerful media, technology, and political elites to account in the service of democracy.

Position Summary

The School of Information and Library Science (SILS) and Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life (CITAP) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill invite applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Artificial Intelligence (AI). We seek a scholar whose research examines the complex interconnections between AI technologies and social, organizational, and/or ethical systems.

The successful candidate’s research should focus not only on AI itself but also on the implications of AI in diverse contexts such as work, employment, education, healthcare, media, politics, or communities.
Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain an active research agenda focused on the sociotechnical dimensions of AI, including topics such as human-centered AI, ethics, human-AI interaction, responsible AI, and the broader societal implications of AI in different application contexts.
• Teach undergraduate and graduate courses on topics related to AI from a sociotechnical perspective, contributing to the core curricular requirements of both undergraduate and graduate degree programs at SILS. These may include computational/technical courses as well as curricula that explore AI’s role in shaping our work contexts and society, policy, and ethical considerations, and their intersection with information science.
• Mentor and advise graduate and undergraduate students, guiding them in qualitative or quantitative research approaches and interdisciplinary projects.
• A record of scholarly publications in high-quality, peer-reviewed venues.
• Seek external funding to support innovative research on AI.
• Engage in service activities within the school, the university, and the broader academic community, contributing to the development of the school’s interdisciplinary AI initiatives.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

• A PhD (or equivalent degree) in Information Science, HCI (Human-Computer Interaction), Sociology, Science and Technology Studies (STS), Psychology, Business, Data Science, Political Science, Communication, Computer Science or a closely related discipline.
• A promising record of research productivity in sociotechnical approaches to AI, as demonstrated by publications or conference presentations.
• A commitment to excellence in teaching and mentoring, with experience or demonstrated potential to teach both undergraduate and graduate courses, including contributions to the core curriculum.

Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience

• Experience with interdisciplinary research and collaboration, particularly with scholars in technical AI fields.
• Expertise in one or more specific areas of AI research, such as human-centered AI, human-AI collaboration, responsible AI, or the societal and political implications of AI.
• A strong interest in contributing to the school’s focus on AI’s impact in diverse areas such as work, education, public policy, healthcare, media, politics, or local communities.
• Ability and interest in teaching technical courses in AI, such as machine learning, natural language processing, or responsible AI design, especially at the intersection of technical and social contexts.

Campus Security Authority Responsibilities

This position is designated as a Campus Security Authority in accordance with the Clery Act. This position will be required to report Clery crimes to the Clery Compliance Manager and complete annual training about reporting responsibilities.

Special Instructions

Please provide the names of four (4) references from senior scholars.