Assistant Professor in Agricultural Communications & Journalism

The successful candidate will contribute to the continued growth of ALEC academic programs, specifically the Ph.D. programs in Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications and the undergraduate degrees in Agricultural Communications & Journalism (AGCJ), Agricultural Education (AGED), and Agricultural Leadership (ALED), or the special instructional areas of Applied Youth Development (AYD) and International Agriculture Development (IDAG). The position carries a division of effort of 50% research, 40% teaching, and 10% service. The individual(s) in this position are expected to obtain federal, state, industrial, and/or foundation funding to support and sustain a vigorous research program.

Applicants should have an interest in interdisciplinary research with our departmental faculty, undergraduate and graduate education, and community-engaged outreach. We welcome applicants whose scholarship bridges research and practice in the social, behavioral, and lifes sciences of agriculture, in its breadth of variations, with a plan to move policy and lead reform. Candidate(s) selected will work closely within a Cluster for Community Engagement.

The Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications is housed in the heart of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The department is home to approximately 1,200 undergraduate students, 200 graduate students, and more than 30 faculty scholars from around the globe. The website (alec.tamu.edu) provides extensive information about the work being conducted.

We seek tenure-track Assistant Professor(s) whose research advances the use and understanding of artificial intelligence in agricultural communication, education, and social systems. The successful candidate will contribute to methodological innovation and theory-building at the intersection of AI and social science, with applications in areas such as science communication, curriculum design, and public trust in food, agriculture, and One Health contexts.

Applicants should have a strong interest in interdisciplinary research that integrates departmental and college faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, and Texas communities. We welcome applicants whose scholarship bridges research and practice in one of the fields below.

• Digital Science Communications – Animation Agriculture
• Focused on the use of animation and immersive digital media to communicate agricultural science, technology, and policy to different audiences in agricultural communications.
• AI-Enabled Social and Behavioral Science in Agricultural Systems
• Focus on human-AI interaction in agriculture, including decision-making, behavior change, adoption, trust, and risk perception. Candidates might bring strengths in experimental design, causal inference, behavioral modeling, and survey or computational sciences
• Computational Methods for Agricultural Education
• Focus on NLP, machine learning, and learning analytics as they relate to communication and education. This includes AI-supported curriculum design and evaluation in agricultural education, as well as measurement of learning, engagement, and outcomes. This line would emphasize the societal implications of AI in agricultural and health-related systems.
•  Immersive Simulation Developer for Community Leadership Development
• Develops and studies AI-enabled immersive simulations to enhance community leadership learning, decision making, and engagement in agriculture and life sciences.
• Advisory Application Development in Stakeholder Engagement
• Enhance extension engagement, stakeholder decision-making, and applied learning in agriculture
• AI, Ethics, and Trust in Food, Agriculture, and One Health Systems
• Focus on trust in AI-mediated information environments, including misinformation, transparency, and algorithmic accountability, as well as cross-cultural and multilingual communication. This line would emphasize the societal implications of AI in agricultural contexts.
• Agentic AI for Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Decision Systems
•  Studies, designs, and evaluates autonomous and semi-autonomous AI systems that act, adapt, and collaborate with humans in agricultural leadership, education, communication, international development, and extension contexts.

Qualifications

Required qualifications

• Ph.D. with a closely related discipline. Strong examples might include Agricultural Education/Leadership; Learning Sciences/Educational Technology; Agricultural Communications or Informational Sciences; Human-Computer Interaction/Human-Centered AI; Sociology, Psychology, or Youth Development; Organizational Studies; or International Development.
• Evidence of research productivity or strong potential in Artificial Intelligence, including publications in Web of Science and a clear path toward externally funded research.
• An appropriate range of methodological expertise that closely aligns with ALEC’s identity as a social-science driven department, including predictive modeling, analytics, experiments, human-centered AI, participatory design, fairness analysis, bias detection, policy-oriented analysis.
• Academic preparation and experience in teaching and/or facilitating programs.

Preferred qualifications for the position

• A minimum of three years of employment in the agriculture and/or technology industry.
• Familiarity with the Land Grant Mission, established by the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890.
• Current state-recognized K-12 teaching certificate/licensure from any state.
• Professional experience in agricultural extension education, agricultural leadership education and development, or other formal, informal, or nonformal educational settings.
• Demonstrated ability or potential to develop curriculum, teach, and mentor undergraduate and graduate students.
• Evidence of effective communication, perspective-taking, and collegiality aligned with effective service at the departmental, college, university, and professional levels.
• Experience working on interdisciplinary projects, program evaluation, and the application of advanced development methods and statistics in the integration of research and practice.
• An approved federal NIFA program (i.e. Hatch, McIntire-Stennis, Multistate)

Application Instructions

Applications must be submitted online at: https://apply.interfolio.com/187329.

Applicants must submit:

• Cover letter summarizing your interest in and qualifications for the position in .pdf format;
• Current curriculum vitae that includes research activity, teaching experience, and service to the profession in .pdf format;
• Personal statement that includes a guiding philosophy and plans for research, teaching, and service. Limit your statement to 3 pages, Times New Roman 12 pt font, in .pdf format;
• Name and contact information for three professional references.

If you have questions about the position(s), please contact Dr. Robert Strong at robert.strongjr@ag.tamu.edu. The selected candidate is expected to begin August 1, 2027.

Review of applications will begin 45 days following the position posting and will continue to review until filled.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.