Assistant/Associate Professor in Technical and Scientific Communication

advances the future of technical and scientific communication in an era increasingly defined by artificial intelligence, automation, immersive technologies, and complex sociotechnical systems. We seek a scholar whose research and teaching examine how communication shapes the design, implementation, and use of emerging technologies in professional, organizational, scientific, technical, or healthcare environments. This position is associated with Virginia Tech's Smart Healthcare Hub initiative (smarthealthcare.icat.vt.edu) and will contribute to the growth of interdisciplinary research, innovation, and teaching at the intersection of emerging technologies, healthcare-related simulations, digital and/or medical humanities, experience design, operations, and human-centered systems. The successful candidate will join a highly multidisciplinary and collaborative environment that values innovation, experiential learning, translational research, and community engagement. The successful candidate will contribute to Virginia Tech's internationally recognized Technical and Scientific Communication program as a member of the Department of English while engaging in interdisciplinary research collaborations across the university. Given the expectation that the position will involve high research productivity and pursuit of research funding as part of the Smart Healthcare Hub initiative, the position will begin with a teaching assignment of two courses per academic year (one in fall and one in spring) that includes teaching in the Department of English's undergraduate Technical and Scientific Communication and the doctoral Rhetoric and Writing programs. After three years, the teaching assignment is expected to increase to the department's typical teaching assignment for tenure-track and tenured faculty of four courses each academic year (two in fall and two in spring). Position Overview The ideal candidate for this position will help define the future of the discipline by advancing research that improves communication across complex technical, scientific, healthcare, governmental, or industrial contexts. We welcome applicants whose scholarship addresses one or more areas including, but not limited to:

• Ethics of emerging technologies
• Rhetoric of science, technology, and medicine
• Digital and/or medical humanities
• Human-centered design
• Technical communication and artificial intelligence
• Accessibility and inclusive design
• Science writing

The department particularly values scholars whose work bridges traditional disciplinary boundaries and who are skilled at collaborating with researchers across engineering, computer science, health sciences, business, public policy, and the humanities. We seek an individual that has expertise in applying their work within the healthcare sector.

Responsibilities
The successful candidate will maintain an active, externally visible research program, including work associated with the Smart Healthcare Hub's focus; contribute to undergraduate and graduate education; mentor students; and participate in departmental, college, and university service.

Primary responsibilities include:

Research

• Develop and sustain a nationally recognized program of scholarship in technical and scientific communication.
• Publish in leading journals and present research at national and international conferences.
• Pursue externally funded research opportunities and contribute to collaborative external funding proposals.
• Build interdisciplinary collaborations across Virginia Tech and with external partners.
• Mentor graduate and undergraduate student researchers.

Teaching
Teach undergraduate and graduate courses in technical and scientific communication and rhetoric, including foundational and advanced courses that may include grant writing; medical and science writing; the rhetoric of science, technology, and medicine; document design; visual rhetoric; and/or digital rhetoric. Faculty are encouraged to develop new courses aligned with their expertise and emerging areas of the discipline.

Service
The successful candidate will contribute to the continued growth of Virginia Tech's nationally recognized Technical and Scientific Communication program through curriculum development, student mentoring, program leadership, and university service while participating in national professional organizations.

Collaborative Opportunities
Virginia Tech offers exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. The successful candidate will have opportunities to engage with faculty across the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, College of Engineering, College of Science, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Pamplin College of Business, and numerous university-wide research institutes and centers such as the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment, Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, and the Whole Health Consortium.

How to Apply

Screening of applications will begin November 15, 2026. For full consideration, all materials must be submitted prior to this date. Please submit:

• A CV
• A Cover Letter
• A detailed statement detailing teaching/mentoring philosophy
• A detailed statement of research accomplishments and plans
• Names and contact information for 3 professional references; references will be contacted to upload letters of support to the application during the review process

Please direct questions to Dr. James D. Ivory, Search Committee Chair, at jivory@vt.edu.

Required Qualifications

• Ph. D. in Technical and Professional Communication, Rhetoric and Writing Studies, Communication, English, Information Science, Human-Centered Computing, Science Communication, User Experience, or a closely related field by the time of appointment.
• Demonstrated potential for an active and impactful research agenda supported by extramural funding.
• Evidence of excellence or strong potential in undergraduate and graduate teaching.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusive teaching, mentoring, and collaboration.
• Ability to work effectively in interdisciplinary research environments.

Preferred Qualifications

Preference will be given to candidates with one or more of the following:

• Research addressing emerging technologies and communication.
• Expertise in human-centered design, user experience, or information design.
• Research focused on healthcare, health technologies, public health, or implementation.
• Evidence of pursuing or securing external research funding.
• Experience mentoring graduate students.

Overtime Status

Exempt: Not eligible for overtime

Appointment Type

Regular

Salary Information

Commensurate with Experience, as an Assistant Professor the range is $75,000 to $82,000 / as an Associate Professor the range is $83,000 to $92,000

Hours per week

*

Review Date

November 15, 2026

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including Blacksburg, the greater Washington, D.C. area, the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, sites in Newport News and Richmond, and numerous Extension offices and research institutes. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance. These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective, along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, ethnicity or national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Donna Eastwood at ddolgos@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.