Location: Philadelphia, PA
Open Date: August 24, 2026
The Department of the History and Sociology of Science at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) invites applications for a tenured/tenure-track position in the history of technology and science with a focus on the history of computing, data and information science, or artificial intelligence. We are interested in applications from colleagues who hold a Ph.D. in the history of science and related disciplines and whose research is grounded in historical and/or ethnographic methods. Tenure-track applicants are expected to have completed all requirements for the Ph.D. in the history of science or another related field by June 2027.
The Department of the History and Sociology of Science is a collaborative and interdisciplinary department committed to critical studies of science and knowledge production, from premodernity to the recent past, and with a wide geographical range. The faculty is expected to carry a 2-2 teaching load; maintain a robust research profile; and take an active role in departmental, institutional, and professional service. The department teaches and graduates approximately 200 undergraduates per year who earn degrees in one of our two majors: Health and Societies (HSOC) and Science, Technology, and Society (STSC). Our faculty aims to equip undergraduates with sophisticated critical faculties, multidisciplinary skills, and an extensive knowledge of how science and technology have been defined, practiced, and contested over time and place. Our majors not only prepare undergraduates for careers in medicine, business, law, government, journalism, research, and education, but also provide a foundation for citizenship in a globalizing, diversifying world characterized by rapid technological and scientific change.
We also have a thriving Ph.D. program, with an established track record of excellent placement in careers in teaching, research, curatorship, and institutional governance in both the education and healthcare sectors. While the Department is housed within the School of Arts & Sciences, the faculty and students regularly engage in interdisciplinary research and collaboration with the Schools of Engineering, Medicine, and Nursing, efforts that are supported by the University and made possible by our contiguous green urban campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
We are especially interested in applicants whose research and teaching interests focus on artificial intelligence from a global perspective, data and power, computing and infrastructure, digital sovereignty, and technological labor. The successful candidate will be expected to actively contribute to various data and/or AI initiatives across campus, as applicable, such as Penn Data Driven Discovery, Penn AI, and SAS Horizons, offering critical perspectives on data, AI and/or computing.
Qualifications
All candidates should have:
- publications appropriate to rank
- a demonstrated commitment to teaching and advising undergraduate and Ph.D. students with evidence of mentoring and supporting students from a wide range of backgrounds
- expertise and training in historical and/or ethnographic methods
- an active research agenda, with evidence of international reputation appropriate to rank
- leadership experience commensurate with rank
Candidates for tenure-track appointment are expected to have a Ph.D. in hand by the time of appointment, which is July 1, 2027
The successful candidate will be expected to:
- Teach a 2-2 course load across undergraduate and graduate curriculum as well as advise Ph.D. students and undergraduate majors
- Contribute to the vibrant intellectual life of the department as well as faculty administrative operations
- Maintain a consistent record of publishing peer-reviewed research
Application Instructions
Please provide the following application materials to https://apply.interfolio.com/192132:
- CV
- Cover letter
- Research statement
- Teaching statement
- Writing sample of no more than 10,000 words
- Contact information for three recommenders
Review of applications will begin October 5, 2026 and continue until the position is filled.
Please contact Ms. Kristen Ramsey ([contact details available in the full listing] / [contact details available in the full listing]) with questions regarding the application process.
