Assistant Professor in Social Justice Informatics, 2021

Assistant Professor in Social Justice Informatics, 2021

College/School/Unit: School of Information
Department:
Posted: Oct 13, 2020
Apply By: Open until filled

Description

The School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Social Justice Informatics. We are particularly interested in information scholars who will focus on the redistribution of power to address inequities at the intersection of race, ethnicity, gender, and class. We understand Social Justice Informatics to involve building knowledge (historical, empirical, theoretical, critical) to drive action on challenges such as racism, human rights, poverty, environmental justice, and development towards a more just society. Specific areas of research focus may include access to information and technology, equity, diversity, participation, human development, human rights, public interest technology, and critical race theory, to name a few. Candidates focused on human-centered design for civic or social good are invited, especially those using design methodologies that include participation of and build capacity within communities.

We invite applications from scholars from diverse disciplines including information studies, psychology, media studies, communication, political science, ethnic studies, human geography, sociology, women/gender studies, civil/criminal law and more. Applicants, especially those unfamiliar with Information Schools, are welcome to contact us via the email below prior to submitting their application to discuss how their research agenda connects to our school, and to examine resources provided at iSchools.org.

We hope that the candidate for this position will help us shape our approach to Social Justice Informatics across our school. The candidate will have the opportunity to play a foundational role in the School's new undergraduate major in Informatics, which includes a concentration in Social Justice Informatics, and plans to admit its first students in the Fall of 2021. Tenure-track faculty at the School of Information at the University of Texas have a 2/1 teaching load and course releases are normally available during the pre-tenure period.

Qualifications

Candidates must hold a doctoral degree in a field that is relevant to their area of research and teaching, or be able to convincingly demonstrate that they will complete the degree before starting (e.g., by documenting a scheduled viva/defense). We are unable to consider applications beyond early Assistant Professor stage, but hope more experienced candidates will apply to the separate search for an Associate Professor and Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion.

For all of the positions, we only seek candidates with excellent research, teaching, service and leadership abilities and a commitment to shaping the future of the UT Austin iSchool and the field of information more broadly. Candidates who currently or will potentially make outstanding contributions to the diversification of their scholarly fields and/or institutions of higher education are especially encouraged to apply.

Application Instructions

Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled. We will begin to review applications and interview candidates on November 12, 2020.

For this Assistant Professor position, required materials include:

1. Current CV,
2. A cover letter (1 page),
3. A statement of your research plans (2-4 pages),
4. A sample of your writing, such as chapter of your dissertation (or proposal) or a paper on which you were a leading author,
5. A teaching statement (1-2 pages),
6. Names and contact details of 3 references who have agreed to provide a reference letter (We will solicit reference letters, if needed, later in the process), and
7. A diversity statement (1-4 pages). The purpose of the diversity statement is to identify candidates who have professional skills, experience, and/or willingness to engage in activities that would enhance campus diversity and equity efforts.

Questions about these positions may be sent to facultysearch@ischool.utexas.edu. All faculty positions are subject to final budget approval.

About the UT Austin iSchool

The goal of the UT Austin iSchool is to be the premier research and education program for the 21st century field of information, where we are changing the future by engaging the present and preserving the past. Research and teaching at the iSchool changes the ways that we interact with information and technology, changes how information can make the world a better and fairer place, and changes the ways we protect and preserve our collective memory. For more information about the iSchool, see https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/about-the-ischool.

The UT Austin iSchool is a founding member of the international iSchools organization (https://ischools.org/), and has a long history of interdisciplinary scholarship and research focused on the human, social, cultural, and technical aspects of information. Our program is consistently ranked among the top programs in information internationally. We are a stand-alone school with strong connections across the university and with other institutions nationally and internationally; we are particularly interested in applicants who will further strengthen and extend our collaborative network. We offer an ALA-accredited Master of Science in Information Studies as well as degrees at the undergraduate and PhD levels. Our Master of Science degree in Information Security and Privacy is offered jointly with the UT Center for Identity. For more details on our current degree offerings, see https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/programs.

UT Austin has an internationally distinguished faculty making it one of the world's leading research universities. UT Austin embraces interdisciplinary research, and is the home to more the 200 dedicated research units and centers. For more information on UT Austin, see https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/about/about_ut_austin.

About Austin

Austin is a city bursting with entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for discovery. Austin has a vibrant, internationally renowned music, film, and art scene, along with a thriving economy that leads the way in the technology, engineering, and health care sectors. It is a city with natural beauty in abundance, with a glittering river that runs through the center of the city, year-round sunshine, and a location in the picturesque Hill Country of central Texas. Austin is a creative center that attracts the best and the brightest from around the world. Often referred to as the Live Music Capital of the World, Austin hosts major annual events such as the Austin City Limits Music Festival and South by Southwest (SXSW), which includes Education, Film, Music, and Interactive Festivals. Austin serves as the corporate headquarters for Fortune 500 companies such as Dell, Whole Foods, and ABM Industries, plus successful tech start-ups such as Tivoli, Hoover's and more recently, SparkCognition, data.world, Indeed.com, Spiceworks, and WP Engine. Austin also hosts research and development offices for major technology-oriented companies such as Amazon, AMD, Apple, Cisco, eBay, Facebook, Freescale, Google, IBM, Intel, Oracle, Samsung, and Texas Instruments, who have established major operations in Austin to draw from the highly skilled talent the university produces. Savills World Research ranks Austin #1 in the Savills Tech Cities Index. U.S. News and World Report rated Austin #1 in its Best Places to Live list. Expedia ranks Austin #1 in its 21 super cool US cities list. More information on Austin can be found at https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/about/about_austin.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.


To apply, visit https://faculty.utexas.edu/career/65536

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