Assistant Professors, Information Sciences (2 positions)

The School of Information Sciences in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s (UTK) College of Communication and Information (CCI), is seeking two Assistant Professors for 9-month, tenure-track positions to start in January or August 2022. The successful candidates will conduct research, teach, and advise students in our ALA-accredited master’s degree program, college-wide doctoral program, and our undergraduate program in Information Sciences. Teaching modes include face-to-face, synchronous online, asynchronous online, and hybrid. School, college, university, and professional service is also expected.

SIS enrolls approximately 300 students in its Master of Science in Information Sciences (MSIS) distance education and on-campus programs, ranked 10th in the most recent U.S. News and World Report on American Library Association-accredited LIS graduate programs.  SIS also offers an undergraduate minor in information sciences, and recently launched the state’s first Bachelor of Science in Information Sciences degree. SIS is also an active participant in the CCI Ph.D. program.  The College’s Center for Information and Communication Studies (CICS) provides a wide array of support services for CCI faculty to pursue sponsored research.

Required Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in information sciences or related area (applicants in the process of completing their Ph.D. may apply but the degree must be awarded on/by position start date)
• Evidence of ability to develop a record of research productivity
• Evidence of ability to instruct students at the graduate and/or undergraduate level
• Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Ability to work collaboratively with faculty, students, and staff from a wide range of disciplines, cultures and academic backgrounds is essential.

Applications from individuals with research and/or teaching interests in one or more of the following areas are especially welcome (listed in alphabetical, not priority, order):

• Archives, records management, and/or special collections
• Assistive technologies and/or services
• Digital and data curation
• ICTs for development (ICT4D), social informatics, community informatics
• Information retrieval
• Machine learning and artificial intelligence
• Public and/or school libraries and librarianship
• Research data management and/or data science
• User-centered design, usability, and/or user experience (UX)

 We are particularly interested in applicants who frame their research within the broad context of social justice and advocacy.

Additional Desired Qualifications:

• A record of published scholarship as lead or solo author
• Experience or demonstrated ability in design and delivery of courses in a face-to-face, synchronous, and asynchronous online, and/or hybrid formats
• Experience teaching one or more courses as the instructor of record at the graduate or undergraduate level
• Experience in–or the potential for–building an equitable and diverse scholarly environment in teaching, mentoring, research, life experiences, or service.

The School and College:

The School of Information Sciences is part of the College of Communication and Information (CCI), along with three other schools: Advertising and Public Relations, Communication Studies, and Journalism and Electronic Media. The School of Information Sciences is an iCaucus member of the iSchools Consortium.

The School of Information Sciences and the College of Communication and Information have a deep institutional commitment to diversity and strongly encourage candidates from underrepresented groups to apply. We favor candidates who can contribute to our distinctive educational objectives, which promote interdisciplinary perspectives, intercultural understanding, and concern with social responsibility and the ethical implications of information and information systems.  The School’s and College’s Diversity and Inclusion Statements can be viewed at https://www.sis.utk.edu/diversity-inclusion and https://www.cci.utk.edu/diversity-statement. 

For more information about the School of Information Sciences and the College of Communication and Information, visit https://sis.utk.edu/ and https://cci.utk.edu/ .

The University

The University of Tennessee is Tennessee’s land grant, flagship public university enrolling approximately 29,000 students at its Knoxville campus.  UTK is Tennessee’s only public Carnegie RU/VH (Research Universities/Very High Research Activity) institution and is currently ranked 52nd among public research universities by U.S. News & World Report.

For more information about The University of Tennessee Knoxville, visit https://www.utk.edu/

The Community

Knoxville is a vibrant city located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in east Tennessee. The city, population 187,000, is the third largest city in Tennessee. Over 850,000 people live in the Knoxville metropolitan area. This moderate-sized city has a vibrant nightlife that includes numerous theaters and museums, traditional bluegrass music, a symphony orchestra and an opera company, world-class restaurants, lots of cultural festivals and a downtown market square. Surrounded by lakes and the Tennessee River and within sight of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Knoxville area boasts wonderful year-round outdoor activities. Knoxville is also home to many leading corporations, including Pilot Flying J; Ruby Tuesday, Bush Brothers & Company, Discovery Inc.’s National Operating Center, Regal Cinemas, TVA, and Alcoa.

For more Information about Knoxville, Tennessee, visit https://www.visitknoxville.com/

Application Information and Procedures: 

The University of Tennessee is utilizing Interfolio to conduct this search. 

Individuals interested in applying for the position should submit the following materials:

1. a letter of application
2. a statement of teaching philosophy
3. a diversity statement
4. a current curriculum vitae, and
5. a list of three references.

Please submit your application through https://apply.interfolio.com/88386

For questions, contact sisfacultysearch@utk.edu (Subject line: Assistant Professor Faculty Position).

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. This position will be available for the successful applicants to join the UTK SIS faculty in January or August 2022.

All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment and admissions without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, or covered veteran status. Eligibility and other terms and conditions of employment benefits at the University of Tennessee are governed by laws and regulations of the State of Tennessee, and this non-discrimination statement is intended to be consistent with those laws and regulations. In accordance with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The University of Tennessee affirmatively states that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or disability in its education programs and activities and this policy extends to employment by the University. Inquiries and charges of violation of Title VI (race, color, national origin), Title IX (sex), Section 504 (disability), ADA (disability), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (age), sexual orientation, or veteran status should be directed to the Office of Equity and Diversity (OED), 1840 Melrose Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37996-3560, telephone (865) 974-2498 (V/TTY available) or 974-2440. Requests for accommodation of a disability should be directed to the ADA Coordinator at the Office of Equity and Diversity.