Six Open-Rank Tenure-Track Faculty Positions, Syracuse University School of Information Studies, Syracuse, NY

Posted February 8, 2021

Description:

Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies (the iSchool, ischool.syr.edu) invites applications for scholars to fill six open-rank tenure-track faculty positions to start in Fall 2021. Successful candidates will demonstrate a history of or strong potential for sustained research excellence in an information-related field and will contribute to the development of students and courses in our degree programs in information systems, data science and data analytics, library and information science and information science and technology.

The successful candidates will join our “Faculty of One”: a highly collegial environment that values interdisciplinary collaboration among our school’s faculty and with other members of the university and beyond. Our research and teaching often adopt a socio-technical approach, recognizing that important problems are not simply technical nor just about people, but rather require both social and technological insights. We seek applicants whose topic areas and skills adopt this philosophy, and who can speak to overlapping areas within the school.

We are specifically seeking applicants with interests in the following areas, broadly construed:

1. Library and information science (position #075550). The faculty member will bring expertise in topics such as information equity and justice, information/knowledge representation and organization, library leadership and management, special collections and archives, digital data/digital curation/digital humanities, children and youth library services.
2. Network social dynamics (position #075554). This position is part of an Invest Syracuse Initiative in Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Systems, and the Human-Technology Frontier.* The faculty member will bring expertise in areas such as causal networks, network science, social cognition, social contagion, relationship science, social networks or group decision making. 
3. Future of work at the human-technology frontier (position #075545). This position is part of an Invest Syracuse Initiative in Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Systems, and the Human-Technology Frontier.* The faculty member will bring an active empirical research approach to topics such as collaboration between humans and autonomous systems, labour effects in algorithmic management or platform work, development of skills in the face of autonomous systems or design at the human-technology frontier. 
4. Digital misinformation and democracy (position #075546). This position is part of an Invest Syracuse Initiative in Citizenship and Democratic Institutions.* The faculty member will bring both technical and social expertise to the research and education on understanding information behavior around misinformation creation, circulation, and consumption, and/or developing methods and tools for curbing misinformation. 
5. Smart city technologies and analytics (position #075547). This position is part of an Invest Syracuse Initiative in Energy and Environment.* The faculty memberwill bring both technical and social perspectives to understanding how infrastructures and smart cities are designed, built, managed and improved using information technologies and data analytics. Examples of research areas include creating smarter and more livable cities and communities; analyzing complex, interdependent infrastructures; and developing systems and/or sociotechnical solutions to respond to climate change and other risks. 
6. Critical design in human‐computer interaction (position #075548). This position is part of an Invest Syracuse Initiative in Social Differences, Social Justice.* The faculty member will draw on critical perspectives to inform our understanding of the design and use of existing socio-technical systems and the interrelationship between technology and society in today’s world. Potential research areas include human-computer interaction (HCI), especially feminist, critical race, critical disability, and/or queer studies; HCI for good; the relationship of characteristics like race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, and occupational to socio-technical systems; and/or community and participatory systems. 

* Five of these positions are part of the Invest Syracuse Cluster Hire Initiative (https://www.syracuse.edu/academics/research/cluster-hires/), through which Syracuse University seeks to enhance the University’s existing research strengths by recruiting faculty members in different units with related interests. Cluster faculty will be expected to participate in collaborative initiatives that span Schools and Colleges, but have no teaching or service obligations in other units. 

Women and members of groups traditionally underrepresented among scholars in higher education are especially invited to apply for all positions. Inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) are important values of the iSchool. We are interested in candidates who value diversity and have the communication skills and a willingness to learn and contribute to a cross-cultural community that will allow the candidate to be effective with diverse groups of students, colleagues and community members. 

A completed Ph.D. in a relevant field of study or the expectation of completion of the Ph.D. by August 2021 is required. The School is committed to professional development for junior faculty, and provides excellent mentoring and support.

How to Apply:

Applications—including 1) a cover letter that specifies the position(s) applied for; 2) a personal statement describing the applicant’s research and teaching interests and qualifications for the position, including ways in which IDEA will inform their teaching, research, and service; 3) a current curriculum vitae; and 4) names and contact information of at least three references—should be submitted at www.sujobopps.com. 

All applications will be held in strict confidence; we will seek references only from finalists. We are pleased to speak with interested applicants ahead of submitting materials.

Screening of applications began in February 2021 and will continue until the positions are filled. Direct questions to Professor Kevin Crowston, search committee chair, [email protected].

About the iSchool at Syracuse University:

Located at the center of picturesque Syracuse University, the iSchool prides itself on making significant contributions in both scholarship and instruction. Our faculty have recognized strengths in information retrieval, information management, library programs and services, natural language processing, computational social science, online communities, civic participation, new forms of organization and collaboration, information and communications policy, smart energy systems, digital literacy, information privacy and security, globalization, data science, entrepreneurship, social media, social computing and other areas.

The iSchool has five degree programs and numerous certificate programs, with an enrollment of 29 doctoral students, 1084 masters students and 642 undergraduate majors, led by 43 full-time faculty and more than 100 part-time faculty. The iSchool is ranked #4 overall by US News and World Report for library and information science and #2 for information systems and #6 in the QS World University Rankings (2019). Faculty teach in the classroom and/or prepare and oversee delivery of online courses (with a typical allocation of two campus courses per semester), and mentor and advise undergraduate, masters and doctoral students.

iSchool faculty members received more than $5M in external research support in the past year from funders including the Institute of Museum and Library and Services and the National Science Foundation. The iSchool hosts seven research centers and laboratories and is recognized as a National Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Research and in Information Assurance/Cyber Defense (IA/CD) by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.

About Syracuse University:

Syracuse University is a private research university of extraordinary academics and distinctive offerings. With a gorgeous campus in the heart of New York State, a global footprint and a history that dates back to 1870, we embrace diverse backgrounds and viewpoints.

The University student population includes nearly 15,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students, representing all 50 U.S. states and 123 countries. Home to 11 schools and colleges, Syracuse University blends the foundational power of the liberal arts with the intense focus of professional programs. The University offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees in Architecture, Arts and Sciences, Education, Engineering and Computer Science, Sport and Human Dynamics, Information Studies, Law, Management, Citizenship and Public Affairs, Public Communications, and Visual and Performing Arts.

Syracuse is a medium-sized city situated in the geographic center of New York state, approximately a four-hour drive from New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Toronto and Montreal. With a metropolitan population of 700,000, Syracuse is a regional center for medical care and for cultural, recreational and artistic events, including the Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse Stage, Symphoria, Destiny Mall, multiple sporting events, and festivals including Jazz Fest and Winterfest. The outdoor enthusiast will enjoy four seasons of recreational opportunities, having the Adirondack Mountains, the Finger Lakes, Lake Ontario, and the Thousand Islands Region within easy driving distance of the Syracuse campus.

The University is proud to offer a benefit program that is family-friendly, progressive, and responsive to the diversity of our community. Full-time faculty members are eligible for dependent tuition benefits, family medical leave and, in addition to maternity/disability leave, parental leave (primary caregivers of any gender may apply). The Office of Equal Opportunity, Inclusion & Resolution Services coordinates workplace accommodations for faculty and staff, guiding the ongoing development of an accessible university that embraces disability as an aspect of diversity.

EEOC:

Syracuse University is an equal-opportunity, affirmative-action institution. The University prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender, national origin, citizenship, ethnicity, marital status, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law to the extent prohibited by law. This nondiscrimination policy covers admissions, employment, and access to and treatment in University programs, services, and activities.

Commitment to Supporting and Hiring Veterans:

A commitment to veterans and their families is a distinguishing characteristic of Syracuse University. The University has a long history of engaging veterans and the military-connected community through its educational programs, community outreach, and employment programs. After World War II, Syracuse University welcomed more than 10,000 returning veterans to our campus, and those veterans literally transformed Syracuse University into the national research institution it is today. The University’s contemporary commitment to veterans builds on this historical legacy and extends to both class-leading initiatives focused on making an SU degree accessible and affordable to the post-9/11 generation of veterans, and also programs designed to position Syracuse University as the employer of choice for military veterans, members of the Guard and Reserve, and military family members.

Commitment to a Diverse and Inclusive Campus Community:

Syracuse University maintains an inclusive learning environment in which students, faculty, administrators, staff, curriculum, social activities, governance, and all other aspects of campus life reflect a diverse, multi-cultural, and international worldview. The University community recognizes and values the many similarities and differences among individuals and groups. At Syracuse, we are committed to preparing students to understand, live among, appreciate, and work in an inherently diverse country and world made up of people with different ethnic and racial backgrounds, military backgrounds, religious beliefs, socio-economic status, cultural traditions, abilities, sexual orientations and gender identities. To do so, we commit ourselves to promoting a community that celebrates and models the principles of diversity and inclusivity.