Assistant Professor of Journalism & Mass Communication - Notice of Filing

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison seeks a full-time Assistant Professor beginning August 18, 2025, with a research agenda focused on Artificial Intelligence and the quality, integrity, and credibility of news and public-interest communication. Candidates should have a demonstrated commitment to excellence in research and teaching and a PhD in communication or related fields such as media studies, information studies, sociology, psychology, computer science, data science, political science, public health, and science and technology studies. We are a methodologically diverse department and seek candidates with strengths in qualitative, quantitative, and/or computational approaches to media and communication research. Regardless of focus, our ideal candidate will have a substantial research agenda that sheds critical light on how AI and related technologies change the work of journalism and other knowledge-producing institutions in the democratic public sphere, in a moment of diminishing institutional trust and rising concern about "information disorder" in countries around the world.

Areas of emphasis may include, but are in no way limited to, the following:

- Use of AI by, and influence on, news organizations, political parties, libraries, public health agencies, schools, universities, and other public-facing institutions;

- The role of AI in creating, disseminating and combating mis- and disinformation, monitoring information quality, and intervening to improve the information ecology;

- The relationship between AI, media manipulation, and trust in news, environment and health communication, and other forms of public information;

- Impact of AI on strategic communication campaigns and industry;

- Racial, gender, class, and other biases in the development and deployment of AI and algorithmic systems;

- Investigating AI and algorithmic infrastructures through code audits, reverse engineering, technography/ethnography, and other methods;

- AI governance regimes and information quality, in the US and internationally;

- AI, digital labor, and the public sphere;

- AI, geopolitics, and international/global communication;

- The history of AI and related technologies in public life;

- The impact of AI on digital and news literacy practices;

- AI, digital platforms, and platformization/enclosure of public information;

- Implications of AI systems for democratic participation and social, political, and economic inequality, including racial and gender inequality.

The successful candidate will advance the educational mission of the College of Letters & Science that values, prioritizes, and actualizes evidence-based and student-centered teaching and (undergraduate student) mentoring. They will contribute to an inclusive, fair, and equitable environment that fosters engagement and a sense of belonging for faculty, staff, students and members of the broader community.

The successful candidate, as a member of the College of L&S, will proactively contribute to, support, and advance the college's commitment to equity among all aspects of their teaching, mentoring, research, and service. In addition to developing and maintaining a robust research portfolio in the area of AI and communication, the successful applicant will participate in interdisciplinary and collaborative efforts with other departments, schools and colleges, and will mentor highly motivated master's and doctoral students in this area of high demand and societal impact. The standard teaching load is four courses per academic year, typically including one graduate seminar per year. University and professional service is required appropriate to career stage.

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

Required
PhD
A PhD in communication or related fields is required by the start of the appointment.

Successful candidate must engage in high-quality research and teaching commensurate with experience. The successful candidate will demonstrate experience with fostering or the ability to foster an inclusive and equity-centered teaching, learning, mentoring, departmental, and research environment where all can thrive.

Full Time: 100%

It is anticipated this position requires work be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location.

Ongoing/Renewable

JULY 05, 2025

Negotiable
ACADEMIC (9 months)

A competitive recruitment and selection process was conducted for this employment opportunity and a U.S. worker was not selected. An application for Alien Employment Certification is being filed on behalf of an alien to fill the employment opportunity. Anyone with documentary evidence relative to the application, or available workers, wages and/or working conditions, may contact the Regional Certifying Office of the Department of Labor at the following address:

U.S Department of Labor
Employment and Training Administration
Office of Foreign Labor Certification
200 Constitution Avenue, NW Room N-5311
Washington, DC 20210

This position is part of the Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) Initiative. Through accelerated and strategic faculty hiring, research infrastructure enhancement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and increased student and educational opportunities, RISE addresses complex societal challenges of importance to the state, nation and world. Building on UW-Madison's strengths, RISE expands the University's successful track record of connecting with communities and industry on collaborative solutions.

Over the next three academic years, UW-Madison will substantially increase current hiring levels, bringing 150 new RISE faculty to campus. Candidates hired through RISE will join a community of scholars working across disciplines, schools and colleges on research, teaching and outreach endeavors. The community will engage regularly in venues such as seminar series and colloquia to share ongoing projects and identify opportunities to work together. The University will support the community, facilitating access to research infrastructure, and funding to support broad and rich collaboration. Further information regarding RISE can be found at: https://rise.wisc.edu/.

UW-Madison is known for its interdisciplinary, international character, something that is evident through the many affiliations our faculty maintain with other units on campus as well as collaborations around the world. Located at the nexus of four beautiful lakes, Madison, the state capital, consistently ranks among the top American cities for its quality of life. University employees enjoy a thriving entertainment, cultural, sports, and "foodie" environment.

The College of Letters & Science is committed to creating an inclusive environment in which all of us - students, staff, and faculty - can thrive. Ours is a community in which we all are welcome. Most importantly, we strive to build a community in which all of us feel a great sense of belonging. There is no excellence without diversity in all its forms; diverse teams are more creative and successful than homogeneous ones. We are better when we are diverse and when we acknowledge, celebrate and honor our diversity. In acknowledging and honoring our diversity, we also assume a responsibility to support and stand up for each other.

The position has been filled. This posting is mandatory to meet a United States Department of Labor requirement. See the job posting for more details.

Lucas Graves
lucas.graves@wisc.edu
608-263-3399
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Assistant Professor(FA040)

A48-COL OF LETTERS & SCIENCE/JOURN & MASS COM/JN & MASS

Faculty

316067-FA