Associate Professor/Full Professor, Information Organization/Information Retrieval – 524845

Department/Organization

207401 – School of Library and Info Studies

Rank

Associate/Full Professor

Position Summary

The University of Alabama School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) seeks a student-focused faculty member for a full-time position to begin as early as August 16, 2025 at the rank of tenured associate or full professor.

Detailed Position Information

This position provides an exciting opportunity for an outstanding scholar with an interest in information discoverability, information retrieval, organization of information, database design, and social aspects of information access.

Position Summary & Responsibilities:

• Maintain established research agenda in library science and information science broadly defined commensurate with rank to include information organization and information retrieval. Areas of interest include (but are not limited to): information retrieval, organization of information, database design, information discoverability, metadata, linked data, and social aspects of information access.
• Mentor and advise master’s students as part of our ALA accredited Masters of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) degree program
• Mentor undergraduate students in the forthcoming BS in Informatics program and contribute to said undergraduate curriculum in areas such as organizing systems and database design
• Attract, advise, and mentor doctoral students as part of the college-wide interdisciplinary PhD program
• Teach two courses per semester graduate and/or undergraduate in the fall and spring. Instructional modes typically include synchronous, online distance education and face-to-face.
• Develop and maintain collaborative relationships across campus, within the larger LIS profession, and in other academic disciplines
• Participate in professional service and engagement to SLIS, the College of Communication and Information Sciences, the University of Alabama, and organizations at the state, national, and international levels
• All SLIS faculty contribute to a curriculum which fosters diversity of thought, experiences and backgrounds.
• Mentor junior faculty as appropriate

Minimum Qualifications

• Earned doctorate in Library and Information Science or related field
• Research record and professional stature commensurate with the rank of an established associate or full professor
• Evidence of teaching excellence

Preferred Qualifications

• Evidence of successful grant funding • Experience overseeing graduate student research • Evidence of professional experience in the area of information retrieval/information organization • Active research and teaching experience in the areas of information retrieval/information organization • Evidence of successful course development for online delivery • Evidence of undergraduate and graduate teaching • Evidence of professional service engagement at the national level • Experience teaching students from a variety of experiences and backgronds, and a commitment to working with nontraditional students • Experience mentoring and advising undergraduate and/or graduate students

Instructions and Required Materials for Application

Applicants must apply online at https://careers.ua.edu/jobs/search/college-of-communication-information-sciences and submit the following required materials. • A cover letter of application that addresses the applicant’s teaching philosophy, instructional excellence, outlines specific courses that the applicant could teach, and describes their research interests and trajectory • Two Sample Publications • Curriculum Vitae • Contact information (names, e-mail addresses and phone numbers) for at least three professional references. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Confidential inquiries about the position may be sent to Dr. Miriam Sweeney, Search Committee Chair, at mesweeney1@ua.edu .

About the Division/College/School

The College of Communication & Information Sciences has four academic units, approximately 110 full-time faculty members, and serves approximately 3,500 students across bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs, including approximately 95 students in the college-wide Ph.D. program. The college’s Institute for Communication & Information Research (ICIR) is a premier research institute dedicated to addressing societal and cultural issues related to communication and information research. The ICIR collaborates with businesses, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, foundations, and other entities to produce high-impact research that informs and improves our evolving communication and information landscape. The College is also home to the Public Opinion Lab, equipped with the Sprinklr data warehouse and custom data collection and management resources; a biometrics lab outfitted with state-of-the-art iMotions software and associated hardware; and the near-term development of an interactive VR/theater lab, among others. The college is also home to the Holle Center for Communication Arts, whose mission is guided by a commitment to advance narrative justice through innovative and arts-informed research, community engagement, and creative co-operation. The college also maintains the 40,000 square-foot Digital Media Center, which is home to Alabama Public Radio and WVUA 23, a full-power commercial television station serving a top-50 television market.

About the University

The University of Alabama is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, named one of Travel + Leisure’s 25 Best College Towns and Cities in the U.S. As one of the nation’s premier universities, UA offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in nearly 200 fields of study. With more than 1,400 acres of tree-lined academic core campus and over 300 state-of-the art facilities, UA has been ranked among the most beautiful and most impressive college campuses in the South, in the state of Alabama and in the nation.

In Fall 2023, the Capstone set a new enrollment record with more than 39,000 students, including more than 8,200 in the freshman class. The current enrollment includes students from every county in Alabama, every state in the nation and 92 countries around the world. More than 1,100 National Merit Scholars are currently enrolled, making UA one of the largest enrolling institutions of the scholars in the country.

UA was recently recognized as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. students for the seventh time in nine years, as well as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Scholars for the first time. UA is one of only 12 universities in the nation to receive both honors.

For reasons like this, the University made Forbes list of America’s Top Colleges for 2023 and Time magazine’s list of Top 50 Best Colleges for Future Leaders. It also made Princeton Review’s list of Top Value Colleges.

UA is also designated among the top doctoral research universities in the United States in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. One of the fastest growing major research institutions in the nation, UA saw a 21% increase in sponsored awards in the 2023 fiscal year.

Since 2015, UA has invested over $1.1 billion in the physical campus, adding more than 2.55 million gross square feet of space, over 150 new research-intensive faculty, signature research areas (e.g., “The Alabama Research Institutes”), and a growing number of partnerships with industry and with state and federal agencies.

The University employs nearly 2,100 faculty and over 4,500 staff, with 52 UA researchers included in the National Academy of Inventors. An additional 40 current faculty have received the NSF CAREER Award, the nation’s most prestigious recognition of top performing young scientists in disciplines ranging from nanoscience and engineering to biological sciences.

Background Investigation and EEO Statement

Prior to hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation and information obtained from social media and other internet sources. A prior conviction reported as a result of the background investigation DOES NOT automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration for this position. A candidate with a prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags will receive an individualized review of the prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags before a hiring decision is made.

The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against because of their protected status. Applicants to and employees of this institution are protected under Federal law from discrimination on several bases. Follow the link below to find out more. “EEO is the Law” https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/migrated_files/employers/poster_screen_reader_optimized.pdf

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