Assistant Professor in Cultural Heritage Informatics, 2025

The School of Information (iSchool) at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) invites applicants for up to two tenure-track Assistant Professor positions in Cultural Heritage Informatics to start in Fall 2025. Candidates with substantial experience may be considered for appointment at a higher rank.

The School is seeking innovative scholars in the work, structure, and especially the social impact of cultural heritage institutions broadly understood. We are seeking scholars who will deepen understanding and drive innovation to advance institutions such as libraries, museums, and archives, among other cultural heritage contexts of information. Candidates will be expected to conduct innovative and impactful research and to teach at both graduate and undergraduate levels. Tenure-track faculty in our iSchool normally have a 2/1 teaching load, with various opportunities for course release. Salaries are competitive.

As an interdisciplinary academic unit, our iSchool's faculty is drawn from a wide range of different disciplines. We thus welcome applications from various backgrounds including (but not limited to): information studies, information science, library science, archival studies, cultural heritage informatics, and museum studies. Our intent is to recruit scholars with compelling research agendas, regardless of their disciplinary background. Applicants, especially those unfamiliar with Information Schools, are welcome to contact the chair of the search, R. David Lankes, prior to submitting their application to discuss how their research agenda connects to our school (rdlankes@utexas.edu). Resources provided by the international iSchools organization may also provide useful background for those less familiar with iSchools.

Building Vital Social Infrastructure

Galleries, libraries, museums, and archives represent a rich social infrastructure that is vital to our information society. We are looking for scholars that understand the complex interaction between mission, values, and means of information professionals such as librarians, archivists, curators, or research data managers.

We are especially interested in candidates with expertise in areas like:

• Community-centered galleries, libraries, archives, and/or museums
• Indigenous knowledge systems
• Convergence of galleries, libraries, archives, and museums through information technologies such as outreach, digitization, or related areas
• Research that connects professionals, researchers, communities, and institutions
• Issues of information integrity such as misinformation
• Issues of intellectual freedom, information ethics, and information policy
• Metadata and data representation
• Scholarly communications and open access
• Web archiving and digital curation

Cultural Heritage Informatics at Austin

There is a strong set of resources and institutions to support the work of the successful candidate. Within the School, this includes the Kilgarlin Information Preservation Lab, the Critical Data Studies (CDS) Lab, and the Collaborative Institute for Rural Communities & Librarianship (CIRCL). The iSchool has strong connections to the University Libraries, the Harry Ransom Center, the Benson Latin American Collection, and the Dolphe Briscoe Center for American History. In Austin we enjoy partnerships with the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, the Austin Public Library, and the Texas State Library Association.

The successful candidate will teach in the ALA Accredited Master's of Science in Information Science and have a hand in guiding the undergraduate concentration in Cultural Heritage Informatics as part of a growing and vibrant undergraduate degree in informatics. The school boasts a strong PhD program and an extensive set of funded research.

Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in a field relevant to their area of research and teaching or convincingly demonstrate they will complete the degree before starting (e.g., by documenting a scheduled defense). In general, we seek candidates with outstanding records of research, teaching, service, and leadership abilities, with a commitment to shaping the future of our iSchool and conducting innovative research in their respective research field(s). Applications should make a compelling case for the intellectual contribution and merit of their research agenda. Candidates are encouraged to identify the research communities in which they belong and to which their research trajectory will contribute.

• Friday, November 15: application deadline to ensure full consideration.
• Monday, December 2 - December 10th: Zoom interviews for selected applicants
  
  
  
  • All applicants are requested now to reserve time on their calendar this week
  
  
  
  
• On-site interviews for selected candidates will be scheduled for January and February 2025.

Required materials include:

1. A current CV
2. A cover letter highlighting your fit to our position, school, and university (we suggest 1-2 pages)
3. A statement of your research plans (we suggest 2-4 pages)
4. A sample of your research writing, such as published article on which you were a lead author
5. A teaching statement (we suggest 1-2 pages)
6. Names and contact details of 3 references who have agreed to provide a reference letter. We will only contact and solicit letters from your references later in the process, if warranted.

Please direct all questions regarding this search to the chair, R. David Lankes, rdlankes@utexas.edu.

All faculty positions are based in Austin, TX. Successful candidates residing outside of the Austin area will be expected to relocate.

Please apply via Interfolio's Faculty Search solution. If you do not have a Dossier account with Interfolio, you will be prompted to create a free account prior to applying for the position.

About the UT Austin School of Information (iSchool)

The UT Austin iSchool is a premier research and education program for the 21st century field of information. We are a founding member of the international iSchools organization and have 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 five programs in information in the world. 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. For more details on our current degree offerings, see the iSchool's academic programs.

About The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin)

UT Austin has an internationally distinguished faculty making it one of the world's leading research universities. UT Austin embraces interdisciplinary research and is home to more than 200 dedicated research units, centers, and research grand challenges. In 2020, UT Austin proudly earned the Hispanic Serving Institution designation. See our About UT Austin webpage for further information.

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 home for corporate headquarters and research and development centers for many Fortune 500 companies and new startups providing opportunities for collaboration and student placements for internships and careers. It is the capital city of Texas, and home to many cultural heritage institutions and opportunities in the public sector. Austin is a regular among top places to live and work lists, and has many highly rated public schools. See our About Austin webpage for more information on living and working in Austin.

Community and Belonging

Our iSchool proudly welcomes students, staff, faculty, and community members from all walks of life, backgrounds, and origins. UT Austin obtained the Seal of Excelencia for its Commitment to Latino Student Success in 2020 and received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award again in 2023, continuing a long streak of HEED awards. Our iSchool's core values embrace an interdisciplinary approach to serve humanity, put people first, and develop technology for social good.

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.