CCIS - Assistant Professor, Tenure Track, Advertising and Public Relations - 528177

Department/Organization

207201 - Advertising and Public Relations

Rank

Assistant Professor

Position Summary

Appointments to the faculty of The University of Alabama are based on the personnel requirements of the University’s academic programs and on the goal of achieving and maintaining excellence in its teaching, research, and service/academic citizenship activities. Desired expertise includes computational social science methods, social network analysis, AI-driven communication tools, large-scale social media data analysis, and data-informed content production. The successful candidate will advance understanding of digital technologies in advertising, public relations, and online public behavior through high-impact, theory-driven scholarship. Teaching responsibilities include undergraduate and graduate courses in digital communication and contribute meaningful service to the department, college, and university.

Detailed Position Information

The Department of Advertising & Public Relations in the College of Communication & Information Sciences at the University of Alabama seeks a nine-month tenure-track Assistant Professor whose expertise centers on digital communication strategy and analysis, with additional strengths in content production informed by computational evidence and network insights.

This position aligns with a high-impact research area where faculty expertise in computational communication, social media analytics, digital advocacy, and networked publics is rapidly elevating the national and international profile of the unit. The ideal candidate will pursue a rigorous, data-intensive research agenda focused on how digital technologies shape advertising, public relations, strategic communication, and online public behavior. A successful candidate will demonstrate expertise in one or more areas including:

The ideal candidate will develop a robust research agenda applying digital technology to public relations, with expertise in areas such as:

• Computational social science methods, including large-scale social media data analysis and machine learning
• Social network analysis of influence, information diffusion, online advocacy, and digital publics
• AI-driven communication tools, including generative AI and algorithmic content systems
• Social media monitoring, digital trace data, and platform analytics
• Digital activism, crisis communication, and public policy communication in networked environments
• Emerging content creation tools and data-informed digital strategy

Applicants must display an ability to be an active and involved member of a highly collaborative faculty team. The successful hire will teach two courses each fall and spring semester, which may include undergraduate, Master's, and Ph.D. courses.

Minimum Qualifications

• Doctorate in a communication-related field (e.g., advertising, public relations, marketing, communication, psychology, sociology) with at least one year of tenure-track experience at a research-intensive university.
• Scholarly activity in journals, university presses, or other publication outlets consistent with departmental expectations for the rank of assistant professor.
• Record of teaching effectiveness, including courses in public relations, and/or other communication-related fields.
• Potential for publishing digital communication strategy/analysis/content creation research that advances the department’s profile within the public relations discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

• Potential for and interest in leading collaborative research and/or grant teams that include but not are limited to fellow faculty and students in the Department of Advertising & Public Relations. • Potential to attract extramural funding related to the intersection of digital communication strategy, analysis, and/or content production with advertising and/or public relations. • Potential to develop and teach courses connecting advertising and/or public relations with the applicant's topical expertise in digital communication strategy, analysis, and/or content production.

Instructions and Required Materials for Application

To apply, go to https://careers.ua.edu/faculty and provide the following: 1. Cover letter highlighting how your research, teaching and service and/or leadership prepare you to contribute as a faculty leader in digital communication strategy, analysis, and/or content production and 2. Curriculum vitae. Applications submitted by January 22, 2026 will receive full consideration. Questions regarding the search should be directed to the search chair, Dr. Robert McKeever ([email protected].)

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

Background Investigation 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.

Equal Employment Opportunity: The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment or volunteer status without regard to any legally protected basis and will not be discriminated against because of their protected status. Applicants and employees of this institution are protected under Federal law from discrimination on several bases. More information is available in the EEOC’s Know Your Rights: Workplace (https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12ScreenRdr.pdf) discrimination is illegal poster.

The University of Alabama affirms its longstanding commitment to institutional neutrality, free speech, and academic freedom.