Health Communication and Information - Associate/Full Professor

Detailed Position Information

This college-level cluster search is designed to deepen C&IS’s capacity to study the communication and information processes that shape health and human well-being. We seek scholars whose work explains how health information moves through people, institutions, technologies, and public life, shaping what individuals and communities understand, trust, and do.

We welcome applicants whose research advances the broad approved scope of Health Communication & Information. Areas of interest include but are not limited to: health communication, public health, health information behavior, health literacy, information quality, misinformation and information integrity, patient-provider communication, health campaigns, risk and crisis communication, narrative medicine, informed decision-making, digital health, health informatics, HCI/UX design for health technologies, artificial intelligence, deep learning, AI-supported robotics, social and assistive robotics for health, data privacy and security, algorithmic trust, data analytics, accessibility, health and accessibility, information policy, rural and community health, aging, caregiving, mental health, chronic disease, health equity, and disparities.

The strongest candidates will show evidence of a strong research agenda, appropriate to career stage, with a record of external funding, national or international visibility, interdisciplinary collaboration, and meaningful scholarly, public, professional, or community impact. Special priority will be given to candidates with interdisciplinary interests and accomplishments that connect communication and information with health, healthcare, public health, technology, policy, or community well-being.

Successful candidates will teach two courses each fall and spring semester, which may include undergraduate, master's, and doctoral courses in areas related to communication and information sciences, research methods, and areas related to the candidate's expertise. Candidates should be prepared to mentor doctoral students and contribute to the College's interdisciplinary research culture.

Appointments may be made in Advertising and Public Relations, Communication Studies, Journalism and Creative Media, or Library and Information Studies, with the tenure home determined by the candidate’s expertise and fit within the College.

Applications submitted by September 25, 2026, will receive full consideration, and review of applications will continue until the positions are filled. Questions regarding the search should be directed to the search chair, Dr. Rebecca K. Ivic, at rebecca.ivic@ua.edu.

Minimum Qualifications

Applicants must have:

• A Ph.D or other terminal degree in communication, information, medicine, public health, healthcare, or related fields
• A record of scholarly research in health communication, health information, or a closely related area;
• Scholarly achievements consistent with expectations for appointment at the relevant rank;
• Evidence of or potential for effective teaching and mentoring;
• Evidence of or potential for collaborative, interdisciplinary work.

Preferred Qualifications

Preferred qualifications include one or more of the following:

• A research agenda that connects communication and information with public health, population health, clinical communication, community health, health systems, health policy, or health-related institutions
• A record of secured external funding or sustained contributions to externally funded research appropriate to the field and level of appointment
• Expertise in one or more methodological approaches relevant to communication, information science, public health, informatics, computing, engineering, human-computer interaction, media studies, journalism, advertising/public relations, social science, data science, or a closely related field
• Experience translating research for public, professional, organizational, policy, or community audiences

Instructions and Required Materials for Application

Applicants must submit:

• Cover letter addressing research, teaching, and fit with the Health Communication & Information cluster
• Curriculum vitae
• Research statement
• Teaching statement
• Names and contact information for three references. Letters may be requested later in the process.

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 discrimination is illegal poster.

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