CCIS - Assistant Professor, Tenure-Track, Organizational Leadership, Communication Studies - 530689 530689

Department/Organization
207301 - Communication Studies

Rank
Assistant Professor

Position Summary
The Department of Communication Studies in the College of Communication & Information Sciences at The University of Alabama invites applications for a nine-month tenure-track Assistant Professor in Organizational Communication, to begin August 2027. The Department of Communication Studies emphasizes a broad understanding of the power of communication by studying theory and practice in the areas of communication and culture, interpersonal communication, organizational leadership, and rhetoric and political discourse. We are committed to cultivating responsible, informed, and civically minded students who will be future leaders in their communities and workplaces.

Detailed Position Information
Organizational Communication research is strategically relevant with significant potential to enhance the national and international reputation of our university, college, and department via cutting-edge research and collaborations with our university’s new School of Leadership and Policy and our college’s Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations. Applicants should pursue, or plan to pursue, external funding to support their research. This position is designed to elevate the department's research impact on the horizons of organizational communication and related interdisciplinary areas. This position also builds on the department's growing online MA program with an emphasis in organizational leadership and our current faculty strengths in organizational communication. The ideal candidate will advance a program of research in organizational communication and pursue extramural funding through foundation and corporate partnerships. We are particularly interested in applicants with expertise in areas such as:
● Leadership communication
● Organizational assessment/improvement
● Organizational resilience
● Executive communication
● GenAI, emerging technologies, and future of work in organizations
● Interdisciplinary areas that strengthen understandings of organizational communication

Candidates with other research interests related to organizational communication broadly are also encouraged to apply. Candidates with interdisciplinary interests should highlight their accomplishments for this position.

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 and master's-level courses, including contributions to the department's online MA program in organizational leadership. Our college has an interdisciplinary doctoral program and faculty have the opportunity to teach seminars and collaborate with doctoral students.

Minimum Qualifications
Applicants must have:

● Ph.D. in Communication or a related field completed by appointment start date. ABD at the time of application will be considered.
● An emerging record of scholarship consistent with the rank of Assistant Professor.
● Record of teaching effectiveness, or potential for teaching effectiveness, in organizational communication, leadership communication, and/or other communication-related fields.

Preferred Qualifications
Preferred Qualifications (considered after all minimum qualifications are met): ● Program of research in organizational communication. ● Experience or demonstrated interest in pursuing foundation grants and/or corporate partnership funding. ● Interdisciplinary interests and accomplishments. ● Experience teaching online courses.

Instructions and Required Materials for Application
To apply, provide the following: 1. Cover letter highlighting overall match and interest in this position with explicit discussion of program of research, excellence in teaching, and goals for extramural funding. Also include experiences and anticipated collaborations with organizations. Applicants must also include a leadership statement within the cover letter. 2. Curriculum vitae. 3. Names and contact information for three references who will be contacted during the campus interview phase of this search. Applications submitted by November 1, 2026 will receive full consideration and review of applications will continue until the position is filled. Questions regarding the search should be directed to the search chair, Dr. Darrin Griffin, Professor, Communication Studies, The University of Alabama. Email: djgriffin1@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
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.

Advertised: 25 Sep 2026 Central Daylight Time
Applications close: 30 Nov 2026 Central Standard Time

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