Institution

University of Texas at Austin 

Job Title

Boyvey Postdoctoral Teaching Fellows

Department/College

School of Information

Dates

Opening Date: 10/22/2020
Closing Date:  01/31/2021

Job Description

The School of Information (iSchool) at the University of Texas at Austin invites applications for multiple Boyvey Postdoctoral Teaching Fellows.

The Boyvey Fellows would teach primarily in the iSchool’s new undergraduate degree programs, the B.A. and B.S in Informatics, although teaching at the graduate level is also possible. These positions are geared primarily toward early career scholars looking to gain more experience with teaching that can help to strengthen their future applications for tenure-track positions within and beyond the UT-Austin iSchool.

The Boyvey Fellows will teach an annual 5-course (2-3) teaching load to allow for time for the scholar to publish from their research or carry out other research activities that can further strengthen their record, as well as up to $2,500 annually for research and professional development such as conferences. These will normally be two-year, non-renewable positions.

The School of Information plans to hire multiple tenure-track faculty members who will start immediately following this postdoctoral term. Boyvey Fellows will be encouraged to apply for these permanent positions, and will automatically advance to the first interview stage. The goal of the Boyvey Fellow program is to provide early career scholars the opportunity to benefit from supportive mentoring and two years of classroom experience developing and independently teaching classes that will provide an advantage when pursuing tenure-track positions within and beyond the UT-Austin iSchool.

Job Duties

The new undergraduate major has been fully approved with recurring funding to begin admitting students to start in Fall 2021. As the funding for the Boyvey Fellows is related to this new program, applicants should be able to teach courses in one or more of the following concentrations:

  • Cultural Heritage Informatics, which prepares students for careers managing, describing, organizing, preserving, and providing access to data and information in a wide range of technological forms in the cultural sector;
  • Health Informatics, which prepares students for careers leveraging data, information, and technology to improve healthcare delivery, healthcare management, and health outcomes;
  • Human-Centered Data Science, which prepares students for careers involving the interaction among people and artificial intelligence, machine learning, information retrieval, data curation, and data analysis;
  • Social Informatics, which prepares students for careers where they will play a critical role in shaping information policies, improving organizational efficiency and effectiveness, enhancing societal sustainability, and advocating for responsibility and the public interest;
  • Social Justice Informatics, which prepares students for careers leveraging data, information, and technology for societal good, helping to ensure a level playing field for everyone in the information age, and using technological tools to help make the world a better and fairer place; and
  • User Experience Design, which prepares students for careers in user experience, interaction design, human factors in computing, and web and mobile app design.
 

Experience/Qualifications/Knowledge/Skills

Candidates must hold a doctoral degree in a field that is relevant to their area(s) of teaching or be able to convincingly demonstrate that they will complete the degree before starting (e.g., by documenting a scheduled viva/defense).

Candidates who currently or will potentially make outstanding contributions to the diversification of their scholarly fields and/or institutions of higher education are especially encouraged to apply.

Supplementation Information

We invite applications from scholars from diverse disciplines reflecting those indicated in the concentrations, including but going far beyond the information field. Applicants are encouraged to review the iSchool website, particularly the information about the undergraduate Informatics major. Applicants who are not yet familiar with Information Schools are also encouraged to examine the resources provided at iSchools.org.

How to Apply

For more information on how to apply, please visit https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/about/jobs.

Required materials for Boyvey Fellows applicants include:

  • Current CV,
  • A cover letter (1-2 pages) outlining your suitability for this opportunity,
  • A teaching statement (2-4 pages) addressing how your teaching can contribute to one or more concentrations in the Informatics major, as well as discussing the courses that you would be able to teach in the Informatics major,
  • A research statement (1-2 pages) describing your research plans over the next two years, including how you might advance your research with the $2,500 research stipend
  • Names and contact details of 3 references who have agreed to provide a reference letter (we will solicit reference letters, if needed, later in the process), and
  • A diversity statement (1-2 pages). The purpose of the diversity statement is to identify candidates who have professional skills, experience, and/or willingness to engage in activities that would enhance campus diversity and equity efforts.

Questions about this position may be sent to [email protected].

Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled. We will begin to review applications and interview candidates on December 1, 2020. 

 

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