Faculty Employment Opportunities
The University of Washington is committed to being one of the top information schools in the world. As part of this effort, we seek outstanding individuals to join our exceptional, interdisciplinary faculty. These new colleagues join a faculty eager to participate in a broad-based, inclusive Information School with academic programs at the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels. Faculty in the Information School teach across all programs.
Commitment to Diversity
Committed to attracting and retaining a diverse faculty and staff, the University of Washington will honor your experiences, perspectives and unique identity. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable and welcoming.
The University of articulates its commitment in the UW Diversity Blueprint.
Additionally, the University’s Faculty Code recognizes faculty efforts in research, teaching and/or service that address diversity and equal opportunity as important contributions to a faculty member’s academic profile and responsibilities.
Postdoctoral Scholar - AI Alignment with Ethical Principles
The University of Washington’s Tech Policy Lab invites applications for a 2-year Postdoctoral Scholar position in "AI Alignment with Ethical Principles." The position is set to begin as early as June 2025. We will consider candidates who have accepted tenure-track positions at another institution but with the ability to defer their start date.
Directed by faculty from the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, the Information School, and the School of Law, the Tech Policy Lab aims to bridge the gap between technologists and policymakers, and to help generate wiser, more inclusive tech policy. The selected Postdoctoral Scholar will work closely with Professor Aylin Caliskan, with opportunities to collaborate with other Tech Policy Lab co-directors. Primary responsibilities of the postdoctoral scholar include:
- Develop and conduct research focused on language technologies to align AI systems with ethical principles, reduce harm, and benefit all.
- Create methods to measure and analyze societal impact, bias, and fairness in unimodal and multimodal language technologies, as well as in human-AI interactions.
- Design and implement approaches to enhance fairness and transparency, and manage risks in generative AI and human-AI collaboration, with a focus on consequential decision making and their implications for tech policy.
- Advise PhD students, master’s students, and undergraduates in the Tech Policy Lab and the AI & Ethics Lab, as appropriate.
- Author, publish, and disseminate research findings in academic and public forums.
- Contribute to additional research duties as needed.
We encourage candidates with diverse perspectives and expertise to apply, particularly those interested in shaping the ethical development and deployment of AI technologies.
Postdoctoral Scholars are represented by UAW 4121 and are subject to the collective bargaining agreement, unless agreed exclusion criteria apply. For more information, please visit the University of Washington Labor Relations website.
Salary and Benefits
The University of Washington offers a competitive benefits package. For information about employee benefits please visit https://hr.uw.edu/benefits/
Salary range: Commensurate with qualifications and experience. See current salary scale for Postdoctoral titles at https://hr.uw.edu/labor/academic-and-student-unions/uaw-postdocs/uaw-postdoc-contract
The base salary range for this Postdoctoral Scholar position is $6,500 to $7,000 per month ($78,000 to $84,000 per 12-month academic year), commensurate with experience and qualifications, or as mandated by a U.S. Department of Labor prevailing wage determination.
The position is hosted by the University of Washington, a world-class research university in the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington is located in Seattle, Washington, on the homelands of the Coast Salish peoples whose land touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Suquamish, Tulalip, and Muckleshoot nations. The successful candidate will join a broad-based, inclusive lab, whose faculty members pursue their research, teaching, and service across multiple degree programs and are committed to leadership, innovation, social justice and upholding tribal sovereignty.
Postdoctoral Scholars are represented by UAW 4121 and are subject to the collective bargaining agreement, unless agreed exclusion criteria apply. For more information, please visit the University of Washington Labor Relations website.
Please apply here: http://apply.interfolio.com/162834
Assistant Professor, Teaching Track, in Library and Information Science
The University of Washington Information School (iSchool) is accepting applications for a teaching-track faculty position at the Assistant Professor level starting September 1, 2025.
This position will be expected to engage in creative, collaborative, and forward-thinking instruction, develop a deep understanding of social and ethical dimensions and issues in LIS, and use data and digital technologies to empower diverse communities and to advance informational justice. As a highly interdisciplinary unit, we encourage our faculty to engage in information-based approaches to understand and to address systemic challenges and to make social impact. This search is specifically focused on attracting candidates that can contribute to our teaching portfolio in Library and Information Science.
This position will be expected to 1) engage in excellent teaching and mentoring; 2) develop expertise in one or more of the domains of library and information science listed below; 3) develop facility with and support the Information School’s commitment to concepts of diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and justice in the context of their professional and teaching practice; 4) fully participate within the Information School community; and 5) maintain active involvement in relevant professional and community venues.
Potential applicants will be expected to incorporate LIS practices and theory in their teaching. This position will be expected to deliver their courses to students in both residential (synchronous) and online (asynchronous) environments. Positive factors for consideration include, but are not limited to, substantial experience in LIS practice, and a rich professional network to leverage in support of student learning experiences (e.g., directed fieldwork, capstones, internships). Positive factors for consideration include, but are not limited to, candidates with professional or scholarly expertise in one or more of the following areas:
- Knowledge Organization: cultural, social, and ideological politics and practices of knowledge organization, representation, metadata and categorization, and management of digital content and cultural heritage collections;
- Youth Services: librarians as facilitators of literacy, the joy of reading and learning of all types with children and youth that leverages the strength of libraries and archives as learning institutions;
- Archives and Special Collections: addressing research, preservation and technical aspects of digital and physical collections in academic, community and cultural heritage settings; advancing Indigenous knowledges and data sovereignty
- Intellectual Freedom: libraries and archives as catalysts and leaders for intellectual freedom, freedom to read, policy-making and legislation pertaining to censorship and information accessibility
This position will be expected to contribute in at least one of the Information School’s current strategic areas: climate change, health and wellness, healthy information environments, and responsibility in artificial intelligence.
The University of Washington MLIS program is one of the top-ranked programs in the country and in the world, and is one of the longest continually accredited library education programs in the U.S. Successful candidates will join a broad-based, inclusive Information School that offers multiple degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate level and is committed to the values of leadership, innovation, and diversity. Our goal is to produce forward-thinking leaders who can critically address issues in theory and practice and have a drive to make a difference in the profession.
Teaching professors are an integral part of the faculty of the iSchool. We provide mentorship, a career path, and opportunities for leadership in the school. This position includes faculty voting rights but is not tenure eligible. The University of Washington is on the quarter system (autumn, winter, spring) and teaching professors typically teach two courses per quarter (6 courses over 9 months) with summers off, though opportunities for summer teaching may also be available. University of Washington teaching professors are expected to engage in teaching, scholarship, and service. Teaching faculty scholarship include such examples as innovations in teaching, leadership in teaching communities of practice, consulting and/or project work conducted in relevant practice areas, or leadership in professional associations or related organizations.
The University of Washington is an institution that encourages inclusive research and community outreach, situated between the Puget Sound and Lake Washington, in the city of Seattle. The University of Washington acknowledges the Coast Salish peoples of this land, the land which touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Suquamish, Tulalip and Muckleshoot nations. Seattle is a rapidly growing, dynamic, and diverse metropolitan area with a leading technology sector and vibrant civic sector. Applicants may find further information about the Information School at: ischool.uw.edu.
The UW Information School is dedicated to hiring faculty who will enhance our inclusion, diversity, equity, access, and sovereignty (IDEAS) mission and vision through their teaching, service and scholarship. As information systems and institutions serve increasingly diverse and global constituencies, it is vital to understand the ways in which differences in gender, class, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, national and cultural boundaries, national origin, worldview, intellectual origin, ability and other identities can both divide us and offer us better ways of thinking and working. The Information School faculty are committed to preparing professionals who work in an increasingly diverse and global society by promoting equity and justice for all individuals, actively working to eliminate barriers and obstacles created by institutional discrimination.
The position is a full-time 9-month teaching track appointment at the rank of Assistant Teaching Professor. Available starting date is September 1, 2025. Applicants may find further information about the Information School at ischool.uw.edu.
The base salary for this position will be $11,000 - $13,000 per month ($99,000 - $117,000 per 9-month academic year), commensurate with experience and qualifications, or as mandated by a U.S. Department of Labor prevailing wage determination.
Please apply here: http://apply.interfolio.com/150033
Postdoctoral Scholar - Center for an Informed Public (CIP)
The University of Washington Center for an Informed Public (CIP) invites applications for up to two CIP Postdoctoral Fellows who will be hired as Postdoctoral Scholars.
The UW CIP is a multidisciplinary institute with a core mission aiming to resist strategic misinformation, promote an informed society, and strengthen democratic discourse. Located at the University of Washington, a world-class research university in the Pacific Northwest, this new Center will lead programs that span research, education, policy and outreach.
The CIP is particularly interested in studies of information flow in sociotechnical systems; the role of information in the formation and dynamics of values, beliefs, or identities (race, gender, class, ability, etc.); and the role of researchers, educators, librarians, and policy makers in supporting healthy information environments and fostering a more informed and equitable society. Scholars with a strong background in public health, climate science, and related disciplines who are looking to bring their expertise to problems within the misinformation domain are also encouraged to apply. Scholars interested in the role of generative artificial intelligence technology, including tools that produce text, imagery, audio and synthetic data, and information integrity are also encouraged to apply.
CIP Fellows will join a growing team of faculty, students, community partners, and staff all actively involved in addressing the challenges of today’s complex and dynamic information environment. Postdoctoral Fellows will be supervised by one of the Center co-founders and/or faculty, and will work closely with the entire CIP community on research projects in service of the Center’s mission. These positions will begin as early as June 2025 and offer a two-year term.
The UW CIP offers an exceptional opportunity to work closely with the Center’s co-founders and affiliate faculty, including sociologists, information scientists, computer scientists, and policy experts. Located in Seattle, the position also offers opportunities for engagement with scholars and industry leaders in the area. In addition to the pursuit of individual interests, Fellows will work collaboratively with affiliated faculty groups pursuing more narrowly specified projects. Fellows may pursue projects that utilize the CIP archive of large-scale social media data, as well as design and execute new data collection efforts that utilize existing research infrastructure.
We will consider candidates who have accepted tenure-track positions at another institution but with the ability to defer their start date.
Postdoctoral Scholars are represented by UAW 4121 and are subject to the collective bargaining agreement, unless agreed exclusion criteria apply. For more information, please visit the University of Washington Labor Relations website.
Salary and Benefits
The University of Washington offers a competitive benefits package. For information about employee benefits please visit https://hr.uw.edu/benefits/
Salary range:
The base salary for this Postdoctoral Scholar position will be $6,250 – $7,083 per month ($75,000 – $85,000 per 12-month academic year), commensurate with experience and qualifications, or as mandated by a U.S. Department of Labor prevailing wage determination.
Please apply here: http://apply.interfolio.com/157210
Questions regarding openings at the Information School should be directed to iApply@uw.edu. We will do our best to respond to your inquiry within 2 business days.
The University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.