Assistant Professor/Associate Professor/Professor: Physical AI, Robotics & Autonomous Systems - Communication Sciences and Disorders

About the Opportunity

About Northeastern:

Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university and the recognized leader in experience-driven lifelong learning. Our world-renowned experiential approach empowers our students, faculty, alumni, and partners to create impact far beyond the confines of discipline, degree, and campus.

Our locations—in Boston; Arlington; Charlotte; New York City; Miami; London; Portland, Maine; Oakland; San Francisco; Seattle; Silicon Valley; Toronto; Vancouver; and the Massachusetts communities of Burlington and Nahant—are nodes in our growing global university system. Through this network, we expand opportunities for flexible, student-centered learning and collaborative, solutions-focused research.

Northeastern’s comprehensive array of undergraduate and graduate programs— in a variety of on-campus and online formats—lead to degrees through the doctorate in nine colleges and schools. Among these, we offer more than 195 multi-discipline majors and degrees designed to prepare students for purposeful lives and careers.

The Bouvé College of Health Sciences has over 250 faculty members, with approximately 2,000 undergraduate and 2,400 graduate students. It is the leading national model for education and research in the health, psychosocial and biomedical sciences and supports the University’s mission of educating students for a life of fulfillment and accomplishment and creating and translating knowledge to meet global and societal needs.

The Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders at Northeastern University offers minors, a Bachelor of Science, and a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP). The MS-SLP program is offered on the Boston and Charlotte campuses and is a 60-credit ASHA accredited degree program.

About the Opportunity

Bouvé College of Health Sciences invites applications for open rank tenure-track or tenure-on-entry positions with a possibility of a joint appointment in the College of Engineering or the College of Arts, Media, and Design (CAMD) or the College of Engineering (COE) beginning in academic year 2027-2028 or 2028-2029.

This interdisciplinary hire is part of our hiring theme in Physical AI, Robotics & Autonomous Systems. The successful candidate will develop and apply semi-autonomous and autonomous physical AI systems for modeling, monitoring, and collaborating with humans in health and healthcare contexts, spanning digital twins to embodied health technologies within translational and implementation science.

Within Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD), this translates into building the physical AI systems that sense, model, and act on the human body and communication behavior — for example, voice-controlled assistive technology, mobile health, virtual reality, socially assistive robotics, wearable biosensors, or digital twins — developed through user needs research, concept development, and usability/use-related risk evaluation for regulated health products. Candidates whose work sits at the intersection of CSD and engineering, robotics, industrial design, or computer science are strongly encouraged to apply regardless of their disciplinary training.

Our tenure and promotion process values collaborative research and teamwork. Hires will be mentored for success, with mentoring teams and group guidance. In addition, a strong and effective faculty development strategy is part of the Northeastern institutional mission. The ADVANCE Office of Faculty Development office works in conjunction with the Office of Research Development (ORD), the Office of Belonging, the Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning Through Research (CATLR), and University Decision Support (UDS) to provide programs and trainings to further develop and support a thriving faculty.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities will include teaching undergraduate and graduate courses, conducting an independent and externally funded research program, and participating in departmental, college, and university service. Qualified candidates must be prepared to work with global student populations.

Qualifications

• PhD, EdD, ScD in Communication Sciences and Disorders, Rehabilitation Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Neuroscience, Computational Psycholinguistics, Human-Centered Design, Industrial Design, Human Factors Engineering, or broadly related fields by the employment start date.
• Expertise in physical AI, robotics, or embodied/wearable sensing systems applied to communication or rehabilitation sciences, evidenced by publications, funded research, developed technologies, design portfolios, usability/human factors validation studies, or regulatory submissions.
• Appointments at the Associate Professor rank require a minimum of 5 years of related experience. Appointments at the Full Professor rank require a minimum of 10 years of related experience.

Additional Information:

Interested candidates should apply here with a curriculum vita that includes a list of publications, patents, designs or other developed work, statements addressing the prompts below, and names and contact information for at least three professional references from whom letters of reference can be solicited as needed. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, as they arrive.

Successful faculty at Northeastern will be dynamic and innovative scholars with a record of research and teaching excellence and a commitment to fostering belonging in the university community.  Thus, strong candidates for this faculty position will have the expertise, knowledge, and skills to build their research, pedagogy, and curriculum in ways that reflect and enhance this commitment. Please indicate how your expertise, knowledge, and skills have prepared you to contribute to this work with written statements addressing the following prompts:

Research statement (no longer than 3 pages):

Please describe the focus of your research, including the questions you have identified, the funding you have received to support the work (if applicable), the results you have discovered, and the products of these efforts. Highlight any cross-disciplinary research efforts you have undertaken. Please also describe any research you have undertaken with students and/or with the external community.   Finally, please outline the research directions you foresee pursuing in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences, any cross-disciplinary and collaborative aspects, and the strategies you will take to address each direction.

Teaching statement (1 page):

Please summarize your past instructional and mentorship experiences, your pedagogical philosophy, including studio-based or project-based methods where relevant, your plans/goals for teaching in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences (including existing and proposed courses), and your strategies for teaching and mentoring global student populations.

Leadership statement (1 page):

Please describe your past experiences and activities and/or your future plans detailing  your leadership style, how you intend to cultivate a culture that promotes a sense of belonging, including fostering a free and open exchange of ideas and managing different perspectives to help others strengthen their practice.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by the law.

Position Type

Academic

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.  

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Pay Range:

Assistant Professor: $99,000.00 - $120,000.00 | Associate Professor: $117,000.00 - $139,000.00 | Professor: $182,000.00 - $214,000.00

With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, which may include your education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.