Teaching Faculty Positions in Human-Centered Computing

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

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• If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants.

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

This is a term position; length of the term will be discussed during the interview process. Continuation past the term length discussed will be based on university need, performance, and/or availability of funding.

POSITION SPECIFICS

The Department of Human-Centered Computing and Social Informatics (HCCSI) in the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) at The Pennsylvania State University invites applications for two open-rank, non-tenure-line teaching faculty positions beginning in January or July of 2027 at the University Park campus. These are term appointments with an excellent possibility of renewal as multi-year appointments. 

Candidates should demonstrate strong technical expertise in designing and developing AI-powered applications and interactive systems, a commitment to teaching undergraduate and graduate students from varied backgrounds, and an interest in curricular innovation and development. 

The primary responsibility will be teaching residential undergraduate and graduate courses. These are in-person teaching positions based in State College, Pennsylvania, and most courses associated with these positions are taught in person. University service is also expected of teaching faculty. 

We seek candidates who can teach students how to integrate AI models and capabilities into larger software systems and develop robust, scalable, maintainable, and usable AI-powered applications. Candidates should be prepared to help students develop the technical and critical judgment needed to build AI-powered systems effectively and responsibly. Expertise in developing or training AI or machine-learning models is not required, but experience in these areas is a plus. 

The successful candidates may teach in the following areas, listed in order of importance for this search: 

• Design and development of AI-powered applications and interactive systems, including integrating AI models and capabilities into larger software systems and building robust, maintainable, and usable applications. 

• AI application architectures and development frameworks, including model integration and orchestration, deployment, monitoring, and evaluation. 

• Agent-based application development, including LLM-powered agents, single-agent and multi-agent systems, agent coordination, and AI-powered interactive systems. 

• Human-centered design and evaluation of AI-powered applications, including prototyping, human-AI interaction, user needs, human values, responsible use, and user experience. 

• Software design, engineering, and application development, including object-oriented design, software validation and verification techniques, testing, debugging, deployment, maintenance, mobile application development, and capstone development. 

• Programming and application development, particularly in Python and/or Java. 

Applicants must hold a master's degree or higher in a relevant field by the appointment start date. A Ph.D. or other terminal degree is preferred but not required. Relevant fields include, but are not limited to, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Informatics, Information Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Engineering, and related computing disciplines. Depending on qualifications, appointments may be made at the rank of Lecturer, Assistant Teaching Professor, Associate Teaching Professor, Teaching Professor, or Professor of Practice in accordance with Penn State policy AC21. 

Applicants must include the following materials with their application: (i) a cover letter describing qualifications for the position and relevant expertise in AI-powered application development and related technical areas; (ii) a one-page teaching statement; (iii) curriculum vitae; and (iv) contact information for at least three professional references. The teaching statement should describe the candidate's teaching philosophy, pedagogical approach, and teaching style, including how they engage students and support effective learning in technical courses. Applicants should also indicate which of the teaching areas described above they would be most interested in contributing to, as well as any new courses they would be interested in developing. Please upload one document that combines the above materials into a single PDF. 

For more information, please visit the HCCSI department website and the College of IST degree programs. 

Inquiries about the position may be directed to [email protected]. 

Review of applications will begin November 12, 2026, and will continue until the positions are filled. Candidates are encouraged to apply early. On-site interviews in State College may begin as early as November 2026. 

BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES

Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.

BENEFITS

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional wellbeing. In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans. One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children.

For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page. (Note: For Postdoctoral benefits, please see our Postdoctoral Benefits page.)

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Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.

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