Assistant Professor in Science, Environment, and Risk Communication - Environment, Risk Communication

Assistant Professor

Cohort Hire: Creating a Climate-Resilient Future

Focus: Science, Environment, and Risk Communication
Department of Communication, Cornell University

Position: Assistant Professor, Tenure-track.

Location: Ithaca, NY. The academic home for this position is the Department of Communication, in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, housed on the Ithaca campus of Cornell University.

The Department of Communication (COMM) in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Cornell University is seeking a highly collaborative scholar to conduct research and teach in the areas of science and/or risk communication. Our new colleague will join a Cohort Faculty Hire in Creating a Climate-Resilient Future.

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Roadmap to 2050 identifies Transdisciplinary Moonshots - opportunities for the College to collaborate on future-focused, cross-disciplinary scientific breakthroughs and to align research, education, and extension programs for greater impact and stronger connectivity. The Moonshot areas build upon core strengths in CALS, spanning the agricultural, environmental, life, and social sciences, with the goal of recruiting 27 faculty into the College over the next three years. The CALS Roadmap to 2050 spearheads the "solutions century" by collaborating across the university, our network of partners, and diverse communities to coalesce around the world’s leading challenges. We connect across all of New York state and the world to enliven our innovation ecosystem, connecting local to global programs in the form of new collaborations and basic discoveries.

This hiring cohort will advance the CALS Transdisciplinary Moonshot in Creating a Climate Resilient Future. Research in the cohort will unite existing transdisciplinary strengths at Cornell with critical new competencies to help navigate transitions to climate-resilient futures in three interdependent domains: renewable energy, sustainable cities, and agri-food systems. For this position, we are seeking applications for a 9-month, full-time tenure-track position at the assistant professor level for a risk communication scholar. In addition to this advertised hire, the cohort will include a geospatial analyst, an environmental engineer, a socioecologist, and a landscape architect within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

A track-record of publishing outstanding peer-reviewed scholarship is expected, as is excellence in and commitment to teaching, translation of knowledge, and advising and mentoring of students. We seek a colleague with an outstanding record demonstrating success and promise across all these areas, and who will be supported by and contribute to a vibrant culture of inclusive excellence at Cornell. The successful applicant will conduct research and teach in the areas of risk and/or science communication. Science and risk communication are related to our environmental and health communication research areas, which are among the Department’s core strengths. We welcome innovative and imaginative scholars who approach the study of risk and/or science communication from psychological, sociological, or institutional vantage points using quantitative or mixed methods. Scholars with specific expertise in analysis of public opinion related to scientific, environmental, and health issues are particularly encouraged to apply. Applicants whose risk communication work also contributes to other core strengths in communication and media studies, information technology, organizations and networks, and/or social justice are similarly encouraged to apply.

The successful candidate will become a part of the inclusive community of scholars at Cornell. They will have the opportunity to join multiple graduate fields across the university, including the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the College of Engineering, and interdisciplinary institutes such as the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and the Cornell Institute for Digital Agriculture.

Position Responsibilities:

This position has a balanced effort between research (50%) and teaching (50%) on a 9-month academic year basis.

Research (50%): The successful candidate will be expected to conduct an internationally recognized and externally funded research program to understand risk communication and the holistic impacts of sustainable energy technologies.

Teaching (50%): The successful candidate will contribute to undergraduate and graduate teaching in the department. Communication faculty teach two or three undergraduate and/or graduate courses per academic year (for a total of five courses across four semesters) and advise students in the department’s undergraduate and Ph.D. programs. Advising postdocs is also encouraged.

Department Affiliation: The successful candidate will be a tenure-line faculty member of the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and will be based in the Department of Communication. A mentoring program for new faculty provides guidance and assistance. Mentoring partnerships are bidirectional, empowering the cohort and its members, and providing space for innovative collaborations to emerge from shared interests, goals, and opportunities.

Department of Communication: Cornell’s Department of Communication is an international leader in the study of communication as a social science. Our faculty and students are dedicated to understanding the role and enhancing the effectiveness of communication processes, systems, and infrastructure in society. We explore communication in its many forms and contexts as a fundamentally social phenomenon. Our faculty members are recognized for developing and applying novel theoretical perspectives to the most pressing social and policy issues of the day. We explore communication in its many forms and contexts as a fundamentally social phenomenon. Current work in the department related to this position includes a focus on public opinion about environmental issues, public engagement with emerging technologies, rural communities, migration issues, and risk perception and policy. Department faculty participate actively in Cornell's interdisciplinary community, such as through the Cornell Center for Social Sciences, Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, Cornell Tech, Brooks School of Public Policy, S.C. Johnson College of Business, and Weill Cornell Medical College. They collaborate with faculty in multiple departments, such as Information Science; Science & Technology Studies; Government; Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; Global Sustainability and the Environment, among many others. The department is ranked among the top five in the nation in the most recent study by the National Research Council. This ranking reflects the productivity and quality of the faculty and the diversity and success of our students. The department is housed in a state-of-the-art office space that encourages collaborative work.

Qualifications: The successful candidate will have a Ph.D. in Communication or a closely aligned field completed by the date of appointment and show promise of developing a national and international reputation by doing theory-based empirical research. We seek innovative scholars of social science who will develop a research program connected to college and university priorities in addressing how people communicate, interact, learn, lead, and shape enterprises of all scales to improve the well-being of individuals, communities, and economies around the world.

Applications and Starting Date: The anticipated starting date is July 2026 or as negotiated. Qualified applicants should submit 1) a cover letter briefly summarizing background, qualifications, and interest in the position; 2) a Curriculum Vitae; 3) a research statement outlining experience, interests, and goals; 4) a teaching statement outlining experience, interests, and goals; 5) at least one (but not more than three) writing sample demonstrating scholarly impact; and 6) names and contact information for three references. Materials should be submitted online to: https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30219.   

This is an in-person position. The successful candidate will be expected to relocate to within commuting distance of Ithaca, NY. Relocation assistance may be provided. Finalists for this position will be asked to sign an affidavit that they have not been found to have violated employer policies at their previous institutions.

Applications received by September 15, 2025 will be given full consideration. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. For questions regarding the position, please contact Search Committee Chair, Dr. Jonathon P. Schuldt. For administrative support regarding the application process, contact Kelli Carr.

CALS hiring range for position:

Assistant Professor: $90,00 to $135,000

Cornell University seeks to meet the needs of dual career couples, has a Dual Career program, and is a member of the Upstate New York Higher Education Recruitment Consortium to assist with dual career searches including positions available in higher education in the upstate New York area.

The new faculty member will join a collaborative, interdisciplinary community on the main campus in Ithaca, New York.  Cornell University is an innovative Ivy League and Land-grant university and a great place to work. Our inclusive community of scholars, students, and staff impart an uncommon sense of larger purpose and contribute creative ideas to further the university's mission of teaching, discovery, and engagement.

Cornell’s regional and global presence includes state-wide Cornell Cooperative Extension programs and offices in all counties and boroughs, global partnerships with institutions and communities engaged in life-changing research and education, the medical college’s campuses on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Doha, Qatar, and the Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island in the heart of New York City.

With a founding principle of “…any person…any study,” Cornell is an equal opportunity employer.

University Job Title:

Prof Asst

Job Family:

Professorial

Level:

No Grade - Annual

Pay Rate Type:

Salary

Pay Range:

Refer to Posting Language

Remote Option Availability:

Onsite

Company:

Contract College

Contact Name:

Amanda Anderson

Job Titles and Pay Ranges:

Non-Union Positions

Noted pay ranges reflect the potential pay opportunity for each job profile. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• Prior relevant work or industry experience

• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position

• Unique applicable skills

• Academic Discipline

To learn more about Cornell’s non-union staff job titles and pay ranges, see Career Navigator.

Union Positions

The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined in accordance with the rates in the respective collective bargaining agreement. To learn more about Cornell’s union wages, see Union Pay Rates.

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2025-07-11