Cornell University, Department of Communication
Position ID:
Cornell-Department of Communication-ASSTPROFRISK [#30219, WDR-00053939]
Position Title:
Assistant Professor in Science, Environment, and Risk Communication
Position Type:
Tenured/Tenure-track faculty
Position Location:
Ithaca, New York 14853, United States of America
Subject Areas:
Communications / Communication, Environmental Communication, health communication, risk communication, science communication
Appl Deadline:
(posted 2025/07/07, listed until 2025/11/28)
Position Description:
Position Description
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 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 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, 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. Risk and science 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 within the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and 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 of Communication. Communication faculty members 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 postdoctoral associates is also encouraged.
Department Affiliation: The successful candidate will be a tenure-line faculty member of Cornell University’s 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. Current work in the department related to this position includes a focus on public opinion about environmental issues, public engagement with emerging technologies, immigration risks and challenges, risk perception about animal-human health, and related public 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 undergraduate programs 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.
Starting Date and Applications: 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 writing sample (but not more than three) demonstrating scholarly impact; and 6) names and contact information for three references. Materials should be submitted online to AJO: 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 Schuldt. For administrative support regarding the application process, contact Kelli Carr.
CALS hiring range for the Assistant Professor position: $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.
Employment Assistance:
For specific questions about the position or application process, please contact the Recruiter listed in the job posting or for general questions email mycareer@cornell.edu.
If you require an accommodation for a disability in order to complete an employment application or to participate in the recruiting process, you are encouraged to contact Cornell Office of Civil Rights at voice (607) 255-2242, or email at accommodations@cornell.edu.
Applicants that do not have internet access are encouraged to visit your local library, or local Department of Labor.
Please read the required Notice to Applicants statement by clicking here. This notice contains important information about applying for a position at Cornell as well as some of your rights and responsibilities as an applicant.
EEO Statement:
Cornell welcomes students, faculty, and staff with diverse backgrounds from across the globe to pursue world-class education and career opportunities, to further the founding principle of “... any person ... any study.” No person shall be denied employment on the basis of any legally protected status or subjected to prohibited discrimination involving, but not limited to, such factors as race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, age, creed, religion, actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person), arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual’s genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
Cornell University embraces diversity in its workforce and seeks job candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff of all identities and backgrounds. We hire based on merit, and encourage people from historically underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply. Consistent with federal law, Cornell engages in affirmative action in employment for qualified protected veterans as defined in the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRRA) and qualified individuals with disabilities under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.
Pay Ranges:
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.
- Academic Discipline (faculty pay ranges reflects 9-month annual salary)
- Unique applicable skills.
Application Materials Required:
Submit the following items online at this website to complete your application:
- Cover letter
- Curriculum Vitae
- Research statement
- Teaching statement
- Up to Three Academic Writing Samples
- Three references (no actual letters, just names and email addresses
)
And anything else requested in the position description.
Further Info: