About the position
Position Description The Mass Communication, Advertising, and Public Relations Department in Boston University’s College of Communications invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the study of how communication, media, and new technologies affect healthy aging and the well-being of older adults. This position is part of BU’s major investment in convergent research, bringing together bold ideas, deep expertise, and perspectives from across disciplines to take on society’s most critical challenges. We seek scholars who examine how communication, media, and emerging technologies shape healthy aging and the well-being of older adults. Areas of interest may include health information and misinformation, digital access and literacy, communication with healthcare professionals and caregivers, AI-enabled health technologies, and representations of aging across media. The successful candidate will help connect scientific and professional insights about aging with the ways information is created, shared, understood, and used to support healthier, more equitable aging. This cluster hire builds on BU’s strength in Health Across the Lifespan, an area of significant expertise and opportunity across the University. BU is home to renowned studies of aging including the Framingham Heart Study and New England Centenarian Study, as well as innovative interdisciplinary research centers focused on the demography and economics of population aging, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, the biology of aging, and more. The Future of Healthy Aging draws on this foundation, bringing together faculty from anthropology, biology, business, communications, epidemiology, law, physical therapy, sociology, and surgery to pursue transformative research questions about how we age and the biological, cultural, environmental, technological, legal, and social factors that shape healthy aging as well as the structural factors that prevent some from aging well. The cluster hire will add new ideas, methods, and perspectives to this work, connecting fundamental discovery, population health, and translational research to advance healthier aging across the life course and to meet the challenges of an aging global population. The Department of Mass Communication, Advertising & Public Relations is a leader in the study of strategic communication, media effects, health communication, and public engagement. Faculty examine how communication shapes individual behavior, public attitudes, organizational decision-making, and societal outcomes in a rapidly evolving information landscape. Through research spanning digital media, persuasive communication, public relations, social marketing, emerging technologies, and data-driven communication strategies, the department seeks to understand how information can be leveraged to improve individual and population well-being. Since its founding in 1839, Boston University has embraced a mission of openness and access, becoming one of the first universities in the nation to welcome all students of ability regardless of race, gender, or creed. That tradition shapes our enduring commitment to academic freedom, free inquiry, and the robust exchange of ideas. Please visit https://www.bu.edu/values/ to learn more about our shared values. We seek scholars who will contribute to our community of teachers and researchers through excellence in innovative scholarship, engaged teaching, and participation in the intellectual life of the University. Boston University provides an environment where faculty and students work together across disciplines, perspectives, and experiences to advance knowledge and address society’s most pressing challenges. Position Qualifications Candidates should have a PhD or equivalent degree in Communications or a related field, active external funding to support their program of research and scholarship, and a commitment to excellence and innovation in teaching, education, and mentorship of students. Successful candidates will be expected to lead an independent research program; actively engage in collaborative research; teach and mentor students; and provide rank-appropriate service to the department, university, and profession. The salary allocated for these roles is $100,000 to $105,000. Final salary determination and rank placement will be based on the candidate's academic record, research background, years of qualifying experience, and a variety of other factors, including but not limited to licenses, specialty, departmental budgets, training and internal pay comparison. The stated hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. Application Requirements Applicants should provide a personal statement that describes their interest in both the convergent area of the Future of Healthy Aging and the department; a curriculum vitae; a research statement describing their research interests and experience; a teaching and mentoring statement detailing their approach to teaching and mentoring in an inclusive and diverse learning environment; and the names and contact information of 3 references. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and accepted until November 30. Only applications submitted via AJO will be reviewed. Boston University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, age, national origin, ethnicity, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law or identified in the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Retaliation is also prohibited. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor. Under Massachusetts law, we may not require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. Boston University, consistent with the AAU’s Principles on Preventing Sexual Harassment, conducts background checks for final candidates for certain faculty and staff positions. As part of this process, we ask current and past employers of the last seven years whether there has been a substantiated finding of sexual misconduct under their policies. To move forward, final candidates must complete and sign an “Authorization to Release Information” form after receiving an offer to enable this background check.
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