Assistant Professor, Life Sciences Communication

The Virginia Tech Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education seeks to expand efforts in research and teaching in Life Sciences Communication. The expanding interconnectedness of society requires models to connect food, health, and the environment with consumers. Communicating key topics to specific audiences using new media types is critical to the successful dissemination of life science related information and research.

The Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education (ALCE) invites applicants for an academic year, tenure-track faculty position at the Assistant Professor level, with expertise in Life Sciences Communication. This is a research and and teaching appointment. In addition, the successful candidate will contribute to ALCE as a team member in transforming lives through learning, discovery, and engagement. This position requires occasional travel to attend conferences and meetings.

Position Responsibilities
● Develop a nationally recognized systematic program of research in life sciences communication.
● Initiate, build and sustain external funding to support graduate students and the research program and leverage the existing resource strengths of the department.
● Maintain an active research program through the dissemination of peer-reviewed scholarship and/or creative activities.
● Develop curricula and course materials to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in communication.
● Teach graduate coursework in the successful candidates’ area of research expertise.
● Mentor and advise undergraduate and graduate students.
● Provide guidance to students in areas of scholarship and inquiry, and assist in the completion and publication of student works.
● Provide discipline-related service to the university, college, and department.
● Perform as a team member in achieving the goals of the unit, the College, and the University.
● International engagement and recognition are encouraged and expected as your career advances.

● A Ph. D. in agricultural communication, mass communication, mass media, digital media, social media, public relations, international media systems, or a closely related field by the appointment start date.
● A capacity for directing graduate and undergraduate academic programs in Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education.
● Ability to work with constituents and a student body from diverse backgrounds and demonstrate a commitment to issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the campus community.
● Ability to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and across differences.
● Excellent oral and written communication skills as well as expertise in utilizing technology in communication.

● A record of successful external funding and scholarship.
● Demonstrated teaching expertise at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
● Demonstrated discipline-related professional experience.

Exempt: Not eligible for overtime

Regular

$85,000-$100,000; commensurate with experience

40

10/12/2026

Applicants are encouraged to include: 1. Cover letter; 2. Curriculum Vitae; 3. Teaching Philosophy (two-page max); 4. Research & Outreach Statement (two-page max.); and, 5. Contact information for three (3) professional references

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including Blacksburg, the greater Washington, D.C. area, the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, sites in Newport News and Richmond, and numerous Extension offices and research institutes. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.

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