Assistant Professor in Computational Neurolinguistics/Psycholinguistics

Columbia, SC • Full-time • 9-month appointment • Tenure-track

About the role

The Department of Psychology and the Linguistics Program in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina (USC) invite applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Computational Neuro/Psycholinguistics at the Columbia campus. This is a joint hire by the Linguistics Program and the Department of Psychology (home department for tenure). The position is part of a university-wide cluster hire in Data Sciences, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Cyber, aimed at supporting cutting-edge research at the intersection of brain and language.

This new hire will join a vibrant interdisciplinary community with collaboration opportunities across departments and colleges, including Computer Science and Engineering, the School of Information and Communications, and USC’s neuroscience network. Key research centers include:

• Institute for Mind and Brain
• Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery
• AI Institute of South Carolina
• McCausland Center for Brain Imaging (3T Prisma MRI scanner)

Faculty also have access to a growing health science campus, the Rural Brain Health Network hub (7T TerraX MRI), high-performance computing clusters, and facilities for EEG, TMS, HD-tDCS, fNIRS, eye tracking, and lesion-deficit mapping in stroke survivors.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain an externally funded research program
• Teach undergraduate and graduate courses
• Contribute to the university’s mission of research excellence

Requirements

• Ph.D. in a relevant field (required by start date of August 16, 2026)

Qualifications

We seek a computational neurolinguist or psycholinguist whose research bridges linguistics, neuroscience, and next-generation AI. Ideal candidates will:

• Use modern computational techniques combined with neuroimaging and/or behavioral methods to investigate language learning, processing, and representation in the human brain
• Explore applications to brain health, aging, and brain-inspired models of natural language understanding
• Leverage and extend advances in natural language processing and brain-language modeling
• Demonstrate excellence in research through a strong publication record and potential to secure external funding
• Exhibit excellence in teaching and mentorship