Assistant Professor of Communication Science - RISE EARTH

Faculty position in the Department of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin–Madison as part of the Wisconsin RISE-EARTH (Environment: Adaptation, Resilience, Technology, and Humanity) initiative. This tenure-track Assistant Professor role focuses on environmental communication, seeking scholars who conduct theory-driven research on how communication influences public understanding, attitudes, decision-making, behavior, policy support, or collective action surrounding environmental challenges.

About the role

This position is part of the Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) Initiative, which addresses complex societal challenges through accelerated faculty hiring, interdisciplinary collaboration, and expanded research infrastructure. Candidates will join a community of scholars across disciplines, schools, and colleges, engaging in collaborative research, teaching, and outreach. The University will provide support through research infrastructure, funding, and venues for collaboration, such as seminar series and colloquia.

The Department of Communication Arts offers a multidisciplinary and collaborative environment with approximately 600 undergraduate majors, 70 graduate students, and 50 faculty and staff. The department provides four graduate programs, including Communication Science, which focuses on human interactions in face-to-face and mediated contexts. The successful candidate will contribute to this program while collaborating with faculty in Media & Cultural Studies, Film, and Rhetoric, Politics & Culture.

Research focus

We seek scholars employing advanced quantitative methods such as surveys, experiments, longitudinal designs, network analysis, or computational social science. Research areas may include, but are not limited to:

• Environmental and risk communication
• Conflict and negotiation surrounding environmental decisions
• Misinformation and polarization
• Social influence and behavior change
• Disaster preparedness and resilience
• Public engagement with science
• Communication surrounding emerging technologies (e.g., clean energy, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure)

Responsibilities

• Develop an innovative research program in environmental communication.
• Teach and mentor undergraduate and graduate students in communication science, including courses related to environmental communication, quantitative methods, interpersonal communication, media effects, risk communication, or related areas.
• Contribute to the department’s teaching load of 4 courses per year (2 per semester).
• Advance the educational mission of the College of Letters & Science through evidence-based, student-centered teaching and mentoring.
• Foster an inclusive environment that promotes engagement and a sense of belonging for faculty, staff, students, and the broader community.
• Participate in department, college, and RISE initiative service and collaboration.

Requirements

• PhD in Communication or a related discipline, required by the start of the appointment.
• Evidence of creativity and excellence in teaching and scholarly research.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct cutting-edge communication research and contribute to the department, college, and RISE initiative.
• Capacity to teach and mentor undergraduate and graduate students effectively.
• Commitment to fostering an inclusive teaching, learning, mentoring, and research environment where all can thrive.

Contact

For questions, contact Professor Lyn van Swol, chair of the search committee, at vanswol@wisc.edu.