Tenure-Track Assistant Professor, Sports Media

About the role

The Department of Media and Cinema Studies in the College of Media at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign invites applicants for a full-time (100% FTE) tenure-track assistant professor position. The expected start date is August 16, 2027. This search is part of a cluster hiring initiative in the College of Media, with each of its academic departments—Advertising, Journalism, and Media & Cinemas Studies—conducting an independent search for an assistant professor whose scholarship and teaching align with the priorities of their respective departments.

Responsibilities

• Possess the potential for high-quality research, publication, and teaching in the field of sports and media in US and/or global perspectives.
• Demonstrate a capacity for original and forward-thinking research in areas including, but not limited to:
• Critical approaches to sports and media.
• Media industries, governance, and political economy of sports and media.
• Sports and digital platforms, social media, streaming, and interactive media.
• Video games, esports, fantasy sports, and gambling.
• Fans, audiences, activism, and participatory cultures of sports and media.
• Sports, media infrastructures, and spatial formations, including stadiums, venues, and urban development.
• Sports media and race/class/gender/sexuality/citizenship.
• Documentary, nonfiction, and storytelling practices of sports.
• Histories and genealogies of sports media.
• Production cultures and labor in sports media.
• Datafication, AI, VR/AR, and emerging technologies of sports and its media.

Requirements

• Ability to teach across multiple media forms, technologies, industries, and cultural contexts.
• Contribute to the undergraduate and graduate curricula in Media and Cinema Studies and graduate seminars through the College's Institute of Communications Research.

Qualifications

• PhD in Media Studies, Communication, Cultural Studies, or a related field.
• Research and teaching interests in sports and media.
• Experience with interdisciplinary methodologies and approaches.
• Strong publication record, including a dissertation chapter, conference paper, book chapter, or article that best illustrates research agenda and contributions.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to teach effectively at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Skills

• Interdisciplinary research and teaching abilities.
• Effective communication and collaboration skills.
• Ability to engage with diverse student populations.

Benefits

This position offers a competitive salary range of $80,000-$90,000, commensurate with qualifications and experience. It is eligible for sponsorship for work authorization, except for sponsorship of a new H1B petition that would incur the $100,000 fee. The position is eligible for benefits, including health, dental, vision, life insurance, a retirement plan, paid time off, and tuition waivers for employees and dependents.

Pay

$80,000 - $90,000 annually

Schedule

9/12-month basis

Contact Information

To learn more about this position, contact James Hay at jameshay@illinois.edu. For questions regarding the application process, contact 217-333-2137.