Assistant Research Professor (EXPIRED)

The University of Notre Dame seeks candidates for up to two Assistant Research Professors for the Notre Dame-IBM Technology Ethics Lab (Tech Ethics Lab), a core research component of the Notre Dame Ethics Initiative (ND-EI).  Each position is a one-year appointment renewable annually based on performance and availability of external funding.  Each Assistant Research Professor will work with the Tech Ethics Lab to develop its applied AI ethics research program, collaborating with a broader interdisciplinary research institute focused on ethics. Minimum qualifications include a Ph.D. degree and a demonstrated research record on AI ethics or closely related topics.

Emerging from the University’s new Strategic Framework, ND-EI is a collaborative cross-campus initiative to establish Notre Dame as a premier university for research in ethics, offering superb training for future generations of ethicists and ethical leaders and directing all of our efforts toward guiding and strengthening public understanding of the most significant ethical issues of our time. This includes substantial investments in technology ethics.  

The Tech Ethics Lab promotes interdisciplinary research and policy leadership in artificial intelligence and other branches of technology ethics.  Funded with a grant from IBM, the Lab focuses on investigating emerging challenges and providing practical models and applied solutions for ethical technology design, development, and deployment. The Lab also creates academy-industry alliances, facilitates dialogue and debate regarding technology ethics, helps develop standards related to technology's moral and ethical use, and seeks to inform technology-related laws, policies, and governance. 

Working in a complex, fast-paced, and rapidly growing area of research, practice, and policy, the Assistant Research Professors will develop a creative research program at the intersection of ethics, technology, industry, and policy.  Their research will advance Notre Dame’s role as a distinctive voice in technology ethics.  Current research themes include, but are not limited to, AI for Good, AI Governance and Regulation, and the Social, Environmental, and Economic Cost of AI. 

The Assistant Research Professors will work closely with the Managing Director of the ND-IBM Tech Ethics Lab and the staff of the ND-EI, reporting to the Faculty Director. The primary responsibilities of the Assistant Research Professors include: 

• Lead and/or collaborate on sponsored research related to technology, particularly AI and ethics;

• Publish in top venues in their respective fields;

• Pursue interdisciplinary research by building collaborations with external partners; 

• Pursue external funding to enhance and sustain their research platform;

• Develop collaborations with ND-EI faculty; 

• Mentor or co-mentor graduate and undergraduate students, including those affiliated with the ND-EI;

• Maintain a solid commitment to diversity and promoting and sustaining a multicultural learning environment;

• Co-organize technology ethics events in support of the Lab and as determined by the ND-EI Faculty Director.