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Why Rensselaer? Our dynamic global community of changemakers includes some of the world’s leading researchers, students, alumni, and faculty who ask the important questions and devise the scientific and technological innovations that make the world a better place for all of humanity. Nestled on a beautiful 275-acre campus in upstate NY, Rensselaer is home to five schools, 32 research centers, three makerspaces, an observatory, and one of the world’s fastest supercomputers. 

Rensselaer faculty and alumni include more than 145 National Academy members, six members of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, six National Medal of Technology winners, five National Medal of Science winners, three astronauts, and a Nobel Prize winner in Physics. With nearly 200 years of experience advancing scientific and technological knowledge, Rensselaer remains focused on addressing global challenges with a spirit of ingenuity and collaboration. To learn more, please visit www.rpi.edu.

Are you ready to change the world? Apply now!

Job Summary

The Department of Cognitive Science in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute invites applications for an open-rank tenure-track faculty position in the Philosophy of Technology. The ideal candidate will have a strong program of research in the analytic tradition that relates the kinds of questions and theoretical frameworks traditionally associated with philosophy with experimental methods traditionally associated with psychology and cognitive science. Specific areas of research must strongly relate to technology, notably artificial intelligence, artificial intelligent agents, and robotics. The start date for the position is August 2023.

The candidate will teach undergraduate and graduate courses, and actively contribute to a vibrant interdisciplinary culture that spans Rensselaer's communities.

The Cognitive Science Department offers B.S. undergraduate programs in Psychological Science, Cognitive Science, and Philosophy, and M.S. and Ph.D. graduate programs in Cognitive Science. Founded in 1824, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is the nation’s oldest technological university. With approximately 5,000 undergraduate and 2,500 graduate students from across the country and around the world, the university offers more than 145 programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. Rensselaer is located in Troy, NY, the heart of the “Tech Valley” region of the Hudson River Valley. The university’s Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) offers scholars and students opportunities for creative interdisciplinary research in the arts, performance technologies, science, and engineering.

Minimum Qualifications

Applicants must hold a Ph.D. or foreign degree equivalent in Philosophy, Cognitive Science, or a related field at the time of appointment, and must show evidence of effective and high-quality teaching at the collegiate level, and evidence of a being able to develop a sustained program of high-quality research and publications. For senior candidates, evidence or potential for securing external funding is required.

The ideal candidate will have a strong program of research in the analytic tradition that relates the kinds of questions and theoretical frameworks traditionally associated with philosophy with experimental methods traditionally associated with psychology and cognitive science. Specific areas of research must strongly relate to technology, notably artificial intelligence, artificial intelligent agents, and robotics.

Applicants must meet stated minimum education and experience requirements.

Application instructions

Follow the on-screen prompts to create an short online profile and contact information for three (3) referees. Please be ready to upload required documents:  Cover Letter, Curriculum Vitae, Statement of Research/Scholarship, Diversity Statement, Evidence of Effective Teaching with Teaching Statement.

If you need assistance with the online application process, please contact careers@rpi.edu 

Job posted on October 14, 2022.  Applications received by December 15, 2022 will receive first consideration.

COVID-19 Pandemic Protocols

Rensselaer welcomes undergraduate and graduate students to campus for an in-person academic experience.  To support this experience, all faculty and staff are expected to work primarily onsite.

Rensselaer requires all faculty and staff to be vaccinated (and boosted when eligible) against COVID-19. Requests for exemptions for medical or religious reasons will be evaluated on a case by case basis.

We welcome candidates who will bring diverse cultural, ethnic, national and international perspectives to Rensselaer’s work and campus communities.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity, Race/Gender/Veterans/Disability Employer.