Assistant/Associate/Full Professor, Dublin Innovation Institute

Job Summary:

Northeastern University invites applications for two open-rank faculty positions which include a period of appointment at the university’s Dublin Innovation Institute (DII). This is a full-time position with a two-part appointment structure in which the successful applicant will be required to spend up to 4 years performing research at DII before transitioning to a tenured or tenure-track role (commensurate with experience and qualifications) at Northeastern’s campus in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. While at DII, successful applicants will support the work of Northeastern University’s Institute for Information, the Internet & Democracy to build a transatlantic research network and research agenda that contribute to the understanding of systemic risks posed by digital and information technologies to democratic societies. We therefore seek scholars whose research advances our understanding of how people acquire, process, and share information in democratic societies and/or in the service of democratic norms. We welcome applicants from a wide variety of social, scientific, and computational disciplines.

Dublin Innovation Institute:

DII serves as a bridge between Northeastern University’s global network and the European research ecosystem, creating opportunities for innovative collaboration throughout the European Union and North America. One of DII’s areas of focus is building a trans-Atlantic research community around the themes of information, the internet, and contemporary democracy.

About Northeastern University:

Established in 1898, Northeastern University stands as a leader in global experiential learning and interdisciplinary research, addressing international issues in health, security, and sustainability. Externally funded research programs and graduate Ph.D. education programs at Northeastern University have been executed for almost 80 years. Transforming into a global research university over the last two decades, Northeastern has experienced remarkable expansion through strategic collaborations with businesses, government entities, and non-profit organizations. This surge in partnerships has propelled the university's research initiatives and enriched experiential learning avenues for students across all academic levels. Through a focus on, and substantial investment in, impactful, interdisciplinary research, Northeastern University is fostering innovation in emerging fields. This approach recognizes the need for inventive configurations to comprehend intricate systems and effectively translate foundational discoveries into practical, real-world applications. Currently, Northeastern is the fifth-highest funded private research university without a medical school, a list that includes MIT, CalTech, Princeton, and Carnegie Mellon. The University has also been a leading generator of spin-out companies, a testament to its orientation to use-inspired research and faculty and professional researchers strongly engaged with the world outside academia.

Position Overview:

We welcome applications from exceptional scholars from all sectors of the community who employ computational social science approaches to study information ecosystems and their implications for democratic governance. The successful candidate will contribute to our growing interdisciplinary community of scholars examining the social, political, and technological dimensions of information flows in contemporary democracies.

The successful candidate will initially be based at DII, where the focus will be exclusively on research, helping DII and Northeastern University’s Institute for Information, the Internet & Democracy build a world-class transatlantic research network. After the initial Dublin-based phase, expected to last up to four years, the appointment will transition to a tenured or tenure-track faculty role at Northeastern’s Boston, Massachusetts campus, with responsibilities that include teaching, research, and service. Appointment at a different US campus may be possible depending on the candidate’s college and department of appointment. The candidate’s academic home and faculty appointment will be determined in accordance with the candidate’s discipline, experience, qualification, and applicable university policies and processes.

It is a precondition of employment that the applicant will have or successfully obtain the right to live and work in the Republic of Ireland for the duration of their employment at DII and have the appropriate work authorization for the US portion of the role. DII and the university will sponsor eligible candidates for the necessary work permit(s) subject to local immigration requirements.

Research Focus:

The ideal candidate's research will address questions at the intersection of information acquisition and democratic processes. Of particular interest with respect to the position is a research portfolio focused on potential harms and/or approaches to mitigating harms related to digital information technologies. Demonstrated interest and engagement in translational research that informs public policy would be a plus. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• How AI is affecting the ways in which people get civic and political information

• Information exposure and political behavior in digital environments

• Social media dynamics and democratic participation

• Misinformation, disinformation, and their effects on public opinion

• News consumption patterns and media fragmentation

• Computational approaches to studying political communication

• Algorithmic curation and its democratic implications

• Digital platforms and civic engagement

• Information networks and political polarization

• Media effects on electoral processes and accountability

• Public opinion formation in information-rich environments

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Political Science, Communication, Computer Science, Information Science, Computational Social Science or related fields in hand by the employment start date is required.

Documents to Submit:

Applicants should submit a cover letter that addresses their interest in and qualifications for the position, a curriculum vitae, a research statement, a teaching statement, sample syllabi, evidence of teaching effectiveness with complete sets of recent student evaluations and the names and contact information for at least three individuals who can each provide a letter of recommendation.

Closing date: November 1, 2026

Please address applications by end of the day from anywhere in the world no later than November 1, 2026, and any questions to David Lazer, Search Committee Chair, at [email protected].

Benefits:

Employee benefits associated with the DII appointment will be communicated to candidates during the interview process. Benefits associated with the Boston-based phase of the appointment are summarized below.

This search does not require assistance from recruitment agencies. Any applications made by recruitment agencies will be returned.

Assistant Professor: $110,000 - $139,000

Associate Professor: $127,000 - $162,000

Full Professor: $156,000 - $208,000