About the role
The University of South Florida (USF), a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), invites applications for an open-rank (Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor) faculty position to lead and expand a strategic research area focused on the Future of Work and Emerging Technologies.
USF seeks a nationally and internationally recognized or rising scholar whose work is reshaping how individuals, organizations, educational institutions, and communities prepare for and thrive in a workforce transformed by artificial intelligence and technological innovation.
This position represents a significant institutional investment intended to establish a nationally and internationally visible, externally funded research enterprise focused on the future of learning, work, emerging technologies, economic opportunity, and workforce development. Particular interest will be given to candidates with a demonstrated record of securing competitive external funding and leading impactful research programs. Candidates with experience serving as Principal Investigator on federal grants are especially encouraged to apply. The successful candidate will build a productive research program while creating opportunities for colleagues and students to develop their scholarship and compete for external funding.
Position Overview
Artificial intelligence, automation, digital transformation, and emerging technologies are rapidly changing the nature of work and learning. The successful candidate will play a leadership role in building an innovative and forward-looking research agenda that examines how educational systems, workforce development organizations, employers, and policymakers can prepare individuals for evolving careers while promoting economic mobility and expanding access to opportunity.
Relevant areas of scholarship may include, but are not limited to:
- Future of work
- Artificial intelligence and workforce transformation
- Human-AI collaboration
- Workforce development and workforce policy
- Career pathways and talent development
- Credentials, microcredentials, and alternative pathways
- Skills acquisition, reskilling, and upskilling
- Adult learning and lifelong learning
- Experiential and work-based learning
- Community college and workforce partnerships
- Industry-education collaborations
- Labor market analytics and workforce alignment
- Technology-enabled learning and training systems
- Economic mobility and workforce success
- Emerging technologies and human capital development
Candidates may come from a wide range of disciplines, including education, workforce development, labor economics, information science, learning sciences, human resource development, human-computer interaction, computer science, engineering, or related fields.
Expectations
The successful candidate will:
- Develop and sustain a nationally and internationally prominent research program.
- Secure substantial competitive external funding from federal agencies, foundations, industry, and other sponsors.
- Serve as Principal Investigator and provide leadership for externally funded research initiatives.
- Pursue large-scale interdisciplinary and collaborative research initiatives within USF and with external partners.
- Publish influential scholarship in leading peer-reviewed journals and other high-impact scholarly outlets.
- Teach graduate level courses.
- Mentor graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and/or early-career scholars and contribute to the development of the next generation of researchers and scholars.
- Build productive partnerships with workforce organizations, employers, educational institutions, policymakers, and other external partners.
- Collaborate broadly across the University and with external partners.
- Help establish USF as a national and international leader in workforce innovation, technology, and economic mobility research.
Particular emphasis will be placed on a candidate's ability and potential to attract major investments through programs supported by agencies and organizations such as:
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- Institute of Education Sciences (IES)
- U.S. Department of Labor
- Department of Commerce
- Department of Defense
- National Institutes of Health
- Major national and regional foundations
- Industry-sponsored research partnerships
Required Qualifications
- Earned doctoral degree in appropriate discipline.
- Demonstrated record of strong publication in high-quality scholarly venues related to work and learning, workforce development, emerging technologies, economic opportunity, or area relevant to the future of work and emerging technologies that is consistent with appointment at a research-intensive university.
- Documented record of successfully securing competitive external funding or strong potential, appropriate to career stage.
- Demonstrated capacity to work effectively in interdisciplinary environments.
Candidates seeking appointment at the Associate Professor or Professor level must demonstrate sustained scholarly productivity, substantive leadership on externally funded research, and national or international recognition commensurate with the proposed rank. Appointment rank and tenure status will be determined in accordance with University policies and the approved position authorization.
Preferred Qualifications
Preference will be given to candidates who demonstrate:
- Sustained success obtaining significant competitive external funding as Principal Investigator or equivalent research leader.
- National or international recognition for research excellence.
- Experience leading interdisciplinary research centers, laboratories, institutes, or large collaborative projects.
- Success building partnerships with industry, government agencies, educational systems, workforce organizations, or community partners.
- Experience translating research into policy, practice, products, or measurable societal impact.
- Evidence of, or commitment to effective teaching and mentoring of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and/or early career scholars.
- A compelling vision for building a high-impact Future of Work and Emerging Technologies research enterprise at USF.
Strategic Opportunity
USF is seeking more than a faculty member. We seek an entrepreneurial research leader who can shape a signature area of excellence at a major AAU institution. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to build collaborative initiatives across education, business, engineering, computer science, public policy, health, and other disciplines while developing a nationally recognized center of scholarship focused on the future of learning, work, emerging technologies, and economic mobility.
Application Instructions
Review of applications will begin on November 12, 2026 and continue until the position is filled. To ensure full consideration, candidates are encouraged to apply by November 12, 2026. Applications should be submitted through https://jobs.usf.edu/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/USF/. Please specify Position # 330147242 on all submitted documents and include the following materials:
1. Cover letter that describes candidate’s interest in the position and specifically addresses how the candidate’s background, accomplishments, and future plans align with the required qualifications and preferred qualifications.
2. Full curriculum vitae.
3. Research statement describing major scholarly contributions, competitive external funding and the candidate’s role in securing it, and a vision for building an interdisciplinary, externally funded Future of Work and Emerging Technologies research program at USF.
4. Names and contact information for 3 professional references.
For additional information about the USF College of Education, visit https://www.usf.edu/education/