Assistant/Associate Professor in Technical and Scientific Communication

Virginia Tech; Blacksburg (VA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 92,000; Full time

Job summary

Virginia Tech’s Department of English invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant/Associate Professor in Technical and Scientific Communication with a healthcare focus. The candidate will build an active research program, contribute to undergraduate and graduate education, mentor students, and pursue externally funded collaborations through the Smart Healthcare Hub.

The successful candidate will engage in interdisciplinary research across engineering, health sciences, business, and the

Qualifications

• PhD in Technical and Professional Communication, Rhetoric and Writing Studies, Communication, English, Information Science, Human‑Centered Computing, Science Communication, User Experience, or closely related field by appointment.
• Evidence of excellence or strong potential in undergraduate and graduate teaching.
• Demonstrated potential for an active research agenda with external funding.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Commitment to inclusive teaching, mentoring, and collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Develop and sustain a nationally recognized program of scholarship in technical and scientific communication.
• Publish in leading journals and present at national/international conferences.
• Pursue externally funded research and contribute to grant proposals.
• Mentor graduate and undergraduate researchers and participate in service.
• Teach undergraduate and graduate courses in technical communication and rhetoric, with potential to develop new courses.

Skills

Research potential

Written and oral communication

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Inclusive teaching

Education

PhD in Technical and Professional Communication or related field

Job description

Job Description

Virginia Tech’s Department of English invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor in Technical and Scientific Communication. This position reflects Virginia Tech's strategic commitment to understanding not only how technologies are developed, but how they are implemented, communicated, trusted, and integrated into organizations and communities, with a particular focus on healthcare. We seek an innovative scholar whose work advances the future of technical and scientific communication in an era increasingly defined by artificial intelligence, automation, immersive technologies, and complex sociotechnical systems. We seek a scholar whose research and teaching examine how communication shapes the design, implementation, and use of emerging technologies in professional, organizational, scientific, technical, or healthcare environments.

This position is associated with Virginia Tech’s Smart Healthcare Hub initiative (smarthealthcare.icat.vt.edu) and will contribute to the growth of interdisciplinary research, innovation, and teaching at the intersection of emerging technologies, healthcare-related simulations, digital and/or medical humanities, experience design, operations, and human-centered systems. The successful candidate will join a highly multidisciplinary and collaborative environment that values innovation, experiential learning, translational research, and community engagement. The successful candidate will contribute to Virginia Tech's internationally recognized Technical and Scientific Communication program as a member of the Department of English while engaging in interdisciplinary research collaborations across the university.

Given the expectation that the position will involve high research productivity and pursuit of research funding as part of the Smart Healthcare Hub initiative, the position will begin with a teaching assignment of two courses per academic year (one in fall and one in spring) that includes teaching in the Department of English’s undergraduate Technical and Scientific Communication and the doctoral Rhetoric and Writing programs. After three years, the teaching assignment is expected to increase to the department’s typical teaching assignment for tenure-track and tenured faculty of four courses each academic year (two in fall and two in spring).

Position Overview

The ideal candidate for this position will help define the future of the discipline by advancing research that improves communication across complex technical, scientific, healthcare, governmental, or industrial contexts.

We welcome applicants whose scholarship addresses one or more areas including, but not limited to:

• Ethics of emerging technologies
• Rhetoric of science, technology, and medicine
• Digital and/or medical humanities
• Human-centered design
• Technical communication and artificial intelligence
• Accessibility and inclusive design
• Science writing

The department particularly values scholars whose work bridges traditional disciplinary boundaries and who are skilled at collaborating with researchers across engineering, computer science, health sciences, business, public policy, and the humanities. We seek an individual that has expertise in applying their work within the healthcare sector.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will maintain an active, externally visible research program, including work associated with the Smart Healthcare Hub’s focus; contribute to undergraduate and graduate education; mentor students; and participate in departmental, college, and university service. Primary responsibilities include:

Research

• Develop and sustain a nationally recognized program of scholarship in technical and scientific communication.
• Publish in leading journals and present research at national and international conferences.
• Pursue externally funded research opportunities and contribute to collaborative external funding proposals.
• Build interdisciplinary collaborations across Virginia Tech and with external partners.
• Mentor graduate and undergraduate student researchers.

Teaching

Teach undergraduate and graduate courses in technical and scientific communication and rhetoric, including foundational and advanced courses that may include grant writing; medical and science writing; the rhetoric of science, technology, and medicine; document design; visual rhetoric; and/or digital rhetoric. Faculty are encouraged to develop new courses aligned with their expertise and emerging areas of the discipline.

Service

The successful candidate will contribute to the continued growth of Virginia Tech's nationally recognized Technical and Scientific Communication program through curriculum development, student mentoring, program leadership, and university service while participating in national professional organizations.

Collaborative Opportunities

Virginia Tech offers exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. The successful candidate will have opportunities to engage with faculty across the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, College of Engineering, College of Science, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Pamplin College of Business, and numerous university-wide research institutes and centers such as the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment, Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, and the Whole Health Consortium.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Technical and Professional Communication, Rhetoric and Writing Studies, Communication, English, Information Science, Human‑Centered Computing, Science Communication, User Experience, or a closely related field by the time of appointment.
• Demonstrated potential for an active and impactful research agenda supported by extramural funding.
• Evidence of excellence or strong potential in undergraduate and graduate teaching.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusive teaching, mentoring, and collaboration.
• Ability to work effectively in interdisciplinary research environments.

Preferred Qualifications

Preference will be given to candidates with one or more of the following:

• Research addressing emerging technologies and communication.
• Expertise in human-centered design, user experience, or information design.
• Research focused on healthcare, health technologies, public health, or implementation.
• Evidence of pursuing or securing external research funding.
• Experience mentoring graduate students.

Overtime Status

Exempt: Not eligible for overtime

Appointment Type

Regular

Salary Information

Commensurate with Experience, as an Assistant Professor the range is $75,000 to $82,000 / as an Associate Professor the range is $83,000 to $92,000

Hours per week

*

Review Date

November 15, 2026

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands‑on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem‑solvers. A comprehensive land‑grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including Blacksburg, the greater Washington, D.C. area, the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, sites in Newport News and Richmond, and numerous Extension offices and research institutes. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, ethnicity or national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Donna Eastwood at [e-mail] during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.