Assistant Professor of Information Studies (Tenure-Track), Specializing in Media Archival Studies

David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Information Studies, seeks a scholar specializing in Media Archival Studies to advance research and teaching on media formats, preservation, metadata, and access. The position collaborates with UCLA Film & Television Archive, Library Special Collections, DataX, and the Center for Digital Humanities on interdisciplinary projects.

The candidate will lead an active program of research, teach in the MLIS and Ph.D.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. by the time of appointment is required.
• Ability to teach in the MLIS and Ph.D. programs and supervise graduate students.
• Experience or interest in securing extramural funding and contributing to program development.

Responsibilities

• Conduct an active program of research, scholarship, and/or creative activity.
• Teach four four-unit courses (or equivalent) annually in accordance with workload policies.
• Teach graduate courses in the MLIS and Ph.D. programs, including core courses within the Media Archival Studies specialization.
• Advise and mentor master's and doctoral students.
• Seek and obtain extramural funding to support research and scholarly activities.
• Participate in departmental, school, university, and professional service and governance.
• Contribute to the continued development of the department's graduate and undergraduate programs.

Education

Ph.D. in Information Studies, media studies, communication studies or a closely related field

Job description

The Department of Information Studies seeks a scholar specializing in Media Archival Studies whose research and teaching address historical and contemporary media-making contexts, media formats, and the information systems that support their preservation, management, and use. The successful candidate will contribute to the Department's interdisciplinary strengths in information studies through research on media archives, cultural heritage, information technologies, and archival practices across analog and digital environments.

Areas of expertise may include, but are not limited to:

• Media archives, collections, and cultural heritage institutions
• Preservation, conservation, restoration, and curation of audiovisual and multimedia materials
• Metadata, digital asset management, and information systems for media collections
• Community, ethnic, and Indigenous archives and memory practices
• Access, equity, and public engagement in media archives
• Media production, transmission, storage, discovery, and retrieval technologies
• Information policy, legal, social, and ethical issues related to media collections
• International collaboration and standards development for media archives

The Department values interdisciplinary scholarship and seeks a colleague who will strengthen collaborations across UCLA, including partnerships with the UCLA Film & Television Archive, UCLA Library Special Collections, DataX, the Center for Digital Humanities, and related campus units. Candidates whose work advances research and teaching related to diverse communities and public engagement are especially encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct an active program of research, scholarship, and/or creative activity.
• Teach four four-unit courses (or equivalent) annually in accordance with departmental workload policies.
• Teach graduate courses in the MLIS and Ph.D. programs, including core courses within the Media Archival Studies specialization.
• Advise and mentor master's and doctoral students.
• Seek and obtain extramural funding to support research and scholarly activities.
• Participate in departmental, school, university, and professional service and governance.
• Contribute to the continued development of the Department's graduate and undergraduate academic programs.

For more info, contact:
Professor Melissa Villa Nicholas, Search Committee Chair, at [e-mail]

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, bullying and other demeaning behavior, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation. With this commitment as well as a commitment to addressing all forms of academic misconduct, UCLA conducts targeted employment reference checks for finalists to whom departments or other hiring units would like to extend formal offers of appointment into Academic Senate faculty positions. The targeted employment reference checks involve contacting the finalists’ current and prior places of employment to ask whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate the University’s Faculty Code of Conduct. To implement this process, UCLA requires all applicants for Academic Senate faculty positions to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled "Authorization to Release Information" into RECRUIT as part of their application. If the applicant does not include the signed authorization to release information with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete. As with any incomplete application, the application will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, only finalists (i.e., those to whom the department or other hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer) considered for Academic Senate faculty positions will be subject to targeted employment reference checks.

• Ph.D. in Information Studies, media studies, communication studies or a closely related field is required by the time of appointment.