Assistant Professor - Transpacific AI/Technology/Society Studies

Ohio State University; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Ohio State University seeks a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in Transpacific AI/Technology/Society Studies. The candidate will engage with interdisciplinary research and teaching, contributing to AI fluency initiatives and the Arts and Humanities AI Institute, while expanding global language studies and transnational curricula.

Responsibilities include training graduate students, developing new courses, and fostering intercultural competence within a dynamic department of East Asian Languages

Qualifications

• PhD required at time of appointment (Aug 15, 2027); ABDs welcome to apply.
• Native or near-native fluency in at least one East Asian language (Chinese, Japanese, Korean).
• Candidates must demonstrate achievement or strong promise of scholarly success.
• Desired: Public-facing or community-engaged scholarship, teaching and/or service.
• Desired: Ability to customize AI tools for research and teaching.
• Desired: Fluency in other Transpacific languages (Spanish, Portuguese, SE Asian).
• East Asian language teaching experience at the college level.

Responsibilities

• Research the social, cultural, artistic and/or linguistic impacts of new technologies in the Transpacific region.
• Straddle quantitative approaches to AI tools with qualitative assessments of their validity, ethical underpinnings, and social usefulness.
• Develop courses and contribute to innovative programming in the Mellon-funded initiative.
• Offer undergraduate and graduate courses examining AI impacts across borders and cultures.
• Lead faculty-driven study abroad and public-facing scholarship initiatives.

Skills

Interdisciplinary research

Graduate teaching

Curriculum development

Education

PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures or related field

Tools

AI tools customization

Job description

Job Title

Assistant Professor - Transpacific AI/Technology/Society Studies

Department

Arts and Sciences | East Asian Languages and Literatures Transnational World Language Studies Transpacific AI/Technology/Society Studies

Rank

Tenure-Track Assistant Professor

Position Overview

The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at The Ohio State University invites applications for a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor position in Transnational World Language Studies in the area of Transpacific AI/Technology/Society Studies beginning August 15, 2027.

We aim to hire a dynamic scholar who will contribute to the vibrant and collegial intellectual communities of our department by engaging with interdisciplinary research, innovative teaching, program development, community engagement, and service.

This is one of three tenure-track hires in Transnational World Language Studies, the other two being in the departments of Spanish and Portuguese and Slavic and East Europeans Languages and Cultures.

We are also conducting searches for three Postdoctoral Scholar to Tenure-Track Assistant Professor positions in Humanities-based Interdisciplinary World Languages and Cultures in the departments of French and Italian, Germanic Languages and Literatures, and Near Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures.

In keeping with the department's commitment to interdisciplinarity, we are especially interested in scholars who can contribute to the university's AI Fluency Initiative (teaching) and the Arts and Humanities AI Humanities Institute (research) with expertise in East Asian Studies broadly defined.

The successful candidate will examine the global flows of AI and related technologies in terms of their impact on society, the humanities, and the arts with special attention to the Transpacific region (East Asia, South East Asia, the Americas).

Given that East Asia has fast become a hub and driver of open-source innovation in the AI sector, the successful candidate will be able to train graduate students and help build the toolkit of tomorrow's alumni to include tech fluency, global media literacy, and intercultural competence in a Transpacific context.

The successful candidate will enhance and amplify the department's strengths in media studies, digital humanities, performing arts, translation, and/or language pedagogy/linguistics.

They will conduct qualitative research at the cutting edge of the fields of East Asian Studies in Transpacific contexts and of technology studies with disciplinary expertise in one or more of the following fields: East Asian Languages and Literatures, Comparative Literature, Asian American Studies, Digital Humanities, Media Studies, Communications, History of Science, Science/Technology/Society, Human-Inspired AI, Computational Media, Arts, and Cultures and/or related fields.

They will offer undergraduate courses that combine hands‑on experiential learning with critical reflection, collaborative teamwork, and leadership development to prepare undergraduate students for the job market of the future.

They will offer graduate courses that critically examine the transformative impact of AI and related technologies on social communities, cultural practices, media, and forms of communication in the Transpacific region.

Successful candidates would be charged with conducting research and creating courses that engage their discipline beyond national borders from the perspective of intercultural competence and global fluency.

Partial startup for the Transnational World Language Studies tenure-track positions is funded by the Mellon Foundation grant “Global Fluency, Career Agility: Transforming World Languages at Ohio State.”

The new hires will participate in the activities within the Department, be charged with creating new courses, and have designated faculty mentors who are engaged in research on topics relating to transnational world language education, global fluency and intercultural competence, and to their area of specialization.

Performance Objectives

Research the social, cultural, artistic and/or linguistic impacts of new technologies in the Transpacific region.

Straddle quantitative approaches to AI tools with qualitative assessments of their validity, ethical underpinnings, and social responsiveness and utility in comparative contexts.

Advance the Mellon-funded Transforming World Languages at OSU initiative by collaborating with faculty and staff across disciplines, contributing to innovative programming, and creating new courses that strengthen students’ global fluency and intercultural competence.

Be a campus-wide resource on Transpacific AI-related policies/governance as well as social and cultural impacts of AI for different AI research clusters at The Ohio State University.

Develop and teach AI-related courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels in order to regularly update and offer our EALL AI major course; to contribute to existing undergraduate AI certificates (e.g., AI, Art, and Creativity (in development), AI Language and Mind;AIEthics and Society); to support offer Transpacific andComparativeAI-centric classes as well as mesh with the AI initiatives in the Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design.

Develop a faculty-led study abroad program centered aroundAI technology and itsimpactsin EastAsia with non‑Mellon funding.

OfferAI-related professionaldevelopment workshops forDEALLandotherworldlanguages facultyand graduatestudents.

ConnectwithEast Asian/TranspacificAI initiatives inuniversities across EastAsia and the Americas.

Qualifications Required

PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures, Asian American Studies, Comparative Literature, Digital Humanities, Media Studies, Communications, History of Science, Science/Technology/Society, Computational Cultural Studies, Human-Inspired AI, Computational Media, Arts, and Cultures or related field required at time of appointment which is August 15, 2027. ABDs welcome to apply.

Native or near-native fluency in at least one East Asian language (Chinese, Japanese, Korean).

Candidates must demonstrate achievement or strong promise of scholarly success.

Desired: Experience in and/or commitment to public-facing or community engaged scholarship, teaching and/or service.

Desired: Ability to customize AI tools for research and teaching.

Desired: Fluency in languages other than Chinese/Japanese/Korean spoken in the Transpacific region (e.g., Spanish, Portuguese, and South East Asian Languages).

Desired: East Asian language teaching experience at the college level.

Additional Information

Ohio State provides access to a depth and breadth of opportunities and resources.

Starting your first day, Ohio State offers you a comprehensive benefits package.

Location: Hagerty Hall (0037)

Position Type: Regular

Scheduled Hours: 40

Shift: First Shift

Ohio State University believes in diversity in people and ideas. What Ohio State does matters.

And how we do it matters. When we are at our best, we make a real difference to people.

We believe that the university should be a place where people can work and learn together in a safe environment, free of violence, harassment, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation.

As such, finalists for any faculty position that carries tenure must sign an authorization and disclosure form, which will allow current or prior employer(s) to share information to the University regarding any findings of employment-related misconduct or disciplinary proceedings against a candidate and/or any pending investigations related to alleged misconduct.

Such information shall include findings and pending investigations with respect to sexual harassment, violence, or harassment; research misconduct; financial fraud or misconduct; foreign influence violations, grant misuse or misconduct; and/or any other type of finding or pending investigation relating to a candidate’s employer’s policies and rules governing faculty conduct that may reasonably be expected to affect a candidate’s appointment.

If the University becomes aware of any past finding of misconduct or pending investigations that were not disclosed, Ohio State will treat that as a serious omission and reserves the right to rescind an offer or terminate employment.

Final candidates are subject to successful completion of a background check. A drug screen or physical may be required during the post offer process.

Thank you for your interest in positions at The Ohio State University and Wexner Medical Center. Once you have applied, the most updated information on the status of your application can be found by visiting the Candidate Home section of this site.

For answers to additional questions review the frequently asked questions.

The university is an equal opportunity employer, including veterans and disability.

Ohio State benefits give you options to take care of what matters most to you — and opportunities to make adjustments as your life and needs change, including:

• Medical, dental and vision coverage, with Ohio State paying a significant portion of the cost.
• Paid time off, including sick and vacation time and 11 holidays.
• State retirement plan or an alternative retirement plan, both with generous employer contributions.