Associate or Full Professor in Artificial Intelligence, Entertainment, and Human Communication

Northwestern University, School of Communication; Evanston (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Northwestern University, School of Communication, invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Associate or Full Professor in Artificial Intelligence, Entertainment, and Human Communication.

The appointee will be an innovative scholar, artist, designer, technologist, or interdisciplinary researcher exploring AI's opportunities, challenges, and societal implications across creative industries.

Qualifications

• Tenure-track faculty appointment at Associate or Full Professor level.
• Interdisciplinary research spanning AI, entertainment, and human communication.

Responsibilities

• Conduct and lead research at the intersection of AI, entertainment, and communication.
• Teach and mentor students; develop curricula and contribute to program growth.

Job description

Artificial intelligence is transforming every aspect of the entertainment ecosystem—from content creation, production, and distribution to audience engagement, accessibility, labor relations, intellectual property, and communication technologies. To engage these developments, the NorthwesternSchool of Communicationinvites applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Associate or Full Professor in Artificial Intelligence, Entertainment, and Human Communication. We seek an innovative scholar, artist, designer, technologist, legal scholar, or interdisciplinary researcher whose work examines the opportunities, challenges, and societal implications of artificial intelligence across creative industries, communication, performance, and human-centered technologies. We welcome applicants whose work explores these developments through artistic practice, scholarly inquiry, policy analysis, technological innovation, or industry engagement. The successful candidate will join a vibrant interdisciplinary community exploring how artificial intelligence is reshaping entertainment, media, performance, communication, and society.

Areas of Interest

Candidates may be working in areas such as:

AI and Creative Practice

• Stage, scenic, costume, lighting, projection, and production design using AI-enhanced tools
• Generative AI in theatre, film, television, gaming, music, and immersive experiences
• AI-assisted virtual characters and digital performers
• Human-AI collaboration in artistic creation and performance
• Virtual production, digital environments, and emerging entertainment technologies
• AI-assisted storytelling and audience engagement

AI, Sound, and Music

• AI applications in sound design, music production, and audio engineering
• Computational approaches to sound analysis and immersive audio
• Machine learning and adaptive sound environments
• Ethical and artistic implications of AI-generated music and sound
• AI voice cloning and digital voice ownership

AI, Society, Policy, and Law

• Intellectual property, copyright, and licensing of AI-generated content
• Labor, employment, and workforce implications of AI in creative industries
• Entertainment contracts and governance frameworks related to AI
• Ethical, regulatory, and societal implications of AI-enabled creative and communication technologies
• Design, development, and evaluation of human-centered AI systems that support artists, performers, designers,
• communicators, and audiences
• Role of AI in expanding accessibility, participation, and inclusion within creative and cultural experiences
• Frameworks for responsible, equitable, and transparent AI use in entertainment, media, performance, and
• communication contexts

AI, Communication Sciences, Audiology, and Speech-Language Pathology

• AI systems supporting vocal health for performers
• Machine learning approaches to vocal fatigue analysis
• Voice synthesis, voice preservation technologies, synthetic speech
• Audience perception of synthetic voices
• AI auditory technology for entertainment applications