Job Description

The Department of Psychology in the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, the flagship campus of the University of Tennessee system, invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Cognitive Neuroscience. The Department of Psychology is expanding the undergraduate Neuroscience major and graduate Neuroscience minor.

UT is searching for additional faculty to strengthen the university?s position as a global leader in artificial intelligence; this position is among them. Recruitment into the Foundational Artificial Intelligence faculty cluster creates opportunities to build bold agendas that advance big ideas. The successful candidate will join a team of established faculty with shared and complementary research interests in artificial intelligence, and a strong desire to grow the scholarly and educational impact of their work. For early career faculty, the cluster also offers a unique framework for professional development and mentorship within a rich transdisciplinary environment.

The ideal candidate for this position has a collaborative mindset and prioritizes working with colleagues to realize shared research and educational achievements, including large-scale proposals, joint publications, and new transdisciplinary curricular programming. As Tennessee?s flagship land-grant institution, UT is particularly interested in recruiting candidates who are deeply connected to the organizations and communities in which their work will have translational impact, as well as those who will contribute to a climate that values diversity and inclusion.

The UTK Psychology Department has five Ph.D.-granting research areas (Clinical Psychology, Cognitive and Developmental Science, Counseling Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavior, and Social Psychology) and includes 40 tenure-line faculty and 8 full-time lecturers. We are looking for faculty who can enrich and expand existing cognitive neuroscience research while also contributing expertise in AI. We invite applications from individuals who study cognitive processes and mechanisms using behavioral, computational, and/or neuroimaging techniques. The new hire will join a vibrant and diverse community of neuroscientists within the Department of Psychology who conduct a wide range of animal and human research. Information about the department and our undergraduate Psychology and Neuroscience programs, as well as our graduate programs is online at . There are also extensive opportunities for collaborations with members of the Neuroscience Network of East Tennessee ( NeuroNET ), National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis ( NIMBioS ), and nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory . The position will begin August 1, 2025. 

The Knoxville campus of the University of Tennessee is seeking candidates who can contribute in meaningful ways to the diversity and intercultural goals of the University.

The city of Knoxville is a hidden gem with a beautiful and walkable downtown, thriving music scene (), active neighborhoods, hundreds of miles of greenways, and eclectic shopping and restaurants. Knoxville is located within easy driving distance to Asheville, Nashville, Atlanta, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (). More information about Knoxville can be found at and .

Applicants must have received their Ph.D. in psychology, neuroscience, or a closely related field by August 1, 2025, and should have a strong research record, enthusiasm for teaching at the graduate and undergraduate levels, and existing or a strong potential for extramural funding.

AI TENNessee: This search is part of a cluster hire to add faculty across multiple departments with expertise in artificial intelligence (AI). The hire will be expected to support the AI TENNessee ( T ransdisciplinary AI E ducation and i NN ovation) Initiative, a new research and education initiative focused on the State of Tennessee?s unique AI strengths and opportunities. Led by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, this initiative is engaging with academic, industry, and community partners across Tennessee to leverage the benefits of AI across all disciplines and economic sectors in areas such as AI for science, smart manufacturing, climate-smart agriculture and forestry, precision health and environment, and future mobility. Our goal is to make life and lives better through AI research and education. The mission of the AI TENNessee initiative is to: 1) advance cutting-edge fundamental and transdisciplinary AI research and creative activity across all disciplines to address important challenges; 2) expand the number of Tennessee students developing skills and/or core competencies in AI across many disciplines to prepare them for AI-enabled jobs of today and the future; and 3) partner with industry and institutions statewide to  position Tennessee as a national and global leader in the data-intensive knowledge economy. 

Applicants should electronically submit the following materials to : 1) brief cover letter and curriculum vita, 2) research statement, 3) teaching statement, 4) up to 3 representative publications, and 5) A list of 3 to 5 references from whom the search committee may solicit recommendations. Review of applications will begin on October 15 th and will continue until the position is filled. Please contact the search co-chairs, Dr. Aaron Buss ( [email protected] ) or Daniela Corbetta ( [email protected] ), with questions about the position.

All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment and admission without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, and parental status, or any other characteristic protected by federal or state law. In accordance with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the University of Tennessee affirmatively states that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or disability in its education programs and activities, and this policy extends to employment by the university. Requests for accommodations of a disability should be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Accessibility, 1840 Melrose Avenue Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-3560 or  [email protected] or (865)974-2498. Inquiries and charges of violation of Title VI (race, color and national origin), Title IX (sex), Section 504 (disability), the ADA (disability), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (age), sexual orientation, or veteran status should be directed to the Office of Investigation & Resolution 216 Business Incubator Building 2450 EJ. Chapman Drive Knoxville, Tennessee 37996 or (865)974-0717 or  [email protected] .

About University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Our primary mission is to move forward the frontiers of human knowledge and enrich and elevate the citizens of the state of Tennessee, the nation, and the world. As the preeminent research-based, land-grant university in the state, UT embodies the spirit of excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, creative activity, outreach, and engagement attained by the nation’s finest public research institutions.

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