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Job Details

Please note: all position postings close at 12:00 A.M. CST on the position closing date

Research Associate Professor (9 mo)

Working Title Associate or Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Director of the AI Center of Excellence

Position # F00481

Department Arkansas Biosciences Institute

Employment Status:

Full time (29-40 Hrs)

Type of Employment:

Faculty

# of openings:

1

Location:

ASU-Jonesboro

Proposed Salary Range:

Commensurate with Experience

Closing:

11/15/25

Please note: All postings close at 12 A.M. CST on the closing date. A-State participates in E-Verify.

Position Summary:

The Arkansas State University (A-State) AI Center of Excellence, housed in the Arkansas Biosciences Institute (ABI), invites applications for a 9-month, tenure-track or tenured faculty member at the rank of Associate or Full Professor to serve as its director. This is a research-focused position, and the successful candidate will be appointed as an Arkansas Research Alliance (ARA) Scholar and will receive $500,000 in research and AI Center support. A-State in partnership with the ARA is actively recruiting from outside the state to advance Artificial Intelligence (AI) research and support statewide economic development. We seek a dynamic scholar with an established record of externally funded research in AI, with applications in areas such as advanced agriculture, biomedical and biotechnological sciences, materials science, and steel manufacturing. Candidates are expected to maintain an independent and collaborative research program, actively mentor undergraduate and graduate students, and contribute to A-State’s growing research capacity. The tenure home for this position will be chosen based on the expertise and fit of the selected candidate, with opportunities for cross-department or cross-college affiliations with other units on campus. A key goal of this position is to expand ABI’s computational research capacity, support the ABI mission, and advance interdisciplinary efforts, such as with the Center for Advanced Materials and Steel Manufacturing at A-State (CAMSM). A $10M grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology is driving the effort to establish CAMSM. The goal of the Center will be to support state-of-the-art research in steels and advanced materials supported by data science and artificial intelligence. The A-State AI Center of Excellence is nascent, and we seek a visionary leader to guide its development and foster cross-campus collaboration.

Duties & Responsibilities:

This is a research-intensive position structured as follows: 70% research, 10% teaching, 10% administration, and 10% service. Primary responsibilities are those expected of a tenured faculty member and include leading an active and independent externally funded research program in AI; serving as PI on projects and collaborating with other faculty on interdisciplinary projects; mentoring undergraduate and graduate students; regular teaching (1 course per semester) in the home department and in the Environmental Sciences and Molecular Biosciences graduate programs; and providing professional and institutional service. Additionally, as Director of the A-State AI Center of Excellence, the candidate will shape the strategic direction of the Center and drive its growth through recruiting affiliate faculty members, fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration, and promoting the Center’s services and research products within the university, the Jonesboro community, and beyond. The Center should become an inclusive hub for innovative and interdisciplinary computational research that aligns with both ABI’s mission and ideally also supports A-State’s steel manufacturing initiative through CAMSM. A-State has a growing undergraduate program in Data Science and Data Analytics in the Department of Computer Science, and that department is hiring two tenure-track positions in Cybersecurity, which will be timely for the AI Center of Excellence. There is no limit to what fields should be engaged, and someone enthusiastic about cross-cutting collaborations in art, healthcare, education, biotechnology, agriculture, engineering, and manufacturing will be most successful.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

Ideal applicants would possess a PhD in an area such as computer science, artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, or biological computation and be a tenured professor at an institution of higher education with a strong track record of successful grant awards, grant management, and publication. Additional demonstrated leadership skills or administrative experience is a plus.

General Days/Hours:

Monday - Friday

8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Additional hours as requested and/or needed

Regular and reliable attendance

Other:

Please note: all position postings close at 12:00 A.M. CST on the position closing date

ABOUT THE ARKANSAS BIOSCIENCES INSTITUTE (ABI): The ABI is a statewide consortium largely supported by Tobacco Settlement Proceeds Act of 2000. The A-State ABI mission is to discover, innovate, and educate through interdisciplinary research that improves agriculture, health, and well-being in Arkansas within the statewide ABI consortium and the vision is to serve the people of Arkansas as the leading student-centered research institute. ABI has been a cornerstone of interdisciplinary research and has played a pivotal role in cultivating the next generation of scientists and professionals. With a strong commitment to improving human health, enhancing agricultural productivity, and promoting environmental sustainability through innovative science, ABI is driving meaningful impact across multiple sectors. ABI is housed in an 88,000 sq. ft. research facility that features specialized laboratories equipped with an extensive range of instruments and resources tailored for pioneering research in animal, human, and plant sciences. This infrastructure supports innovative studies and the exploration of novel advancements in science, aiming to generate discoveries that positively impact society.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY: Founded in 1909, Arkansas State University (A-State) is one of the premier institutions of higher education in the state. With technologically advanced facilities and a population of nearly 18,000 students, the university is a major education force in the state. The main campus in Jonesboro is located on 900 acres. A-State is a Carnegie Research 2 institution (high research activity) that is state-assisted and located in Northeast Arkansas, 70 miles (1 hr.) from Memphis, Tennessee. The university offers a wide variety of majors to students from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities. Jonesboro, a quiet and safe community of about 80,000 inhabitants, features a regional center for quality healthcare and offers a low cost of living. People are friendly, and recreational opportunities abound in the area’s lakes and rivers and in the Ozark Highlands to the north and west.

ABOUT THE ARKANSAS RESEARCH ALLIANCE: Founded in 2008, the Arkansas Research Alliance is a 501(c)3 organization governed by a Board of Trustees comprising chancellors from Arkansas research universities and chief executives from companies across the state. Operating as a public-private partnership, ARA envisions an advanced Arkansas economy fueled by robust and collaborative university research talent and capabilities. ARA invests in strategic research talent recruitment, retention, and recognition to generate scientific and engineering breakthroughs that support statewide economic development.

HOW TO APPLY: Applicants should apply online: http://jobs.astate.edu (position F00481). Please submit a cover letter that includes a vision or plans for the A-State AI Center of Excellence, a curriculum vitae, a statement of research experience and plans, a teaching philosophy, and contact information for at least three references.

QUESTIONS regarding this position should be sent to: Dr. Jay Xu, Search Committee Chair, at [email protected].

APPLICANT REVIEW: To take full advantage of this opportunity, applications should be submitted no later than November 15, 2025.

START DATE: August 16, 2026

SALARY: Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Minimum Qualifications:

A Ph.D. in a STEM field and at least 5 years of experience as an Assistant Professor or equivalent.

In accordance with Arkansas Research Alliance guidelines, this position is designed to recruit leaders to Arkansas and is open only to candidates currently working outside the State of Arkansas.

E-Verify Participation Notice:

https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/EVerifyParticipationPoster.pdf

E-Verify Right to Work:

https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/IER\_RightToWorkPoster%20Eng\_Es.pdf