Assistant Professor; Tenure-Track), AI in Teaching & Learning in STEM Education

About the Position

Northern Arizona University (NAU) invites applications for multiple full-time, tenure-track assistant professor positions to infuse expertise in applications of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) across its curriculum with a specific focus on building capacity within several key areas of recognized research excellence.

Individuals recruited as part of this initiative will join a university-wide faculty community that is committed to providing access to innovative academic programs, passionate about student success, and collaboratively leading world-class scholarly programs. A specific goal of this hiring initiative is to add robust expertise in applications of AI/ML to specific research areas at NAU that are already vibrant, productive, and well-recognized both nationally and internationally as leading research programs.

NAU is particularly interested in applicants with a research focus aligned with any of the following thematic areas:

• AI/ML-supported teaching & learning in STEM Education
• Engineering of AI/ML-autonomous systems with applications to remote sensing/mapping
• AI/ML-enabled approaches to microbiome science
• AI/ML applications in forestry and/or hydrological systems

Candidates will be expected to develop a productive research program that synergizes with existing NAU research initiatives to address timely and significant topics in the fields listed above. Successful candidates will have an academic home in an appropriate department/school/college commensurate with their training and experience. Potential academic units associate with the research areas listed above include, but are not limited to:

• Department of STEM Education
• Department of Teaching and Learning
• Department of Mathematics and Statistics
• Department of Mechanical Engineering
• School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems
• School of Earth and Sustainability
• School of Forestry

Additionally, successful candidates will embrace NAU’s teacher-scholar faculty model by contributing to teaching and student mentorship at both the undergraduate and graduate level, including teaching of both new and existing course offerings. Ability to incorporate innovative uses of AI/ML in classroom and learning settings is desirable. NAU’s goal is to be the nation’s preeminent engine of opportunity, vehicle of economic mobility, and driver of social impact by delivering equitable postsecondary value in Arizona and beyond as described in NAU’s Elevating Excellence Strategic Roadmap.

NAU’s mountain campus is located in Flagstaff, nestled in the heart of northern Arizona’s majestic mountains and pine forests. Consistently celebrated as one of the best college towns in the nation, Flagstaff offers a welcoming community and provides excellent opportunities for outdoor recreation, with hiking, mountain biking, and skiing available just minutes away. Flagstaff’s vibrant culture is rooted in its thriving arts, music, and restaurant scenes, and the town’s cultural institutions honor its history and the heritage of its Indigenous Peoples.

Flagstaff offers an exceptional setting for both living and learning.

• Teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels and mentoring students;
• Building and maintaining a vibrant and productive scholarly program, including securing extramural funding; and
• Contributing to service to the institutional, academic, and professional communities.

A Ph.D. in any discipline represented in our academic colleges, conferred by August 2026.