Position Summary

We seek candidates who can fulfill an early-stage assistant professor position. Advanced doctoral candidates (ABD) who will have completed the Ph.D. by the start date of the appointment, as well as individuals who have earned the Ph.D. and are seeking an appointment to start on the tenure track, are welcome to apply. Qualified applicants should have a Ph.D. (or be at the stage of ABD) in Communication, Mass Communication, Mass Media, Information and Media, Advertising, Public Relations, Strategic Communication, or a related field.

In addition, applicants should demonstrate strong qualitative and/or quantitative methodological expertise and possess a clearly defined, active research trajectory that reflects a consistent, empirical approach to studying communication in areas relevant to advertising. Applicants should also display evidence of or potential for external funding; the ability to teach core and elective existing courses in our advertising majors; and a commitment to mentoring undergraduate and graduate students.

We seek candidates whose research focus complements and/or strengthens the department’s existing expertise. We also welcome applicants whose innovative research expands the department’s scholarly reach and opens new avenues for inquiry in advertising and related fields. In particular, we encourage applications from scholars whose work explores the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and advertising, including its implications for communication strategies, consumer outcomes, society, and media effects. We remain open to a broad range of research areas represented within the Department. Existing departmental expertise includes, but is not limited to, the following areas (in alphabetical order): Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Communication Technologies (e.g., Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)); Changes in Advertising and Media Industries; Community Engaged Learning and Inclusive Communication; Consumer Insights, Analytics, and Privacy; Digital Media, Influencer, and Creator Culture; Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility/Advocacy, and Issue Management; Health Communication; History and Context of Emerging Technologies; International and Multicultural Communication; Political Communication; Race and Identity Communication; Science Communication; Persuasion Processes and Effects.

Additionally, ideal candidates will have evidence of, or potential for, a national/international academic reputation and industry-related experience.

Candidates will be evaluated based on both the minimum requirements and desired qualifications, and on a holistic review approach across different stages of the candidate review process.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Degree

Terminal -Mass Communication, Communication, Information and Media, Public Relations, Strategic Communication or related field.

Minimum Requirements

• Ph.D. in Mass Communication, Communication, Information and Media, Advertising, Public Relations, Strategic Communication, or related fields. ABDs with a clear pathway to complete a Ph.D. by the start date are encouraged to apply.
• Solid expertise and active research program with a well-defined empirical approach to studying communication in areas relevant to advertising.
• Experience in or potential to obtain funding.
• Ability to teach core and elective courses in advertising and related fields.
• Commitment to mentoring undergraduate and graduate students.

Desired Qualifications

Applicants whose innovative research expands the department’s scholarly reach and opens new avenues for inquiry in advertising and related fields are welcome. Applications from scholars whose work explores the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and advertising, including its implications for society, culture, communication strategies, consumer outcomes, and/or media effects are encouraged. The ideal candidate will bring strengths in several of the following areas:

• Evidence of, or potential for, a national/international reputation
• Industry-related insights or experience
• Experience in entrepreneurship
• Evidence of, or potential for, interdisciplinary collaboration
• Experience with outreach and engagement

Required Application Materials

Applicants should submit electronically:

• A cover letter summarizing qualifications for the position (no more than 2 pages).
• One-page research statement.
• One-page teaching philosophy.
• A curriculum vitae.
• The names and contact information of three references.

Special Instructions

To apply, please refer to posting 1119534 and complete an electronic submission at the Michigan State University Employment Opportunities website https://careers.msu.edu/. Please direct inquiries to the chair of the search committee, Chuqing Dong (cdong@msu.edu). The search committee will begin its evaluation of applicants after September 1, 2026.

As an institution of higher learning, Michigan State University is committed to providing a safe environment for its students, faculty, and staff in support of its educational mission. With this commitment, the University conducts criminal background checks and professional misconduct reviews of all applicants for employment in faculty, academic staff, and executive management searches. 

Professional Misconduct Review 

A professional misconduct review is a prerequisite for a candidate to be selected for this position. Applicants will be asked to disclose whether they are subject to any pending investigation, findings or sanctions related to professional misconduct. Professional misconduct includes misconduct related to a person’s employment, including, but not limited to, theft, embezzlement, research integrity, discrimination, or harassment under civil rights laws and policies, including protected identity harassment, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct (sexual assault, sexual exploitation, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, etc.), and retaliation. All applicants will be asked to sign an authorization and release, which authorizes the University to contact the candidate’s current and former employers, for a period of 7 years prior to the date of application, related to any pending investigations, findings of responsibility and/or sanctions related to professional misconduct. Nothing will be sent to current or former employers unless the candidate reaches the semi-finalist stage. 

The existence of professional misconduct history does not automatically exclude a candidate from employment. The University will assess the history, including any information provided by the candidate, in determining whether it is compatible with the position. The University may decline to hire a candidate based on the professional misconduct review. All records obtained from external employers will be kept in a secure location, separate from personnel files. If an applicant fails to sign the authorization and release, the application will be deemed incomplete and will be withdrawn.  

Remote Work Statement

MSU strives to provide a flexible work environment and this position has been designated as remote-friendly. Remote-friendly means some or all of the duties can be performed remotely as mutually agreed upon.

Website

https://comartsci.msu.edu/departments/advertising-public-relations

Department Statement

The Michigan State University Department of Advertising and Public Relations (ADPR) is a leader in education, research, and outreach. For more than 60 years, the Department has set the global pace in research excellence and achievement while also maintaining an award-winning undergraduate program; these remain the core mission. The ADPR comprises tenure stream and fixed-term (professors of practice) faculty who continue to re-envision the worlds of advertising research, education, and practice. Our faculty have diverse research and teaching interests, including AI/big data; public relations; CSR; digital strategy; health, science, and the environment; social impact; political communication; advertising and media psychology; and analytics, among others.

The Department is home to nearly 2,000 undergraduate students in three majors (B.S. in Advertising Management, B.A. in Advertising Creative, and B.A. in Public Relations), 20 M.A, in Advertising and Public Relations students, and 20 doctoral students, part of the joint Ph.D. program in Information and Media. The Department has recently launched a student-led and run advertising agency.

MSU Statement

Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.

About Michigan State University

Spartans work every day to advance the common good in uncommon ways.Together, we tackle some of the world?s toughest problems to find solutions that make life better?from alternative energy to better food safety to breakthrough medical and environmental applications achieved through rare isotope research.We teach. We explore and we discover. We collaborate and lead. We innovate, inspire, and empower. We achieve our potential and create circumstances that help our students and others achieve theirs.We're good at it, and we've been at it for more than 150 years.The nation?s pioneer land-grant university, MSU began as a bold experiment that democratized higher education and helped bring science and innovation into everyday life. The revolutionary concept became a model for the nation.Today, MSU is one of the top research universities in the world?on one of the biggest, greenest campuses in the nation. Home to nationally ranked and recognized academic, residential college, and service-learning programs, we?re a diverse community of dedicated students and scholars, athletes and artists, scientists and leaders.In ways both practical and profound, we work to create a stronger, more sustainable, and more hopeful future for all.

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