Assistant Professor in Human-Centered AI in Health

Job description

The Department of Psychological Sciences at Rice University (Houston, Texas) invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor position to begin July 1, 2027.

The position is in the area of HUMAN-CENTERED AI IN HEALTH and is part of a cluster hire across the university. Topic area is open but the candidate must fit within one of our research interest groups (i.e., program areas) of human-computer interaction & human factors, health psychology & behavioral medicine, industrial-organizational psychology, cognitive & affective neuroscience, and psychometrics & quantitative psychology. Examples of topic areas include (but are NOT limited to): Human-centered AI design, Human-AI health decision making, Human-AI health diagnosis, Application of AI in medical systems, use of AI in clinical applications, use of AI to develop and refine real-world health behavior change interventions, AI explainability and Interpretability, AI Interface Design, applications of AI for patient safety; AI features/design for simulation-based training, and Human-AI collaboration & agency. Priority will be given to candidates who will enhance research within the department, teaching within the graduate and undergraduate curriculum, and social sciences scholarship across the school. The hire will work with scholars across all schools at Rice, particularly Schools of Social Sciences, Humanities and Engineering.

A Ph.D. is required at the time of employment. The position requires a Ph.D. in a relevant discipline but the candidate must be able to teach courses and train students in psychological sciences. Job duties entail conducting a productive and innovative research program with potential to secure external funding, teaching undergraduate and graduate psychology courses, mentoring graduate and undergraduate students, and providing service to the field, the department, and the university. The candidate must be motivated to seek external funding and to engage in multidisciplinary collaborations across campus and beyond.

The Department of Psychological Sciences trains doctoral students in program areas of HF/HCI (fully accredited by the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society), cognitive and affective neuroscience, health psychology, industrial-organizational psychology, and psychometrics & quantitative psychology. In the most recent rankings of the U.S. News and World Report (2022), our industrial-organizational psychology program was ranked #1 in Best Industrial and Organizational Psychology Programs. The Department also offers professional master’s programs in both HF/HCI and industrial-organizational psychology.

The successful candidate will be associated with one or more of our research interest groups and will join a highly collegial department of internationally recognized faculty in an environment that nurtures research and scholarship, with many opportunities for collaboration within the department, across the university, and with the adjacent Texas Medical Center and greater Houston, Texas area. Houston is a thriving metropolis and has been characterized as the most diverse city in America. For more details about our department, see Rice boasts of several world-class Institutes, e.g., Houston Methodist-Rice Digital Health Institute (hmrdhi.org), Ken Kennedy Institute (kenkennedy.rice.edu), and Institute of Health Resilience and Innovation (ihri.rice.edu), that will provide the candidates a launchpad to innovate, develop and grow their research programs.

Rice University is a private, comprehensive research university located in the heart of Houston’s dynamic Museum District. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees across eight schools and has a student body of approximately 4,800 undergraduate and 4,100 graduate students. Rice consistently ranks among the top 20 national universities and the top 10 in undergraduate teaching (US News & World Report); its endowment ranks among the top 25 of US universities. In 2026, the Department of Psychological Sciences was ranked 13th in the Best Colleges for Psychology in America by Niche.

For full consideration, applications should be received by October 1, 2026. Review will continue until the position is filled. Applicants should use the application portal to provide (1) cover letter, (2) vita, (3) research statement (3 pages max), (4) teaching statement including evidence of teaching effectiveness and courses you could teach at both the graduate and undergraduate level (2 pages max), 5) a description of how you would contribute to the development of a diverse and inclusive learning community at Rice through your teaching, research, and/or service (2 page max), 6) description, including evidence, of which of our research interest groups you would fit into, and how your research bridges across our research interest groups in the department and the different schools at Rice (1 page max). (7) three representative reprints, (8) three recommendation letters

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment to diversity at all levels, and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status.

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Worksite address

houston, TX, 77246, US

Who can apply

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