Assistant Professor in Media, Behavior, and Health

The Media School at Indiana University’s flagship Bloomington campus is pleased to announce a faculty search for an outstanding tenure-track colleague whose research and teaching examine the relationships among media, behavior, and health, to start August 1, 2027.

We welcome applications from scholars working across a broad range of topics at the intersection of media, health, and well-being. Areas of interest may include, but are not limited to, media influences on mental and physical health; health communication and health behavior; social media and well-being; media representations of health, illness, and disability; stigma and stereotyping; cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses to health-related media; health misinformation; and the development and evaluation of media-based interventions designed to improve health and well-being. We are particularly interested in scholars whose work helps explain how media environments, messages, and technologies shape health-related attitudes, psychological processes, decision-making, and behavioral outcomes.

We welcome a range of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches, including experimental, survey, longitudinal, computational, neuroscientific, qualitative, and mixed-method approaches. Candidates may study children, adolescents, adults, or populations across the lifespan.

This position offers substantial opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration across Indiana University, including with faculty in the Media School, the School of Public Health, the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, the Irsay Institute, and other units engaged in health and behavioral research. The successful candidate will join a growing community of scholars examining media, behavior, health, and well-being across the campus.

The chosen applicant will be expected to maintain a productive and theoretically significant research program, effectively teach and mentor undergraduate and graduate students on a standard 2-2 teaching load, and serve the university, profession, and wider community. Teaching opportunities may include courses in media psychology, strategic communications, health communication, social media, research methods, and other areas related to the candidate’s expertise.

The primary criteria for this search are excellence in research and teaching related to media, behavior, and health. Evidence of potential to secure external funding is viewed

favorably. External funding is conceived broadly to include government, industry, foundation, and other private sources.

The Media School combines a long-standing tradition of excellence in journalism, film, gaming, and communications with a commitment to digital and interactive media. It fosters a multidisciplinary approach to education and research, equipping students with the theoretical and practical tools necessary to lead and innovate in the media landscape of tomorrow. Faculty members are distinguished for their scholarly contributions and their dedication to teaching, offering a dynamic environment for engaging with media theory, production, and design.

The Media School is home to the Center for Documentary Research and Practice, the Center for International Media Law and Policy Studies, the Institute for Communication Research, the Michael I. Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism, the National Sports Journalism Center, the Observatory on Social Media, Indiana Public Media, Cream and Crimson Studios, the KIX Lab, and the Black Film Center & Archive. The school serves more than 2,300 undergraduate majors in eight degree programs (Journalism, Media, Game Design, Cinematic Arts, Global Media, Media Advertising, Public Relations, and Sports Media). It also offers graduate degrees (M.S. and Ph.D.) to approximately 75 graduate students, of whom two-thirds are in a doctoral program. Our state-of-the-art facilities include equipment for television, film and audio production, game design, and communication research.

Nestled in the lively community of Bloomington, our university campus is renowned for its stunning limestone architecture and scenic natural landscapes. This setting fosters a culture that values both the arts and sciences and provides substantial opportunities for interdisciplinary research and collaboration.

Bloomington is a vibrant midsize city located within driving distance of Indianapolis, Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Louisville. Our community is small yet welcoming, a home to people from all over the world. Bloomington features an active arts community, with several independent music and performance venues and one of the best university cinemas in the country. Southern Indiana is also home to beautiful scenery, and residents enjoy year-round outdoor activities.

Questions regarding this position or the application process should be directed to the chair of the search committee, Dr. Nicole Martins, The Media School, Indiana University, at [email protected].

Preferred Qualifications