Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Philosophy Department

The Philosophy Department at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA, invites applications for a full-time tenure-track position, at the rank of
** Assistant Professor
** with a specialization in the ethical and philosophical questions raised by artificial intelligence (AI ethics). Candidates must have demonstrated ability as a researcher, scholar, and teacher in AI ethics, and have evidence of growth in scholarly achievement. The Department hopes candidates will be able to develop curriculum related to AI ethics for general education, the major, and other university-wide initiatives.

The anticipated start date for this position is Fall 2027, with flexibility.

A Ph.D. in philosophy or related field is required by the appointment date. Duties will involve a combination of teaching, research, and service, based on the candidate’s qualifications. The position will include residential and online instruction and normal university service. In-person teaching is an essential function of this job.

Penn State’s Department of Philosophy teaching and research strengths include: continental philosophy, critical philosophy of race, feminist philosophy, the history of philosophy, Latin American philosophy, and critical theory.

The successful candidate will hold a 50% appointment in the Rock Ethics Institute ((Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).). Based in the College of the Liberal Arts, the Institute pursues a university-wide mission of promoting interdisciplinary and engaged ethics research and ethical leadership, with research strengths in the ethical dimensions of agriculture and food, artificial intelligence, citizenship and immigration, climate and sustainability, criminal justice and policing, empathy and moral psychology, engineering, gender and sexuality, health, race, and technology.

The Institute seeks candidates who will be effective in working on and leading interdisciplinary teams that embed ethical analysis into research projects and who have experience and interest in integrating ethics into undergraduate and graduate curricula. The standard teaching load during the academic year is four courses per academic year.  However, the successful candidate will receive one course release each year for the first five years for enhancing existing ethics research and curricular initiatives as well as building new initiatives and programs aligned with the Institute’s mission.

Interested candidates must submit an online application at Penn State's Job Posting Board, and should upload the following application materials electronically: a letter of interest, CV or resume, and a list of three references with contact information. Review of applications will begin on October 17, 2026 and will continue until filled. Inquiries may be directed to the search chair, Nancy Tuana, DuPont/Class of 1949 Professor of Philosophy and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies it our website at  

for more information on our Philosophy Department.