UC Davis, Department of Communication – Quantitative Models of Human Communication

For this position, we seek a scholar with research interests focused on quantitative model building in communication. Human communication is an essential building block in the emergence of complex social systems. Models aimed at understanding and identifying the fundamental theoretical building blocks of human communication have the potential to inform all the social sciences, which includes areas such as cooperation and coordination, trust and goal manipulations, contagion and diffusion, technology adaption and technological change, organizational communication and team-building, community development, social network evolution, and democratic processes. Applicants are sought from scholars conducting theory-driven and theory-building research through modern modeling tools, such as agent-based models, computer simulations and other numerical solutions, which are informed by analytical approaches, such as game theory, dynamical systems theory, information theory, or statistical mechanics. The applicant must show evidence that developed models are grounded in empirical data from the social sciences. Applicants must be willing to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in model building, as well as additional courses from the Department’s offerings as needed. Applicants’ research program must be consistent with the Department’s affiliation with the Division of Social Sciences. A doctorate degree and publications and research work in the social sciences are required. Persons with Ph.D. pending will be considered only if the degree will be awarded prior to the beginning of instruction on September 19, 2016. Demonstrated research and teaching competence are required. Applicants must have the potential to secure external funding. Applications must be submitted by November 30, 2016 to receive consideration. Position to begin July 1, 2017.