Executive Director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence

Since our founding in 1785, the University of Georgia has operated as Georgia's oldest, most comprehensive, and most diversified institution of higher education (https://www.uga.edu/). The proof is in our more than 235 years of academic and professional achievements and our continual commitment to higher education. UGA is currently ranked among the top 20 public universities in U.S. News & World Report. The University's main campus is in Athens, GA, approximately 65 miles northeast of Atlanta, with extended campuses in Atlanta, Griffin, Gwinnett, and Tifton. UGA employs approximately 3,000 faculty and 7,700 full-time staff. The University's enrollment exceeds 43,000 students including over 32,000 undergraduates and over 10,500 graduate and professional students. Academic programs reside in 19 schools and colleges, which includes a newly announced School of Medicine that will build on the success of the medical partnership with Augusta University housed on the UGA Health Sciences Campus in Athens. As one of the top public universities in the nation, UGA offers a culture of academic excellence and opportunity made all the richer by our renowned faculty, diverse community of scholar-citizens, and vibrant student life program.

UGA's Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IAI) is an interdepartmental research and instructional unit jointly supported by the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. It offers three interdisciplinary degree programs:

In addition, the Institute participates in two combined undergraduate/graduate programs, allowing a student to earn within five years either an AB in Cognitive science or a BS in Computer science as well as an MS in Artificial Intelligence. A multidisciplinary Certificate in Artificial Intelligence will likely be available in the 2025 Spring Semester.

We pride ourselves on the diversity of our student body, the strength of our educational programs, and the ability of our programs to allow for the pursuit of personal research interests. The Institute's strengths include Machine Learning, Robotics, Computer Vision, Trustworthy and Ethical AI, Neural and Deep Networks, Genetic and Evolutionary Algorithms, Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, Natural Language Processing and Computational Psycholinguistics. Affiliated with the Institute are approximately 80 UGA faculty from 12 schools and colleges.

The Institute also has strong collaborative ties with UGA's new School of Computing (SoC), a joint venture between UGA's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering. The SoC enrolls almost 1900 undergraduate majors and 260 graduate students and is home to 45 full-time faculty who carry out teaching and research in a variety of computer science areas, including cybersecurity, machine learning, computer vision, robotics, distributed systems, data privacy, human-computer interaction, and a host of other related topics.

This is an exciting opportunity to serve as the inaugural Executive Director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence at a time when the University of Georgia is aggressively repositioning the organization to be a leader in multidisciplinary research, instruction, and broader service. The most recent Presidential Interdisciplinary Hiring Initiative in Data Science and AI has led to the recruitment of nearly 70 faculty across campus. The Institute will play a key role in bringing these new faculty and the current faculty who are working in relevant disciplines together to strengthen the teaching, research, and engagement to advance the research and application of artificial intelligence.

Candidates are encouraged to submit their materials by Friday, January 24, 2025; however, screening will continue until the position is filled. The application packet should include a cover letter detailing how the applicant's credentials and experience meet the needs, responsibilities, and qualifications stated above; a current resume; and contact information for three references (who will not be contacted without further correspondence with the applicant).

To request a descriptive Opportunity Profile for this position, provide a nomination, or seek additional information, please contact Callie West, Primary Consultant with the UGA Search Group, 805-813-3901 or Callie.West@uga.edu. Letters of recommendation or a simple nomination should include the name and contact information for the nominee.

The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, genetic information, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation or protected veteran status. Persons needing accommodations or assistance with the accessibility of materials related to this search are encouraged to contact Central HR (hrweb@uga.edu).

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 26 institutions of higher education and learning, as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found online at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct.

Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found online at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.