Associate or Full Professor – Artificial Intelligence Cluster

Position Information

Regents Full Professor or Associate Professor

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), MATRIX AI Consortium, invites applications for the position of Full Professor / Associate Professor, to be appointed as a University of Texas System (UT System) Research Excellence Regents’ Professor. Successful candidates will be part of a strategic cluster hiring initiative focused on Artificial Intelligence, with an anticipated start date in the Fall of the 2025-26 academic year.

The University of Texas System recently approved the creation of the Regents’ Research Excellence Program across its four Emerging Research Universities (ERUs), including UTSA. UT System has allocated $55 million across all four ERUs to fund the recruitment of research-active faculty to dramatically grow its national research prominence and federal funding opportunities. UTSA’s allocation from UT System translates to approximately 40 new faculty positions for new, mid- to senior-level faculty over the next several years who will add expertise in research areas that will enhance competitiveness, help solve societal needs, and advance the university’s capacity to meet UT System and state goals as outlined by the Texas Legislature.

UTSA is utilizing our Clustered & Connected Hiring Program (CCP), which is designed to recruit and hire some of the best and brightest minds of varying backgrounds and experiences in select fields to The University of Texas at San Antonio to join in efforts to address some of today’s most significant challenges.

For the Artificial Intelligence CCP, the 5 positions open are areas:

• Trustworthy AI/ML Algorithms
• Neuromorphic AI Accelerators/Chips
• Human-Centered AI
• AI Ethics
• Quantum Encryption for AI Confidentiality

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)

The University of Texas at San Antonio is a Tier One research university and a Hispanic Serving Institution specializing in digital economy, human health, fundamental futures, and social-economic transformation. With more than 35,000 students, it is the largest university in the San Antonio region. UTSA advances knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement, and public service, and with an intentional focus on career readiness, the university produces more graduates for the workforce than any other institution in the region. It is a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property – for Texas, the nation, and the world. In August 2024, the UT System Board of Regents authorized the UT System to begin integrating UTSA and the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio into one unified institution, establishing a world-class university that integrates academic, research, and clinical excellence to build a profoundly impactful university of the future. Driven by a vision for growth and impact, this merger will expand the capacity to offer robust undergraduate and graduate programs, attract top-tier faculty and staff, develop innovative initiatives, and elevate transdisciplinary research to address the evolving needs of the region.

UTSA has been recognized as a Top Employer in Texas by Forbes Magazine. Learn more online, on UTSA Today or on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or LinkedIn.

The Regents Professors will be core members of the MATRIX Consortium, which is a central hub for 87 AI scientists, facilitating transdisciplinary research, fostering high-impact collaborations, and offering thought leadership and domain expertise to address the most challenging and complex problems in AI. Areas of interest include Trustworthy AI/ML Algorithms, Neuromorphic AI Accelerators, Human-centered AI, AI Ethics, all of which advance the research thrusts in the MATRIX. MATRIX strives for scientific excellence in developing holistic solutions for human well-being. The team has a successful track record in large collaborative grants that generated multiple centers, such as the NSF AI Partner Institute, two NSF EFRI BRAIDs, AFOSR COE in neuro-inspired AI, along with centers and large collaborative projects in AI for healthcare. UTSA is also home to multiple large DOD initiatives in the national security and cybersecurity domains, such as the NSCC and CyManII. There will also be opportunities to collaborate with several of these large initiatives.

Colleges

Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design (KCEID): The Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design (KCEID) is home to more than 4,300 undergraduate and graduate students in 9 undergraduate, 16 Masters, and 6 PhD degree programs. The college is supported by over 140 tenure/tenure-track and fixed-term faculty and a dedicated cadre of staff. Each of the KCEID’s five units brings unique value for advancing its mission-these include the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering and the Schools of Architecture and Urban Planning, and Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Management. KCEID is also home to 10 research institutes and centers, a student success center, a Large-scale Testing Laboratory, and a Makerspace, supporting research through research and discovery as well as educational excellence. Students, faculty, and staff support KCEID’s mission to identify and solve grand challenges where humanity intersects the physical world. KCEID educational programs are accredited by ABET, the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) and the Council of Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA). For more information about KCEID, please visit https://klesse.utsa.edu/ .

College of Sciences: With a focus on innovation and excellence through research in the classroom, the College of Sciences (COS) is dedicated to producing the next generation of forward-thinking, highly trained professionals and leaders. COS offers 17 undergraduate degree programs and 19 graduate degree programs in the life sciences, physical sciences, computer science, and mathematics, which is supported by over 300 faculty members across 8 academic departments. COS is the UTSA’s second largest college in terms of undergraduate and graduate student enrollment and is a major contributor to UTSA’s Carnegie R1 status with annual research expenditures of $50 million and over 300 actively funded research projects in areas like brain health, infectious disease and artificial intelligence among other fields.

The college is aligned with numerous research centers and institutes, including the South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute, Brain Health Consortium, and the Center for Innovative Drug Discovery. COS also collaborates with the National Security Collaboration Center and the School of Data Science. The COS faculty have been recognized for their excellence in research and includes several NSF CAREER recipients, AAAS fellows, National Academy of Inventor members, and senior members of national and international professional societies. For more information about the College of Sciences, please visit sciences.utsa.edu.

College of Liberal and Fine Arts (COLFA): COLFA is home to ten departments or schools, with 19 bachelor’s programs, 12 MA programs, two PhD programs, and five centers for research. The mission of the College of Liberal and Fine Arts is to meet the needs of the broad population of Texas through quality research and creative work, exemplary teaching, and professional contributions to the community. For more information about COLFA, please visit https://colfa.utsa.edu/.

Departments

Electrical and Computer Engineering: The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees supporting a dynamic and rapidly growing program. The research activities and experimental facilities have been well supported by various federal research and infrastructure grants. See https://ceid.utsa.edu/electrical-computer/ for details. The Department has approximately 30 faculty members who come from some of the finest institutions in the country, and includes NSF CAREER Award winners, Fellows of the IEEE and AAAS, Distinguished University Professors, and a member of the National Academy of Inventors. Many serve in national leadership roles in technical societies such as the IEEE and have industry experience to complement their academic backgrounds.

Computer Science: The Department of Computer Science currently has 26 tenured/tenure-track and 18 fixed-term track full-time faculty members, offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degree programs, and supports about 1,911 undergraduates, 119 master’s students, and 71 Ph.D. students. It is on a significant growth trajectory. Faculty in the Department of Computer Science conduct numerous research projects with funding from various federal and state agencies, and their graduate students are well-placed at leading academic and research institutions. UTSA is one of only 10 institutions in the country to be designated as an NSA Center of Academic Excellence in all three distinctions of Cyber Operations, Cyber Defense, and Research. See sciences.utsa.edu/computer-science for more information.

Philosophy and Classics: The Department of Philosophy and Classics offers a B.A. in Philosophy, a B.A. in Classical Studies and Humanities, and an M.A. in Philosophy, as well as minors in Philosophy, Classical Studies, and Religious Studies. The department also houses film courses in support of a growing film program. Faculty in the department have won numerous university awards for teaching and research.

School of Data Science (SDS): The SDS offers data-intensive degree programs and research across every discipline. Located on the Downtown Campus, the SDS has 16 research centers and institute partners, and offers 5 graduate degree programs, 2 undergraduate degree programs, and is comprised of 30 core faculty spanning disciplines from science, technology, engineering, math, business, education, and public health.

Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering: The Department of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering is one of the fastest-growing departments at UTSA. The department is home to 32 full-time faculty members and offers B.S. degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering, M.S. degrees in Biomedical Engineering, Engineering Education, and Biomedical Technology and Commercialization, and Ph.D. degree programs in Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering. Faculty in the department oversee a broad range of research programs with funding from the NIH, DOD, NSF, and others

Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology: The Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology (NDRB) is a vibrant department of scientific discovery and academic excellence. A key to our success has been our ability to recruit dynamic faculty at both the senior and junior levels, thus ensuring that our research and educational programs will continue to grow in excellence with an infusion of new ideas and energy. Our mission is to conduct high-impact internationally recognized research and to educate and train the next generation of leaders in biological sciences. As a department of neuroscientists, and developmental and regenerative biologists, we focus on understanding organismal, tissue and cellular function from molecules to behavior in health and disease. NDRB research programs cover various areas of development, stem cells, regenerative medicine, genetics/genomics/epigenomics, fertility/infertility, cancer, neuroscience, brain health, biotechnology, and military health. NDRB has two vibrant PhD programs in Developmental and Regenerative Sciences and Neuroscience and an atmosphere of collegiality and collaboration. Our BS in Neuroscience undergraduate program provides an outstanding foundation preparing students for graduate school, medical school, dental school, and other health-related careers.

Position Summary

Highlighted position(s):

• Trustworthy AI/ML Algorithms: Associate or Full Professor (Joint Appointment with Departments of CS/ECE). Advances in machine learning alongside computer vision, natural language processing, and knowledge reasoning are germane to advancing and sustaining the applied domains of AI. Given the human-centered nature of these applications, AI/ML techniques need to be robust against adversarial threats and manipulations (of data and models) and must include security and privacy guarantees, depending on the context in which they operate. There is significant research interest and activity, ranging from robust, secure, and explainable AI/ML systems that are resilient against malicious threats and manipulations, offer end-user privacy, and generate trustworthy outcomes.
• Neuromorphic AI Accelerators/Chips: Associate or Full Professor (Joint Appointment with Departments of ECE/NDRB/BME) The future of sustainable AI depends on the ability to design and deploy models and systems that can be executed on resource constrained devices. MATRIX is interested in recruiting a researcher who tackles these problems using neuromorphic approaches. Areas of interest are neuro-inspired AI accelerators, mixed-signal accelerators, digital accelerators, analog processors, memristor circuits and architectures, and other emerging device-based neuro-inspired architectures.
• Human-Centered AI: Associate or Full Professor (Joint appointments within Departments of BME/SA+P/NDRB/Medical school) Human-centered AI is a key to developing AI that augments human wellbeing and performance. This area includes AI applications to solving biomedical problems, AI-driven robotics, real-time decision-making systems for clinical care, brain-machine pairings, effective computing, trust, control, and transparency in human-AI partnerships, and human-centered designs that are biologically inspired.
• AI Ethics: Associate or Full Professor (Joint Appointment with Departments of Philosophy and new college) AI technologies such as generative models are highly capable but also come with ethical challenges such as 1) biases in datasets, algorithms, and applications; (2) issues related to identifiability and privacy; (3) impacts on disadvantaged or marginalized groups; (4) health disparities; (5) political abuse of AI systems and technology, and (6) potential adverse social, individual, and community consequences of research, development, and widespread use. We are interested in transdisciplinary applicants who can tackle present and emerging AI ethical problems and that can effectively and actively collaborate with other members of the MATRIX AI consortium.
• Quantum Encryption for AI Confidentiality: Associate or Full Professor (CS/ECE and Joint Appointment with Math Department) Generative AI technologies such as large language models (LLMs) are increasingly operationalized across various industries but face unprecedented adversarial threats, including 1) the risk of backdooring thru model knowledge editing, 2) model inversion attack that compromise privacy 3) exploitation of models for malicious purposes such as malware creation 4) the need for robust defenses of model parameters, such as AI Quantum Encryption.

Required qualifications:

The required qualifications of the successful candidates are:

• A doctorate degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Neuroscience, Philosophy, and/or related fields, with appropriate research and teaching record for appointment at the rank for each position (for those seeking appointments with tenure, this is contingent upon Board of Regents’ approval).
• Must demonstrate their ability to work with and be sensitive to the educational needs of urban populations and support the University’s commitment to thrive as a Hispanic Serving Institution and a model for student success.
• The most competitive candidates will also have experience in large-scale research engagements.

Preferred qualifications:

• Ideal candidates are those who demonstrate a strong commitment to collaboration across multiple disciplines in research, teaching, service, and open-source initiatives.

Responsibilities include research (individual and collaborative), teaching at the graduate and undergraduate levels, and program development. Candidates for the endowed professor/associate professor should be creating research products, expected but are not limited to communicating the research project results in different academic outlets; contributing to open-source scientific software, curated datasets; and developing thought leadership pieces with academic, government, and industry partners.

All applications received by December 1st, 2024 will be given full consideration. Applications received after that date will be accepted and reviewed until the position is filled. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Tenure is contingent upon Board of Regents’ approval.

Questions and nominations for any position should be sent to the Director of MATRIX AI Consortium, Dhireesha Kudithipudi, Search Committee Chair at <[email protected]>

Application Process

Application Instructions provide applicants with a list of required documents and compliance-related statements. Italicized items are mandatory for all recruitments.

To apply applicants must upload the following in a single PDF document:

• A current curriculum vitae
• Complete contact information for at least three professional references
• A research statement (2-page limit)
• A teaching statement (1-page limit)
• A statement highlighting potential areas for transdisciplinary collaboration (2-page limit)

Cluster Hiring Interview Process

UTSA aims to bring transdisciplinary and collaborative groups of faculty researchers to the university through its CCP program. As such, the on-campus interview for these positions will be conducted as a collaborative group interview, during which all on-campus candidates for a position will meet with UTSA faculty and staff simultaneously. This collaborative process allows candidates to discuss potential research collaborations with fellow candidates and current UTSA faculty. Additionally, each candidate will be given the chance to present their job talk and engage the faculty, staff, and students from their discipline’s home department.

Additional Information

• UTSA is a tobacco free campus.
• This is a security sensitive position. Employment is contingent upon a successful background check.
• Applicants selected must be able to show proof of eligibility to work in the United States by time of hire.
• Valid driver’s license and Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) as applicable.

Working Conditions

This position will be primarily located on campus. Travel and parking expenses are the employee’s responsibility.

Equal Employment Opportunity

As an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer, it is the policy of The University of Texas at San Antonio to promote and ensure equal employment opportunity for all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or genetic information, and veteran status. The University is committed to the Affirmative Action Program in compliance with all government requirements to ensure nondiscrimination. Women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply. UTSA campuses are accessible to persons with disabilities.