Careers

Syracuse University invites applications for the Director of the Autonomous Systems Policy Institute (ASPI). Housed within the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and involving faculty from across Syracuse University, ASPI is dedicated to interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching related to the design, governance, and wider societal implications of autonomous systems and artificial intelligence. It aims to critically engage and shape the policy and ethical frameworks that will guide the design and use of these emerging technologies. Across its initiatives, ASPI endeavors to be the leader in uniting interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching related to emerging autonomous technologies, in integrating and thinking across different sociotechnical systems, and in bringing academic insight, community needs, and industry developments into conversation and joint action.

Launched in 2019, ASPI includes 20 core faculty spread across Syracuse University and more than 130 faculty who are involved in some capacity. The Institute supports multiple interdisciplinary research teams as well as a speaker and research series, and has prioritized developing and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders in industry, advocacy, and government domains. Most recently, ASPI has launched initiatives including a graduate-student lab, regular industry roundtables, and an annual public symposium. Future plans include the creation of both undergraduate and graduate academic programs related to autonomous systems and artificial intelligence, innovative executive education programming, and additional faculty hires as part of a cluster hire initiative inArtificial Intelligence, Autonomous Systems, and the Human-Technology Frontier.

The director position in ASPI presents an exceptional opportunity for a visionary and collaborative academic leader with interests at the intersection of emerging autonomous technologies and policy. ASPI is unique among research institutes in its dual focus on the development of autonomous systems across multiple domains (e.g., mobility, healthcare, future of work, AI systems), as well as the need for deep and broad interdisciplinary engagement to understand the social and policy implications of these developments. Harnessing Syracuse University's strengths in public communications, management, design, computer science, and policy, ASPI offers its next director an ideal platform for establishing Syracuse University as the place for interdisciplinary, socially relevant research and teaching on autonomous systems and artificial intelligence.