Associate or Full Professor of AI Security

Posting Details

Posting Details

Job Title

Associate or Full Professor of AI Security (Tenure
Track/Tenured,F0144A)

Department

AI CLUSTER HIRE INITIATIVE

Position Number

F0144A

Job Description

The School of Cybersecurity at Old Dominion University ( ODU )
invites applicants for an Associate/ Full Professor of AI Security
to begin in Fall 2027. This is a Tenure Track/Tenured appointment
as part of a cluster hire in Trustworthy AI. We seek exceptional
candidates whose research will complement ODU’s areas of strategic
emphasis, including fundamental issues related to security, safety,
and privacy of AI systems. Successful candidate is expected to
develop a vigorous, high impact, externally funded
multidisciplinary research program; work closely with other members
of the cluster and existing faculty; mentor graduate students;
effectively support our teaching mission at the undergraduate and
graduate levels. The candidate will be part of the newly
established AI Security Institute ( AISI ), an
interdisciplinary university-wide initiative dedicated to advancing
the science, technology, and education of AI security and safety.
This cluster hire is part of ODU’s Centennial Cluster Initiative
which supports the expansion of transdisciplinary research efforts
by prioritizing the hiring of multiple faculty positions targeting
specific research areas. The Trustworthy AI cluster hire involves
interdisciplinary collaboration among School of Cybersecurity,
Department of Computer Science, Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering, and Department of Sociology & Criminal
Justice, and builds on existing interdisciplinary strengths at ODU
.

About ODU : Old Dominion University, located in Norfolk, is
Virginia’s forward-focused public doctoral research university with
more than 24,000 students, a top R1 research ranking, rigorous
academics, an energetic residential community and initiatives that
contribute $2.6 billion annually to Virginia’s economy.

Old Dominion University was founded in 1930. In preparation for our
centennial anniversary, the institution initiated the Centennial
Cluster Initiative, a hiring program designed to hire
interdisciplinary clusters of faculty around emerging themes. As
the first step of that initiative, we seek to hire 25 scholars who
can contribute to the university’s growing research and teaching
portfolio in the area of artificial intelligence. Those scholars
will be housed in departments across campus and work together on
scholarly activities related to artificial intelligence.

Position Type

FullTime

Type of Recruitment

General Public

Type of Recruitment

General Public

Minimum required education and/or special licenses,
registrations, trainings, or certifications

A Ph.D. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or any field
closely related to Cybersecurity is required.

Minimum required level and type of experience, knowledge,
skills, and abilities

• Ability to teach at the undergraduate and graduate levels
• Ability to work in multidisciplinary settings
• A strong research record in AI security demonstrated by

peer-reviewed publications, a sustained stream of externally funded
multidisciplinary research program

• Ability to transfer existing funded projects, when feasible,

upon appointment and be prepared to pursue new externally funded
research opportunities immediately

Preferred Qualifications

• Substantial expertise, experience with recognized scholarship

and research in AI security

• Ability to provide a clear vision and plan for establishing and

sustaining a successful externally funded research program through
interdisciplinary collaboration with other members of the cluster,
faculty in the School of Cybersecurity, Interdisciplinary Schools,
and across ODU

• Ability to mentor junior faculty

Conditions of Employment

Location

Norfolk, VA

Job Open Date

11/01/2026

Application Review Date

12/15/2026

Open Until Filled

Yes

Application Instructions

Interested candidates must complete the online application at
https://jobs.odu.edu/postings/27439
and include the following:

• A cover letter describing your relevant qualifications and

indicating the rank you would like to be considered for.

• A curriculum vitae.
• A statement of research interests.
• A statement of teaching philosophy.
• Unofficial graduate transcripts.
• Contact information for 3-5 professional references.

Applications should be submitted by December 15, 2026 for
full consideration. The position will remain open until it is
filled. Questions about the position should be directed to Daniel
Takabi, takabi@odu.edu, Chair of the Trustworthy AI Cluster
Hire Initiative.

Telework Friendly

No

Reasonable Accommodation Request

If you are an individual with a disability and require reasonable
accommodation, please contact the Division of Talent Management and
Culture at (757)683-3141.

Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner
discriminate against employees or applicants because they have
inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of
another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access
to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as
a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of
other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise
have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is
(a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance
of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an
investigation conducted by the employer, or consistent with
contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

About the College

About the Department

The School of Cybersecurity at ODU was established in 2020 and
houses one of the largest cybersecurity programs in the nation with
a total of about 1700 students. It represents an interdisciplinary
effort bringing together over 40 faculty members with a wide range
of expertise in computer science, electrical and computer
engineering, information technology, criminal justice, cyber laws,
psychology, and philosophy. The school offers a BS in Cybersecurity
with majors in cybersecurity, cyber operations, cyber risk
management, AI for cybersecurity, MS in Cybersecurity with 4
concentrations including AI Security, AI for Cybersecurity, risk
management and Cyber Crime, and newly launched PhD in
Cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity research is flourishing in the school. Diversity of
research projects have been developed by and housed in the school
with a total of over $15 million in active research funding from
highly competitive programs at the National Science Foundation (
NSF ), Office of Naval Research ( ONR ), National Security Agency (
NSA ), National Institute of Standards and Technology ( NIST ), the
Commonwealth of Virginia, and industry.

ODU has been designated by NSA as a National Center of Academic
Excellence in Cyber Research ( CAE -R), a National Center of
Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations ( CAE -CO), and a National
Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense ( CAE -CD). ODU is
among a handful of elite universities that have received all three
CAE designations. ODU is also home to the Coastal Virginia Center
for Cybersecurity Innovation ( COVA CCI ), an engine for research,
innovation, and commercialization of next-generation cybersecurity
technologies, which is part of the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative
and funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is also home to the
AI Security Institute and the newly established ODU National
Security Institute ( ODU - NSI ) which serves as the central
connector of university-wide expertise for advancing national
security innovation through research, partnerships and workforce
development.

For more information, visit: https://www.odu.edu/cyber
.