Department Head of Privacy and Cybersecurity Informatics

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POSITION SPECIFICS

Department Head of Privacy and Cybersecurity Informatics

The College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) at The Pennsylvania State University invites applications for Department Head of Privacy and Cybersecurity Informatics (P&CI) located in State College, Pennsylvania. The headship position is a tenured appointment as an Academic Administrator at the full rank of Professor beginning in July of 2026 at the University Park campus.

The Department of Privacy and Cybersecurity Informatics (P&CI) is home to two undergraduate Bachelor of Science degrees: Cybersecurity Analytics and Operations (CYBER) and Security and Risk Analysis (SRA). The department is one of three departments in the College, with extensive interaction with faculty in the Department of Human-Centered Computing and Social Informatics (HCC&SI) and Department of Informatics and Intelligent Systems (I&IS). The College's graduate programs in Informatics span all three departments, fostering a strong culture of interdisciplinarity in teaching and research.

The primary focus of department heads in IST is managing people. Expectations for the P&CI department head include these example roles:

• Establish and implement the vision for the department's future directions in hiring, growth, and research advances.

• Create a collaborative and respectful community where trust and support grow through strong leadership.

• Lead faculty hiring. The department has an integrated group of tenure-line and non-tenure-line faculty who teach a mixture of courses in resident, hybrid, and remote modes across varied IST degree programs.

• Plan faculty teaching assignments, with support from degree Program Coordinators (PCs) and Academic Operations staff.

• Encourage curriculum development processes by collaborating with PCs, graduate program directors, and faculty to propose/revise courses and majors with attention to university Faculty Senate guidelines.

• Provide support in covering classes during faculty absences or unexpected situations and assist with resolving teaching-related matters.

• Conduct faculty evaluations and write letters for all stages of promotion and tenure, annual reviews, sabbaticals, five-year reviews, and award nominations.

The department head provides strategic leadership for the department and works closely with the dean, associate deans, and centralized college offices to carry out the department's functions. Administrative support is currently provided by the dean's office staff, with opportunities to engage in operational areas such as budgeting and resource management as the department evolves. The newly established department is currently led by an interim head. The head of Privacy and Cybersecurity Informatics (P&CI) is one of three department head positions we intend to fill with permanent appointments.

Established in 1999, the College of Information Sciences and Technology focuses on the significant opportunities and complex challenges at the intersection of information, technology, and society. In 2025, a new three-department structure was created to better accommodate the college's rapid enrollment growth and enhance its strategic research priorities. The leaders of these departments are organizing faculty to maintain an interdisciplinary approach, and the departments have intermixed office spaces to encourage ongoing collaboration. With more than 2,000 undergraduate students and nearly 300 graduate students, the college offers a diverse range of academic programs, including eight residential bachelor's degrees. The college's staff are effectively organized to manage these programs, advise students, and oversee the college's $11.5 million annual research expenditures.

We are seeking candidates with scholarship emphases in areas such as systems and/or software security; trustworthy AI/ML and/or LLM security; data privacy, access control, and/or online safety; cyber-physical/robotics and/or vehicle security; network/cloud and/or systems survivability; threat intelligence, analysis, and/or management;human factors, usable security and/or AI governance; misinformation/AI-content detection; critical-infrastructure and/or policy/governance;and/or cybersecurity education and/or workforce development.

Candidates are expected to have a depth of experience in leadership of cutting-edge interdisciplinary research; pursuit of external funding to support research activities; teaching undergraduate and graduate courses; supervision of graduate students; mentoring other faculty; engagement in service activities at college and university levels; and collaboration across university, industry, and/or governmental partners.

Candidates will possess a PhD in informatics, information science, information systems, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, social sciences, public policy, or a related discipline. Candidates will have attained the full rank of Professor before their appointment start datein IST at Penn State.

Applicants will attach documentation during their application process and should include a cover letter with information about their interest and qualifications for the position. They will describe their i) administrative experiences, ii) research accomplishments, and iii) approach to teaching. They will also provide their iv) curriculum vitae and v) contact information for at least three professional references. Candidates may combine their cover letter and descriptions into one overall document prior to uploading, or they may upload separate files.

Inquiries about the position may be directed to facultyrecruiting@ist.psu.edu.

Applications received before November 3, 2025, will receive full consideration. The review of applications will continue until the position is filled.

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CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.

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