Description

Title: Assistant Professor (Spatial Statistics and GeoAI)
Position Number: 0084868
Hiring Unit: UHM College of Social Sciences – Department of Geography and Environment
Location: Manoa Campus
Date Posted: 09/23/2026
Closing Date: Continuous; review of applications will begin 11/16/2026 and will continue until the position is filled. Applications received by 11/15/2026 will be given priority.
Salary Information: Commensurate with qualifications and experience
Monthly Type: 9 Month
Tenure Track: Tenure Track
Full Time/Part Time: Full Time
Temporary/Permanent: Permanent

The Department of Geography and Environment, College of Social Sciences, University of Hawai'i at Manoa (UHM, Honolulu, Hawai'i) invites applications for an Assistant Professor (F-3) in Spatial Statistics and Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI). This is a 9-month, full-time, permanent, tenure-track faculty appointment to begin August 1, 2027, subject to position clearance and availability of funds.

We seek a scholar whose research advances spatial statistics, statistical learning, machine learning, or artificial intelligence (AI) for understanding geographic processes and social and environmental challenges. Candidates should demonstrate a strong foundation in spatial analysis and the ability to connect methodological development with substantive applications. Relevant application areas include, but are not limited to, environmental change, human-environment interactions, climate variability, natural hazards, land-use and land-cover change, population dynamics, spatial inequality, health geography, and agricultural and ecological systems. This position will strengthen the Department’s expertise in spatial statistics, complementing its existing strengths in geographic information science (GIS) and remote sensing. Together, these three areas support an integrated approach to geospatial research and education. More information about the Department of Geography and Environment is available at https://geography.manoa.hawaii.edu/.

This position will participate and contribute to the College of Social Sciences’ new SODA (Social Science Data Analytics) initiative through the development and teaching of two shared undergraduate courses open to students across the College (covering topics in data science, statistical learning, machine learning, and artificial intelligence for the social sciences), alongside advanced graduate instruction in spatial statistics.

UHM is an R1 (Very High Research Activity, Carnegie Classification) institution located on a beautiful arboretum campus. UHM is a land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant, and sun-grant university with the core mission of generating, preserving, and disseminating knowledge for the greater good of the people of the state of Hawai'i and the world beyond.

Requirements

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Teach undergraduate and graduate courses such as Spatial Statistics, Spatial Statistical Modeling, and the College of Social Sciences shared quantitative-methods sequence (covering topics in data science, statistical learning, machine learning, and artificial intelligence for the social sciences), developed as part of the College's new SODA initiative;
2. Supervise and mentor MA and PhD students and support undergraduate research;
3. Develop an active research program and publish scholarly, peer-reviewed research in areas of expertise;
4. Seek extramural funding to support research and student training;
5. Provide service to the Department, College, University, profession, and community;
6. Other duties as assigned by the Department Chair.

Minimum Qualifications

1. Ph.D. in Geography, Geographic Information Science, Statistics, or a closely related field from a college or university of recognized standing, or foreign equivalent. ABD applicants will be considered, but all degree requirements must be completed and the Ph.D. conferred before the date of hire;
2. Demonstrated expertise in spatial statistics or spatial statistical modeling and in data science, machine learning, or artificial intelligence applied to geospatial data;
3. Ability to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in areas of expertise and to teach statistical, machine learning, and AI methods to social science students;
4. Proficiency in scientific programming using languages such as Python and/or R;
5. Ability to mentor and advise students in the applicant’s area of research;
6. A record of research achievement commensurate with time in the field;
7. Demonstrated ability to maintain professionalism in meeting and conferring with others.

Desirable Qualifications

1. Research that connects spatial statistics and GeoAI with substantive social or environmental questions and complements the Department’s strengths in GIS and remote sensing.
2. Experience teaching quantitative or computational methods using applied exercises and reproducible workflows.
3. Demonstrated ability to achieve interdisciplinary collaboration and secure extramural funding.

To Apply:
Click this link and click on the "Apply" button on the top right corner of the screen of the page to complete an application and attach the following required documents:

1. Cover letter addressing the minimum and desirable qualifications;
2. Curriculum vitae;
3. Statement of research experience and interests;
4. Statement of teaching experience and interests, including preparation to contribute to the shared SODA courses and graduate spatial statistics instruction;
5. Summaries of teaching evaluations, if available;
6. Representative publication(s) or working paper(s);
7. Three (3) letters of recommendation;
8. Official transcripts (copies are acceptable for application; official transcripts will be required upon hire). Incomplete applications will not be considered. Application materials will not be returned.

Keywords: Spatial Statistics; GeoAI; Geographic Information Science; Data Science, Machine Learning; Artificial Intelligence; Social Science Data Analytics.