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 (c) 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.
