Data Journalism Lecturer UF College of Journalism and Communications - University of Florida

Data Journalism Lecturer UF College of Journalism and Communications

Data Journalism Lecturer UF College of Journalism and Communications

The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (CJC) in Gainesville seeks an accomplished data journalist to join our full-time faculty as a lecturer in the Department of Journalism beginning in August 2025.

This position is envisioned as a non-tenured, 9-month or 12-month lecturer appointment renewable annually with salary commensurate with experience and the opportunity for promotion to senior or master lecturer. The successful candidate should offer distinguished service to the department, college, university and profession.

We seek a colleague who loves numbers, knows how to communicate them fairly and powerfully and is gifted at teaching others how to use data to unlock stories that would otherwise be out of reach. We consider data as not only a specialty but a baseline skill that can enhance the abilities of every journalist.

The successful candidate:

• Is an innovative professional with national acclaim or reach in data journalism.
• Has the experience/potential to teach the next generation of journalists to tell unforgettable data stories and help them succeed in the fast-changing media landscape.
• Has a distinguished specialization in data journalism and a strong grasp of the variety of data-analysis tools, including proficiency in using R or Python.
• Is a demonstrated leader in conceiving, overseeing and editing data-driven investigations and accountability projects.
• Has training in statistics, experience applying statistical concepts in a newsroom, and ability to teach those concepts to students and explain them to readers.
• Has the industry knowledge to guide students to publish on CJC’s news platforms and beyond, help them build distinctive portfolios and compete for data journalism and other relevant positions.

The successful candidate will serve as an instructor of undergraduate data journalism each semester, and also teach graduate students and serve on our professional master’s and other graduate committees. They will collaborate with news managers in CJC’s Innovation News Center (INC), our two-story, 14,000-square-foot hub for reporting and learning. The INC’s daily news, sports and weather operations allow students to produce for seven media properties including the local NPR, PBS and ESPN affiliates.

We know that great candidates may not have everything we’ve described here, and could bring data skills to CJC that we haven’t thought of. If this is you, don’t hesitate to apply, and tell us what unique contributions you could bring to CJC and our students.

More about UF’s College of Journalism and Communications

Accredited by ACEJMC, the college has earned its reputation for excellence over the last half century on the strength of its programs, faculty, students and alumni; the stories they tell; and the difference they make around the world. The college provides immersive learning through the INC; Fresh Take Florida; project-based and study abroad journalistic courses; the Agency, the Division of Multimedia Properties; the Summer Media Institute for high school students; extensive research offerings; and many more extracurricular groups and programs. Our 84 full-time faculty members and 139 part-time colleagues serve in four academic departments: Advertising, Journalism, Public Relations and Media Production Management and Technology. We enroll about 2,400 undergraduates both in-person and on-line. Nearly 120 graduate students are earning master’s and doctoral degrees. Another 750 are pursuing online master’s and graduate certificates.

More about the University of Florida

The University of Florida is the flagship university for the state of Florida. Located in Gainesville in the north of the peninsula about an hour and a half to either the Gulf or Atlantic coast, UF has 16 colleges, a major academic health center and a land-grant mission that gives it one of the nation’s most comprehensive agriculture and natural resource programs. The 2,000-acre campus spans from UF’s historic red-brick core to a major hospital and health complex, championship sports facilities and tech start-up district linking to the city’s lively downtown.

Driven by a preeminence strategy that has added 600 new faculty positions in recent years, UF is ranked 7^th among the nation’s top public research universities in the 2025 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings.

The university has a $10 billion annual budget and is included in the Carnegie Commission’s list of leading research universities. We have 32,000 employees and our 60,000-plus students come from all 50 states and more than 100 countries.

Our 6,600 faculty members have distinguished records in teaching, research, and service, including 22 Eminent Scholar Chairs, 38 elected members of the National Academies, 20 elected members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and 91 elected members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2024, UF research expenditures topped $1.26 billion.

CJC is among the top colleges for journalism and communications in the world. Our faculty are collaborative and ambitious for ourselves and our students. We publish in top professional and research outlets. Our students are regularly recognized in national and regional journalism awards including Hearst, Murrow, Emmys, Tellys, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Online News Association, the Broadcast Education Association, the Society of Environmental Journalists and many others.

Our engaged alumni, who lead newsrooms and report across the globe, have won 32 Pulitzer Prizes.

Our immersive teaching model trains undergraduate and graduate students on professional platforms to produce high-caliber news content for mass audiences. Journalism faculty collaborate with our colleagues in CJC’s Media Production Management and Technology, Public Relations, and Advertising departments on contemporary curriculum to prepare students for a wide range of careers. We also partner across disciplines with faculty in UF’s 15 other colleges on projects ranging from college sports ethics to helping the world visualize climate change.

Commensurate with experience

A bachelor’s degree is required. Applicants must have at least five years of distinctive professional experience.

A master’s degree in journalism or communications or a related field is preferred. Preference will be given to applicants who provide evidence of teaching excellence.

Review of applications will begin March 14th, 2025 and continue until the position is filled. Applicants should submit a resume, letter of interest outlining teaching approach and relevant professional experience, and examples of published work. Please list emails and phone numbers for at least three professional references. Submit applications to https://jobs.ufl.edu/. Contact search committee chair Cynthia Barnett at clbarnett@jou.ufl.edu for more information.

UF is an equal employment employer and committed to non-discrimination with respect to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), political affiliation, military service, or other non-merit-based factors. These protections extend to all management practices and decisions, including recruitment and hiring, appraisal systems, promotions, training, and career development programs.