The Department of Communication at the University of Haifa invites applications from outstanding candidates for an open-rank position in the field of communication studies.*  The Department of Communication  offers single and double major B.A. programs in communication studies, a research M.A. and Ph.D. programs, as well as an M.A. program in Strategic Communication and Public Relations. Faculty in the department  study the meanings and effects of communication in an age of evolving technologies and cultures, using a variety of methodological approaches.

We seek applicants in all subfields of communication research. Only candidates that are expected to have completed their Ph.D. by October 2019 will be considered. While a Ph.D. in communication is preferred, candidates with training in related fields who have published in leading journals in the field of communication will also be considered.  The successful applicant is expected to have at least three publications in top-tier communication research outlets. The language of instruction at the University of Haifa is Hebrew, but a period of adjustment is an option.     

Applications should be submitted by email no later than October 2, 2018 to: Dr. Roei Davidson (roei@com.haifa.ac.il) with the heading "Faculty Search" and should include the following documents:

1) A complete curriculum vitae, including an academic biography that describes the candidate's current research interests and future research plan;

2) A brief description of three potential courses;

3) A list of three references. (Please do not send letters until requested by the committee.);

4) Copies of selected recent publications.

Applicants will be informed by November 7, 2018 as to the status of their submission.  The appointment will begin on October 1, 2019.

* Pending funding.

Prof. Gabriel Weimann discussed the presence of terrorists online and the means to combat them. He noted the futility of removing online content, and suggested alternative means of fighting terrorism online: "Attack the reasons, not just the messages" (The Chicago Tribune), he emphasized. Prof Weimann has published 120 reports and nine books, and has received grants and awards from foundations both Israeli and international.

Dr. Nirit Weiss-Blatt, a graduate of the department's doctoral program, will be (beginning August 2017) a Visiting International Research Fellow at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California (USC). During her post-doc she will be involved in the M{2e} - Media, Economics and Entrepreneurship program.

Prof. Eli Avraham received the Top Paper prize at a conference on "International Place Branding" that was co-organized by the International Place Branding Association and Middlesex University. The conference took place this December in London. Prof. Avraham's paper was titled: "Nation Branding and Marketing Strategies for Combatting Stereotypes and Negative Perceptions towards Countries". 

Photo: Prof. Avraham lecturing at the conference

Prof. Jonathan Cohen has been elected Vice Chair of the Mass Communication Division of the International Communication Association (ICA). As Vice Chair, Prof. Cohen will plan the division's program during the next two annual meetings and then serve as Chairman of the division, which is one of the largest at ICA.

Doctoral student Tamar Lazar has published her first column as the student and early career representative on the International Communication Association's (ICA) board of directors. In the column, Lazar who has extensive practical experience in the field of organizational communication considers and questions her status as a "nontraditional student":

"So, if being a nontraditional student is also about raising difficult questions and complicated dilemmas from a wider point of view---shouldn't we all adopt this state of mind? Regardless of our personal stages in life and the career paths we chose, why not step out of the traditional student "box" every once in a while?" (full column)

Lazar is writing her PhD dissertation on the discourse surrounding unionization efforts, especially on social media. Her PhD advisors are Dr. Rivka Ribak and Dr. Roei Davidson.

Dr. Avi Marciano-Gilburd's PhD dissertation titled "Analyzing Press, Social Media, and State Discourses around the Israeli Biometric Project: Securitization, Resistance, and the Politics of Standardization" has been approved. Dr. Marciano-Gilburd's PhD advisor is Dr. Rivka Ribak. He will be joining the Department of Communication at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev as a tenure-track faculty member. 

Doctoral student Tamar Lazar was elected as Student Board Member within the International Communication Association (ICA), effective at the close of the Annual Conference in Japan. The Annual Conference is scheduled for 9-13 June 2016 in Fukuoka, Japan.

The english language news site, Al-Monitor, interviewed Dr. Rivka Ribak regarding the ousize role the mobile communication application, WhatsApp, plays in the extended Israeli family. She was interviewed for an article on Israel's "cellphone addiction":

Notably, Israelis stand out in their use of the mobile messaging app WhatsApp. A 2013 survey showed that 92% of smartphone owners in Israel uploaded this application. Rivka Ribak, from Haifa University's department of communication, who studies the role of technological devices in our lives, said, “In the United States, this application is hardly in use. In Israel, WhatsApp is widely used, and, in particular, WhatsApp family groups are unique to Israel, setting it apart from the rest of the world.”