Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) in Abu Dhabi is hiring tenured faculty at Associate Professor and Full Professor rank in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). The posts sit in the university’s Computing and Mathematical Sciences Division and are permanent and full time. The focus is data visualisation as a foundation for human and AI collaboration: interfaces that help different groups of people understand complex AI systems, reason about them and make decisions together. The MBZUAI Associate Professor HCI job advert on Times Higher Education (THE) gives a closing date of 30 June 2027 at 11:59pm US Eastern Time.
Salary is listed only as “competitive”. MBZUAI adds health and life insurance, research funding and relocation support for international faculty. You apply online with six items, including research and teaching statements and your Google Scholar h-index, and your referees later upload letters through Interfolio. Below I cover the role, the requirements, the documents, how to write the research vision statement, and how this job compares with other AI faculty posts open now.
MBZUAI HCI professor job: key facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Employer | Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) |
| Division | Computing and Mathematical Sciences Division |
| Location | Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, UAE |
| Rank | Associate Professor or Full Professor, tenured |
| Contract | Permanent, full time |
| Research focus | Data visualisation and visual interfaces for human and AI collaboration, reasoning and decision-making |
| Salary | “Competitive”, no figure published |
| Benefits named | Research funding, health and life insurance, relocation support for international faculty, labs and high-performance computing |
| Documents | Cover letter, CV, research vision statement, teaching statement, key publications from the last five years with Google Scholar h-index, three referees |
| Reference letters | Requested later through Interfolio |
| Closing date | 30 June 2027, 11:59pm ET (THE listing) |
| Visa sponsorship | Not mentioned in the advert |
Check the closing date
THE gives 30 June 2027. The same advert on Nature Careers shows 5 December 2026 in its summary and 30 June 2027 in its job details. Faculty searches like this often review applications as they arrive, so I would apply well before December 2026 and not wait for the final date.
About MBZUAI
MBZUAI was set up in October 2019 in Abu Dhabi as a graduate research university focused entirely on artificial intelligence. Its first graduate classes began in January 2021. Professor Eric Xing has been President since 2021, and Professor Timothy Baldwin is Provost. The university added a Bachelor of Science in AI in 2025, so it now teaches at undergraduate, master’s and PhD level.
At its fifth-anniversary celebrations in February 2026, MBZUAI reported:
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Faculty members | 116 |
| Researchers | 653, from 59 nationalities |
| Alumni | 318 |
| Academic departments | 8 |
| CSRankings position across its core specialisations | 10th in the world |
CSRankings counts faculty publications at the most selective computer science conferences, so it measures research output in specific fields rather than overall reputation.
The HCI department you would join
MBZUAI opened applications for its first PhD cohort in Human-Computer Interaction in December 2025, with the first intake in Fall 2026. A Master of Science in HCI is planned for Fall 2027. The department chair is Professor Elizabeth Churchill. Research areas named at launch include human and AI alignment, multimodal interfaces, cognitive augmentation, brain-computer interfaces, human-data interaction, and adaptive, transparent and accessible systems. You would be joining a department in its first years, which means shaping courses, labs and PhD admissions from the start.
What the HCI professor will do
- Lead the HCI research area: build a programme around data visualisation for human and AI collaboration.
2. Make AI systems understandable: design visual interfaces that let varied audiences follow how complex systems behave, reason about them and decide together.
3. Support oversight: the advert names collaborative sensemaking and oversight of complex computational systems as research themes.
4. Teach and supervise: contribute to the growing graduate programmes and mentor PhD and master’s students.
5. Work across fields: use MBZUAI’s computing resources and work with colleagues in machine learning, NLP, computer vision and other departments, as well as industry and government partners.
Requirements
The advert does not split criteria into essential and desirable. All of these are listed as expected:
- A PhD in HCI, Computer Science, Information Science, Cognitive Science, Design Engineering or a related field, held by the time you start.
- A strong HCI research record: publications in top venues and funded research, appropriate to your career stage.
- Established teaching and mentoring: required at Associate and Full level.
- An international reputation in interactive, dynamic visual interfaces and human reasoning. The advert describes the ideal person as an established academic leader.
In practice, “top venues” in HCI and visualisation usually means conferences such as ACM CHI, UIST, CSCW and IEEE VIS. The advert does not name venues, so read that as my guide, not MBZUAI’s rule. An Associate Professor applicant would normally have several years as an assistant professor or equivalent, an independent research group and grant funding. A Full Professor applicant would add a sustained international profile and senior service.
Salary and benefits
MBZUAI does not publish faculty salary scales, and the advert says only that pay is competitive and aligned with leading global institutions. The named benefits are research funding and academic freedom, health and life insurance, relocation support for international faculty, laboratory and high-performance computing access, and links with industry and government.
The UAE does not levy personal income tax on salaries, so the figure you are offered is close to what you take home. Ask in your first conversation with MBZUAI about housing, schooling allowances and start-up funds, because these often make up a large part of a Gulf faculty package and the advert does not list them.
Visa sponsorship
The advert does not mention visas. It does promise relocation support for international faculty, and UAE universities normally arrange the residence visa for staff they hire from abroad. Confirm with MBZUAI’s HR team at offer stage what the package covers for you and your family.
How to apply for the MBZUAI HCI professor job
- Open the listing: click “Apply on website” on the THE Unijobs listing (job 416238). It takes you to MBZUAI’s application page.
2. Prepare six items: cover letter; CV; statement of research vision and interests; statement of teaching interests, experience and philosophy; a list of key publications from the last five years plus your Google Scholar h-index; and names and contact details for three referees.
3. Convert to PDF: keep each document as a clean, separate PDF with your name in the file name.
4. Brief your referees: they will be contacted later and asked to upload letters through Interfolio, so warn them now and send them the advert.
5. Submit early: do not wait for June 2027, given the conflicting dates noted above.
How to write the research vision statement
This is the document that decides most senior faculty searches. Two to four pages is normal unless MBZUAI’s portal says otherwise. A structure that works:
- Problem: state the research problem you want to own in one paragraph. Here, something like making AI behaviour legible to people who must act on it.
2. Your record: two or three strands of past work, each with a headline result and where it was published.
3. Five-year plan: three concrete projects, what you would build, and how you would evaluate it with users.
4. Fit with MBZUAI: name the departments and centres you would work with, and what an AI-only university gives you that a general one does not.
5. Funding and students: how you would fund the lab and grow the new HCI PhD programme.
A sample opening, for illustration only: “My research builds visual interfaces that let clinicians, engineers and policy teams see why an AI system reached a decision and challenge it together; at MBZUAI I would extend this work to oversight of large multimodal models.”
For the teaching statement, name the courses you could teach from day one (for example an introductory HCI course, information visualisation, and research methods for user studies), describe how you supervise PhD students, and give one piece of evidence of teaching quality.
What happens after you apply
MBZUAI does not publish its timetable. A typical faculty search of this kind moves through screening by a search committee, a first video interview, an on-campus or virtual visit with a research talk and meetings with faculty and leadership, and then reference checks through Interfolio before an offer. Tenure at Associate or Full level is normally reviewed as part of the offer process. Ask about the timeline when you are invited to interview.
Common mistakes
- Pitching general HCI: the advert asks for visualisation for human and AI collaboration. A statement about general usability research misses the brief.
- No h-index: the advert asks for it. Leaving it out looks careless.
- An unfocused publication list: list key papers from the last five years only, as requested, not your whole record.
- Referees taken by surprise: letters go through Interfolio later. Unprepared referees slow the process.
- Treating it as an assistant professor job: this is a tenured senior search. Show leadership: students graduated, grants won, programmes built.
Who should apply and who shouldn’t
You should apply if you are an associate or full professor (or an industry research leader with an equivalent record) in HCI or visualisation, with a body of work on interfaces for understanding AI or complex systems, and you want to help build a new department. Researchers from Africa, Asia and elsewhere are welcome. MBZUAI already hires from many countries.
You probably shouldn’t apply if you are a recent PhD graduate or a postdoc. MBZUAI advertises separate open-rank and assistant professor posts, which fit you better. You should also skip it if your HCI work has no link to AI, data or visualisation.
How this job compares with similar AI faculty posts
| Role | University | Salary as advertised | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open rank faculty in Computer Science | MBZUAI, Abu Dhabi | Competitive | 30 June 2027 |
| Assistant or Associate Professor, Computer Vision and Robotics | MBZUAI, Abu Dhabi | Competitive | 30 June 2027 |
| Full, Associate or Assistant Professor in AI | University of Macau | From MOP 855,400 a year (taxable) | 22 December 2026 |
| Professor in Cyber Security / Privacy | UM6P, Morocco | Not stated | 20 November 2026 |
If you are earlier in your career and interested in the UAE, MBZUAI also funds graduate study. See our guides to UAE scholarships and the Khalifa University scholarship.
Living in Abu Dhabi
MBZUAI is in Masdar City, a planned district near Abu Dhabi International Airport. Abu Dhabi is a safe city with a hot climate for much of the year. Housing and international school fees are the largest costs for families, which is why you should ask about allowances for both. There is no personal income tax on salaries. Daily costs such as transport, food and utilities vary widely depending on where you live, so check current rents in Khalifa City and Yas Island, both near Masdar, before you negotiate.
FAQs about the MBZUAI HCI professor job
What is the salary for an MBZUAI associate professor?
MBZUAI does not publish a figure and lists pay as competitive with leading global universities. The UAE does not tax salaries, and the package includes insurance and relocation support.
What is the deadline for the MBZUAI HCI faculty job?
THE lists 30 June 2027 at 11:59pm US Eastern Time. Nature Careers also shows 5 December 2026, so apply before December to be safe.
Do I need a PhD in HCI specifically?
No. A PhD in HCI, Computer Science, Information Science, Cognitive Science, Design Engineering or a related field is accepted, held by the start date.
Does MBZUAI sponsor visas for faculty?
The advert does not mention visas, but it promises relocation support for international faculty. Confirm the residence visa arrangements with MBZUAI’s HR team at offer stage.
Sources and updates
I checked this post on 29 October 2026 against the Times Higher Education Unijobs listing and the same advert on Nature Careers, which shows the conflicting December date. University facts come from MBZUAI’s news releases on its fifth anniversary (February 2026), the launch of its HCI PhD (December 2025) and its 2023 CSRankings announcement. MBZUAI does not publish faculty pay scales, so no salary figure is given here. I will update this page if the closing date is confirmed or changed.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
