Director of the Humanitas Lab at Biola University

Job description

The Director of the Humanitas Lab serves as a thought leader, scholar, convener, and builder of transformative research and learning experiences at the intersection of artificial intelligence, human formation, and Christian faith . As a key leader within Biola University’s Center for Human Formation and AI , the Director will guide multidisciplinary research and experimentation focused on understanding how AI is shaping the cognitive, relational, creative, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of human development. The Humanitas Lab is grounded in the conviction that every person is created in the image of God and that emerging technologies should be stewarded in ways that strengthen rather than diminish human dignity and formation. The Director will help position Biola as a leading Christian voice on the human implications of AI by bringing together faculty, students, theologians, behavioral scientists, educators, technologists, and external partners to study how AI is changing us and to translate those insights into practical frameworks, curriculum guidance, design principles, and tools. Alignment with Theological Positions: The person who fills this position must be someone who personally agrees with Biola’s Articles of Faith and Statement of Biblical Principles and who is supportive of the positions taken by Biola as contained in its Eschatology Teaching Position. As such, this person may not speak against or act in a manner inconsistent with these positions during the course of their employment at Biola. Department Crowell School of Business Supervisor Dean, Crowell School of Business Roles and Responsibilities Lead the development of the Humanitas Lab as a multidisciplinary center for faculty-driven research, student-centered dialogue, experimentation, and thought leadership focused on the stewardship of AI in service of human formation. Establish and advance a coherent research agenda around the Lab’s core research streams, including learning and intellectual formation; social interaction and relational formation; creativity and human originality; emotional wellbeing and resilience; and spiritual formation and Christlikeness. Recruit, convene, and support faculty researchers from across the university, including theology, psychology, education, business, communication, philosophy, computer science, and the humanities, to pursue interdisciplinary questions related to AI and human formation. Develop a robust portfolio of research studies and experiments that examine how AI affects cognition, relationships, creativity, wellbeing, identity, learning, leadership, and spiritual formation. Use the Humanitas Lab as a living laboratory , engaging students and faculty in carefully designed experiments that move beyond theoretical discussion to observe how AI influences real people in educational, organizational, ministry, and community settings. Mentor faculty and students in research and scholarly activity , helping move promising ideas from research questions through study design, experimentation, analysis, publication, presentation, and practical application. Create structured opportunities for student participation in research, dialogue, experimentation, and interdisciplinary collaboration, cultivating intellectual curiosity, discernment, critical thinking, and Humanitas. Translate research into actionable guidance , including design principles, curriculum recommendations, formative questions, guardrails, frameworks, and practices that influence how AI is developed and used across Biola and beyond. Partner closely with the AI Lab to connect research on human formation with technical experimentation and development, enabling faculty and students from both labs to co-design and test solutions to meaningful real-world challenges. Develop and oversee experiments with AI tools, agents, and learning models in classrooms, ministries, organizations, and student experiences, considering both performance outcomes and their effects on hum