World-renowned linguist and social critic Noam Chomsky, who has been a regular guest speaker and teacher at the University of Arizona over the past five years, is joining the campus as a faculty member.

Chomsky has been hired by the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences as a laureate professor in the Department of Linguistics. He will also hold the title of Agnese Nelms Haury Chair in the Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice. As part of his part-time faculty appointment, Chomsky will teach, give public lectures and be available to meet with students. Chomsky starts this month and will begin teaching in spring 2018.

Considered the founder of modern linguistics, Chomsky is one of the most cited scholars in modern history and has written more than 100 books, including the groundbreaking "Syntactic Structures," "Language and Mind," "Aspects of the Theory of Syntax" and "The Minimalist Program," each of which has made distinct contributions to the development of the field. He has received numerous awards, including the Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences, the Helmholtz Medal and the Ben Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science.

One of the most influential public intellectuals in the world, Chomsky has been the subject of seven biographies, has been interviewed countless times in popular media, and has appeared in over 20 films and documentaries.