Assistant Professor of Teaching and/ or Assistant Teaching Professor

JOB TITLE

Assistant Professor of Teaching and/or Assistant Teaching Professor

LOCATION

Worcester

DEPARTMENT NAME

Computer Science Department

DIVISION NAME

Worcester Polytechnic Institute - WPI

JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY

The Computer Science Department and the Artificial Intelligence Program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) seek applicants for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Teaching and for a secure-contract Assistant Teaching Professor faculty position in Artificial Intelligence.

Looking for faculty colleagues who engage deeply in both high-impact research and high-quality teaching within a curriculum that embraces student projects and independent learning? With both tenure-track teaching and secure-contract teaching positions, WPI champions faculty and supports them in building careers dedicated to high-quality teaching. We invite you to join our WPI community and help us enrich our diverse and inclusive environment.

JOB DESCRIPTION

About the Position. The Computer Science Department and the Artificial Intelligence Program invite applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Teaching and a secure-contract Assistant Teaching Professor. These are both full-time career teaching-mission faculty positions with targeted starts in either January 2025 or Fall of 2025. We are looking for candidates whose areas of expertise intersect with Artificial Intelligence. Specific themes within Artificial Intelligence include, but are not limited to, Responsible AI, Machine Learning Operations (MLOps), Human-Centric AI, Generative AI, Large-Language Models, Human-Centric AI, Data Systems for AI, Personalized Assistants, AI Education, Human-AI Interaction, and Multi-Agent systems. We also welcome experts in AI applications including, but not limited to, AI for Social Good, AI for Health, AI for Virtual Worlds, AI for Education, and AI for Science and Engineering Advances. In addition to these specific areas, outstanding candidates in any AI area will receive full consideration. Candidates should have a PhD in Computer Science or a closely related field, and the potential for excellence in teaching. The successful candidates will work with colleagues at WPI to build up AI programs and initiatives.

These appointments are both expected to lead to long-term security of employment. One tenure-track teaching-mission position is available and one secure-contract teaching-mission position is available, both at the Assistant Professor level. The promotion path for the tenure-track Assistant Professor of Teaching position includes the Associate Professor of Teaching rank followed by the Professor of Teaching rank. The promotion path for the secure-contract Assistant Teaching Professor position includes Associate Teaching Professor rank followed by the Teaching Professor rank. After a successful year of service, faculty on the secure-contracts path are offered two renewable three-year contracts in sequence. After seven years of service, secure-contract faculty have renewable five-year contracts to provide long-term security of employment. Successful candidates will join our faculty community composed of teaching professors and tenure-track dual-mission (teaching and research) faculty who jointly support our curriculum and projects.

Successful candidates will teach and advise projects at the undergraduate and graduate levels. With a course load of five classes annually and four undergraduate terms in the academic year, teaching-mission faculty often teach a single class at a time along with project advising.

About the Department. The Computer Science Department has 40 full-time faculty with research and teaching expertise in core Computer Science and CS-related interdisciplinary fields. Computer Science faculty collaborating in interdisciplinary programs (Artificial Intelligence, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Cyber Security, Data Science, Interactive Media and Game Development, Learning Sciences, and Neuroscience), each including faculty from diverse disciplines beyond Computer Science. Most of these programs are housed in a new state-of-the-art academic building near the building housing Computer Science. You would be joining a community of strong researchers and caring educators with expertise in AI and fields closely related to AI, including machine/deep learning, NLP, graph mining, data science, computer vision, reinforcement learning, generative AI, AI in health, educational data mining, scalable data systems, and more, focused on tackling real-world challenges with societal impact. Faculty research is supported by the NSF, NIH, DoE, and other federal and private funding sources with recent annual new research funding averaging around $10 million. Computer Science itself has over 1,250 undergraduate students, over 65 Ph.D. students, and around 190 students seeking master’s-level degrees. Our interdisciplinary programs include faculty from other disciplines beyond Computer Science, and they are home to students in the respective interdisciplinary majors at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

About the University. WPI is a selective private university with an innovative curriculum centered on science, engineering, arts, business, and global studies. Ranked highly by US News & World Report among national comprehensive universities, WPI has roughly 5,500 undergraduates and 2,600 graduate students. WPI is an internationally recognized leader in project-based learning and global education. Most undergraduate students at WPI participate in a global project experience completing academic projects at WPI’s 50+ project centers across six continents. We are most proud of our No. 1 ranking for "faculty who best combine research and teaching" from the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Ed. Located one hour west of Boston, the university's campus is in Worcester, Massachusetts, a thriving 21st century college city recognized as a growing hub of scientific and technological innovation, and known for a thriving economy, rich culture, and quality of life. The University of Massachusetts Medical School, numerous technology companies and many colleges and universities are in the immediate area, making it ideal for two-career families. We support our faculty to help them succeed and provide faculty mentoring support for our early and mid-career colleagues.

Applicants will need to include a detailed teaching statement; a Curriculum Vitae; and contact information for at least three references. All materials should be saved into a single PDF file and uploaded into the Resume / Cover Letter field.

The positions will start in January or August 2025. The deadline for applications is November 15, 2024, with applications continuing to be considered after that date until the positions are filled.

FLSA STATUS

United States of America (Exempt)

WPI is an Equal Opportunity Employer that actively seeks to increase the diversity of its workplace. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability. It seeks individuals with​ diverse backgrounds and experiences who will contribute to a culture of creativity, collaboration, inclusion, problem solving, innovation, high performance, and change making. It is committed to maintaining a campus environment free of harassment and discrimination.