FT/PT Lecturer/Sr. Lecturer - Computer Science

Job no: 503535
Work type: Faculty Full Time
Location: UMass Amherst
Department: Computer Science
Union: MSP
Categories: Computer & Information Technology, Faculty

About UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.

The College of Information and Computer Sciences was created in 2015 and is rapidly building on the foundation of our long-standing, world-class computer science department. Our college is highly supportive of new faculty, including a rich program of formal and informal mentoring. Our 70+ faculty are remarkably collaborative. Many of our faculty are involved in interdisciplinary research with other departments including statistics/mathematics, linguistics, electrical and industrial engineering, biology, physics, behavioral sciences, economics, political science, and nursing, as well as new green initiatives. We also have a long history of working with industry. Our centers in data science, cybersecurity, smart & connected society, and computational social science continue to expand the range of industry partners and funding. For more information, visit https://cics.umass.edu.

Job Description

The College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is looking for exceptional full-time and part-time teaching faculty. We encourage applications from candidates who can develop and teach courses in security, software engineering, theory of computation, artificial intelligence, data science, and related areas of computer science.

Full-time teaching faculty teach a maximum of six courses per year with minimal service, though typically reduce that to 4-5 courses with a correspondingly higher service load. Initial appointments will be for at least one year. Although Lecturer appointments are non-tenure track, teaching faculty are members of the MSP union and are placed on “continuous” appointments after the fourth year of full time equivalent service. Teaching faculty at the rank of Senior Lecturer and above are eligible to apply for a one-semester professional development leave (a "sabbatical"). This is an academic-year appointment with teaching responsibilities for 9 months of the year. Opportunities for teaching additional summer courses may be available for additional compensation. Although not tenure track, it is expected that the person holding this position will remain with the college long term. Teaching Faculty working at least 50% time will be eligible for benefits.

Entry level teaching faculty have the rank of Lecturer, are eligible to achieve continuing employment status after four years, and may be promoted to Senior Lecturer or Senior Lecturer II after sufficient time in service, meritorious performance, and promise of continuing professional development and achievement. Senior Lecturers and above are encouraged to apply for Professional Improvement Leave which provides a semester long teaching and service release in order to pursue a professional development project related to their teaching and/or that advances important initiatives of the College.

Our programs are growing, so we are currently looking to fill multiple Lecturer or Sr. Lecturer openings. Under exceptional circumstances, highly qualified candidates at other ranks may receive consideration for these openings (ex. Senior Lecturer II). We are looking for passionate teachers, to join our established community of long serving teaching faculty who bring teaching innovations to our classes, regularly mentor new colleagues, and participate in faculty governance. There are no required research-related duties, although research activities are favorably regarded.

Requirements

Before starting in this position, applicants must hold an MS or PhD in Computer Science or a closely related field, with a PhD strongly preferred. Applicants must also have a strong commitment to, and proven track record of, teaching undergraduate courses in the information and computer sciences.

Additional Information

Starting Date: January 19, 2020 or September 1, 2020. Other start dates (e.g., Spring 2021 or Fall 2021) may be considered.

When a prospective faculty member indicates an interest in seeking employment for a spouse or partner, UMass has a Partner Employment Program in place to support these dual career families. Although UMass does not guarantee job placement, efforts are made to help secure a position for spouses or partners. For more information on our Partner Employment Program or other faculty benefits, please see https://www.umass.edu/prospective-faculty/work/balance.

Salary will be highly competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience. Inquiries and requests for more information can be sent to: facrec@cs.umass.edu.

Application Instructions:

We will begin interviewing Fall 2019 and will continue to accept applications through Spring 2020 or until all positions are filled. To ensure consideration for a fall interview, we encourage you to apply no later than November 15th 2019. To ensure consideration for a Spring interview, we encourage you to apply no later than January 31st 2020.

Please attach a cover letter, a curriculum vitae, a statement of teaching philosophy, and contact information for three references. Please include a statement in your cover letter that explains what it is about UMass Amherst and CICS specifically that makes you interested in this faculty position. Candidates should also include a Statement of Contribution to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The Statement should identify past experiences and future goals. These contributions may result from lived experiences, scholarship, and/or mentoring, teaching, and outreach activities.

Please note that we have a separate positing for candidates interested in a Teaching Faculty position with an informatics or information science focus. If you feel you are qualified for both Teaching Faculty opportunities, please apply to both openings using the appropriate link that can be found at http://cics.umass.edu/jobs.

UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military status, or genetic information in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University. To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. It is the policy of the UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.

Advertised: Oct 25 2019 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: