Assistant Professor in Computer Science

Location:
Waterville Maine
Open Date:
Sep 11, 2023
Description:

Institution: Colby College
Department: Department of Computer Science
Review Date: 14 October 2023
Starting Date: 1 September 2024

The Computer Science (CS) Department and the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence at Colby College invite
candidates for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Artificial Intelligence (AI). Candidates with AI
approaches to cybersecurity are especially welcome, but we also invite those in areas such as computer vision,
natural language and speech processing, machine learning, graph-based modeling, recommender systems /
information retrieval, data mining, human computation, planning, reasoning under uncertainty, and search and
optimization algorithms.

Colby College, through a generous gift that created the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence, is hiring an
interdisciplinary cluster of two faculty members and one postdoctoral associate in the 2023-24 academic year. This
follows successful hires in 2022-23 for scholars of Environmental AI, Philosophy of AI and an AI postdoc. Faculty
at Colby have numerous opportunities to collaborate on research and teaching related to AI; currently there are
faculty pursuing AI-related scholarship in geology, anthropology, music, physics, economics, east Asian studies and
computer science. The successful applicant for this position will have a home in the department of Computer
Science and will have the opportunity to work closely with the new Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence at
Colby College. For more about the Davis Institute for AI see https://davisinstituteai.colby.edu.
The faculty appointment will begin on September 1 st , 2024. Applicants must hold, or be close to completing, a
Ph.D. in Computer Science or related field. Review of applications will begin on October 14, 2023, and will
continue until the position is filled.

The position allows for a balance of research and teaching. The teaching load is 4.5 course equivalents per year,
typically including a mixture of core CS courses and upper-level electives. Research is supported by a pre-tenure
sabbatical year, start-up funds, and support for summer undergraduate research assistants. Faculty typically integrate
their research into upper-level electives. For more information about the CS department, faculty, and courses, please
see the department web site at http://cs.colby.edu.

Colby College is a highly selective, comprehensive liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. The department offers a
major and a minor in computer science and participates in a Data Science major and minor as well as CS X majors
with biology, psychology, environmental studies, theater & dance, and music. Colby Computer Science is involved
in several multi-disciplinary initiatives, investments in computing and network infrastructure, and partnerships with
the Jackson Laboratory and the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. The department is well-equipped with
computing facilities including a large teaching lab, student project spaces, a research lab with linux workstations,
and cloud computing resources as well as the Maine Research Network (MEREN).

Application Instructions: Interested candidates should have three confidential references submitted electronically
from their referees to Interfolio and provide the following materials as PDFs: a cover letter highlighting their
qualifications for the position, a CV, a list of courses they would like and are qualified to teach, and statements of
teaching philosophy and research interests that demonstrate commitment to the value of diversity and to inclusive
teaching. All materials must be submitted electronically to Interfolio here. Competitive candidates will
address how they will support the Davis AI Institute, situate themselves in a CS department at a small liberal arts
college, contribute to increasing the diversity of the CS program, engage in inclusive teaching, include
undergraduate students in their research program, and participate in the larger academic community. Questions
about the position should be directed to the chair of the search committee, Stephanie Taylor
(computersciencesearch@colby.edu).

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

Colby is a private, coeducational liberal arts college that admits students and makes personnel decisions on the basis of the individual’s qualifications to contribute to Colby’s educational objectives and institutional needs. The principle of not discriminating on the basis of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, caste, national or ethnic origin, marital status, genetic information, political beliefs, veteran or military status, parental status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, physical or mental disability unrelated to the job or course of study requirements is consistent with the mission of a liberal arts college and the law.