CHAIR and PROFESSOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICS AND DATA SCIENCE

9-month, tenure-track

CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Ithaca, New York

Cornell University invites nominations and applications for the position of Professor and Chair of the Department of Statistics and Data Science (stat.cornell.edu). The department has a strong tradition of theoretical and interdisciplinary research and teaching that takes advantage of Cornell University's extensive and diverse academic community. The Department itself is an interdisciplinary partnership that includes the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), the Faculty of Computing and Information Science (CIS), and the School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR). Specializations in the department include Statistical Science, Social Statistics, and Biometry and Statistics, with focal points ranging from mathematical statistics, computational statistics and machine learning to the development of statistical methods for astrophysics, ecology, economics, epidemiology, financial modeling, genomics, high dimensional data, neurobiology, legal studies, medicine, public health and risk management.

The tenure-track position will be hired at the rank of full professor, with the faculty line hosted in CALS. At Cornell University, all professorial faculty must stand for a formal tenure review, which may begin prior to arrival. In addition, the initial administrative term as chair is expected to be 5 years. Applicants should have an internationally recognized research program in one or more of the following areas: statistical methodology, statistical theory or data science. Candidates should be able to demonstrate a commitment to undergraduate and graduate education, leadership experience, a creative vision for future directions of statistics and data science as an academic discipline and a commitment to diversity and collaboration. The chair reports to the lead Dean (CIS) who consults as needed with the CALS and ILR deans and is responsible for the department’s administrative, budgetary, and personnel matters. Successful candidates must demonstrate a vision for supporting, directing, and enhancing the goals of the Department. The successful candidate will also have a record of leadership, active participation in academic affairs, commitment to diversity and inclusion and evidence of excellence in research, teaching, and outreach. A PhD in statistics, biostatistics or related field is required.

Statistics and Data Science has 18 tenured and tenure-track professors, 4 lecturers, 36 PhD graduate students, 58 MPS graduate students and over 180 undergraduates. Additional junior faculty hiring is expected. The department is integral to several of Cornell University’s Radical Collaborative Initiatives including Data Science, Sustainability and Social Sciences. Opportunities exist for a strategic leader to integrate departmental activities with broader university programs and the profession by substantially growing the department’s visibility and stature.

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is a pioneer of purpose-driven science and home to Cornell University’s second largest population of students, faculty and staff. We work across disciplines to tackle the challenges of our time through world-renowned research, education and outreach. The questions we probe and the answers we seek focus on three overlapping concerns: natural and human systems; food, energy and environmental resources; and social, physical and economic well-being.

Computing and Information Science (CIS) is a college-level unit founded in recognition that computing is an essential tool in almost every scientific and scholarly discipline. It is a community of people committed to tackling some of the world's biggest challenges by working together across multiple colleges and two Cornell campuses.  CIS is home to the three academic departments that power the information economy: Computer Science, Information Science and Statistics and Data Science. It is known for bold new ideas expressed in high-impact research and scholarship, inspiring educational contributions, and entrepreneurial and commercial engagement. The synergies among faculty, researchers and students make CIS more than the sum of its parts.

Cornell University is located in Ithaca, New York, a city of about 35,000 people in the heart of the Finger Lakes region. Both Cornell University and the City of Ithaca offer a wide range of cultural and outdoor activities, with the pleasures of both city and country close at hand. Ithaca is Gorges!

Confidential review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. For consideration, a curriculum vitae, letter of interest, statement of career goals and research interest, and leadership goals, and a statement of diversity, equity, and inclusion should be submitted. Evaluation of applicants will begin November 30, 2020 and continue until the position is filled. Contact information for references is requested, but will only be used, with permission, from finalists.

Nominations, inquiries, and expressions of interest should be submitted confidentially to the search committee chairs, James Booth jim.booth@cornell.edu or Patrick Sullivan pjs31@cornell.edu.  Interested applicants should apply at https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/16158.

Cornell University is a place where intercultural skills are developed and used everywhere:  throughout our diverse campus groups, with our community partners, within our classrooms and in our workplaces. At Cornell, we recognize people with diverse backgrounds and experiences bring great value to education, discovery, creativity, and engagement which is reflected in our long history of diversity and inclusion. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations. Cornell University is an innovative Ivy League university and a great place to work. Our inclusive community of scholars, students, and staff impart an uncommon sense of larger purpose, and contribute creative ideas to further the university's mission of teaching, discovery, and engagement.

Cornell understands the needs of dual career couples, which it attempts to meet through a Dual Career program and membership in the Upstate New York Higher Education Recruitment Consortium, which assists dual career searches. Visit HERC - Higher Education Recruitment Consortium to see positions available in higher education in the upstate New York area. Cornell and Ithaca are family-friendly communities: Cornell offers a rich array of services, programs and benefits to help employees advance in their career and enhance the quality of personal life, including employee wellness, workshops, childcare and adoption assistance, parental leave and flexible work options. For more details, see: Family Life Resources for Faculty.