Position Description

The University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver invites applications for multiple tenure-track Assistant Professor of Teaching positions in the Department of Computer Science, with an anticipated start date of January 1, 2025 or July 1, 2025. Appointment at a higher rank will be considered for an applicant of exceptional qualifications. Salary will be within the range of $140,000 - $215,000 CAD.

These positions provide the opportunity, with strong institutional support, to pursue a career based on excellence in teaching and educational leadership, while participating in the intellectually exciting atmosphere of a top-tier department. Successful candidates will have an opportunity to make an impact on education both within and beyond the classroom, as well as both within and beyond UBC. Assistant Professor of Teaching is the first rank in UBC’s Educational Leadership Stream, followed by Associate Professor of Teaching (with tenure), and then Professor of Teaching. This path is analogous to the Research stream faculty progression of tenure-track Assistant Professor, tenured Associate Professor, and Full Professor. Faculty members in the Educational Leadership stream are eligible to apply for Study Leave (sabbatical) under similar terms to faculty members in the Research stream. The usual teaching load is four course sections per year, typically two in the fall and two in the spring, although there is flexibility as we offer two terms of summer courses as well. Educational leadership faculty also engage in self-directed service, scholarly activity, and other initiatives at the department, faculty, university, national, or international level.  

UBC Computer Science ranks among the top departments in North America, with over 60 tenure-track faculty (including ten Educational Leadership faculty), approximately 250 graduate students, and over 2,700 undergraduate students. Teaching and educational leadership activities are well supported by the department and the university. Internal funding opportunities support curriculum development, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and other activities.

A Ph.D. in Computer Science or a related field is required. In exceptional cases, applicants with other advanced degrees and/or relevant experience may be considered. All candidates must provide evidence of excellence in, and commitment to, undergraduate teaching; as well as evidence of scholarly and reflective teaching practice. Candidates for Assistant Professor of Teaching must show promise of educational leadership. Candidates for Associate Professor of Teaching must provide evidence of demonstrated educational leadership and involvement in curriculum development and innovation and other teaching and learning initiatives. Candidates for Professor of Teaching must provide evidence of outstanding achievement in teaching and educational leadership; distinction in the field of teaching and learning; and a growing body of innovative contributions to curriculum development, course design, and other teaching and learning initiatives. Educational leadership can take many forms but always creates impact beyond one’s own classroom at UBC; some example activities are provided below in the description of the Teaching Statement. Experience with evidence-based teaching methods, managing large courses and teaching assistant teams, and other initiatives that advance the university’s ability to excel in its teaching and learning mandate is desirable. All ranks will have a strong commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, to create a welcoming community for all, particularly those who are historically, persistently or systemically marginalized.

We will consider applicants with expertise in all areas of Computer Science and Data Science.   

How to Apply

Interested applicants should submit: 

·      a cover letter, 

·      a curriculum vitae, 

·      a teaching statement that includes prior experience, teaching philosophy, and a discussion of educational leadership,

·      evidence of teaching effectiveness, 

·      a diversity statement,

·      and the names of three references who have been asked to send reference letters.

Further details on some of the above elements:

Cover letter: When possible, candidates are encouraged to include hyperlinks to one or two examples of their teaching materials.  

Teaching statement: Candidates for Assistant Professor of Teaching should discuss future plans for educational leadership. Candidates for Associate Professor of Teaching and Professor of Teaching should provide evidence and discussion of their educational leadership contributions and their future plans for educational leadership. At UBC, educational leadership is understood as contributions that will have an impact beyond your own classroom. As defined in the Faculty Collective Agreement, educational leadership contributions may include, but are not limited to:

·         application of or engagement in the scholarship of teaching and learning;

·         development of innovative teaching, learning, or assessment practices;

·         organization of teaching and learning related conferences or symposia;

·         curriculum development;

·         capacity building for excellence in education, including mentoring of colleagues;

·         and securing funding for teaching and learning initiatives and leading the funded projects.

Evidence of teaching effectiveness: This can include student evaluations, peer evaluations, and other evidence. Candidates are encouraged to include full student evaluations for any courses taught in the last two years.

Diversity statement (1 page): describing your lived background experience (if comfortable), and your past experience and future plans regarding working with a diverse student body, and contributing to a culture of equity and inclusion.

Applications are to be submitted online at Academic Jobs Online.

The website will remain open for submissions through the end of the day October 15, 2024.   

Information sessions for those who want to learn more about the positions will be held online on the following dates:

·         Monday, September 30, 9:00am-10:00am Pacific time. Register for the Zoom meeting.

·         Tuesday, October 8, 10:00am-11:00am Pacific time. Register for the Zoom meeting.

The committee will review applications prior to the closing date.  However, invitations for in person interviews will not be issued until after until the application site closes.  All applications submitted while the website remains open will be considered.

Applicants will be asked to complete an equity survey when submitting their application through Academic Jobs Online.  The survey information will not be used to determine eligibility for employment, but will be collated to provide data that can assist us in understanding the diversity of our applicant pool and identify potential barriers to the employment of designated equity group members.  Applicants’ participation in the survey is voluntary and confidential and takes only a minute to complete.  Applicants may self-identify in one or more of the designated equity groups, or may also decline to identify in any or all of the questions by choosing “not disclosed”.

If you have questions about the application process, please contact the Chair of the Educational Leadership Recruiting Committee by email:

Joel Friedman

Chair, Educational Leadership Recruiting Committee

Professor, Computer Science

el-recruiting-chair@cs.ubc.ca

(Do not email applications; applications must be submitted through: Academic Jobs Online)

Additional Information

UBC hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence.  An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged.  Inclusion is built by individual and institutional responsibility through continuous engagement with diversity to inspire people, ideas, and actions for a better world. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Métis, Inuk, or Indigenous person. UBC acknowledges that certain circumstances may cause career interruptions that legitimately affect an applicant’s record of research or educational leadership achievement. We encourage applicants to note in their applications whether they would like consideration given to the impact of any circumstances, such as those due to health or family reasons, in order to allow for a fair assessment of their research productivity.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority, and members of historically marginalized groups will be given special consideration.

If you have any needs or questions regarding accommodations or accessibility during the job application, recruitment and hiring process or for more information and support, please visit UBC’s Center For Workplace Accessibility website at https://hr.ubc.ca/health-and-wellbeing/working-injury-illness-or-disability/centre-workplace-accessibility or contact the Centre at workplace.accessibility@ubc.ca.

The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible work environment for all members of its workforce. Within this hiring process we will make efforts to create an accessible process for all candidates (including but not limited to disabled people). Confidential accommodations are available on request by contacting Alla Sheffer, Department of Computer Science at sheffa@cs.ubc.ca.

  UBC’s campuses are located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Syilx (Okanagan) Peoples and of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil Waututh) Nations.