Duke University, Social Science Research Institute
Position ID:
Duke-SSRI-MIDSAPOP [#31662]
Position Title:
Assistant Professor of the Practice
Position Type:
Non tenure-track faculty
Position Location:
Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States of America
Subject Area:
Appl Deadline:
(posted 2026/02/09, listed until 2026/06/28)
Position Description:
Position Description
Position Description: The Duke Master of Interdisciplinary Data Science (MIDS) program invites applications for an Assistant Professor of the Practice (PoP) position with expertise at the intersection of Digital Humanities and Natural Language Processing (NLP). MIDS is a two-year degree program offering a substantive educational experience, not simply a data science credential. The MIDS curriculum is designed to support students from diverse educational and technical backgrounds, including asynchronous summer review modules, a three-week in-person programming boot camp, and a fall level-up for students with less experience in programming for data science. Cohorts are limited to about 50 students per year, and classes are structured around authentic team- and project-based learning opportunities with extensive student feedback and close attention to the communication and collaboration skills crucial to effective teams. The successful candidate will be able to lead initiatives to expand access to data science training that is well-tailored to the needs of students from the social sciences and humanities. This PoP should have demonstrated expertise in the Digital Humanities, with a particular focus on adapting Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to different corpuses (including both unusual historical corpuses of interest to social scientists and humanities students, as well as the types of bespoke corpuses that MIDS students may be asked to work with in the private sector). A successful candidate should have sufficient expertise and experience in both a humanities field and a technical field to communicate effectively with both data scientists with more technical training and humanities faculty with strong domain expertise (but less technical background). Further, the candidate should also have a sufficient understanding of the academic prerogatives of humanities departments to be able to advise humanities graduate students. As this is primarily an instructional role, the instructor should have demonstrated expertise in teaching and mentoring graduate and undergraduate students from a range of disciplinary backgrounds. The term of this appointment is from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2030, with an opportunity for renewal. Applicants should submit a letter of interest describing their research and teaching agenda in no more than three pages, a curriculum vitae, graduate school transcripts, a writing sample, evidence of teaching excellence, and two letters of recommendation. Preferred Qualifications: • Ph.D., substantial research experience with a record of publication • Experience working with data-driven problems • Experience in both Digital Humanities and Natural Language Processing research and teaching • Familiarity with data science methodologies • Teaching experience and organizing class logistics • Experience as a mentor Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunities without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values. Duke University, Social Science Research Institute Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department. Application Materials Required: Submit the following items online at this website to complete your application: Curriculum Vitae Letter of Interest Graduate School Transcript Writing Sample Evidence of Teaching Excellence Two reference letters (to be submitted online by the reference writers on this site )Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation, or military status.
Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.
Application Materials Required:
Submit the following items online at this website to complete your application:
- Cover letter
- Curriculum Vitae
- Letter of Interest
- Graduate School Transcript
- Evidence of Teaching Excellence
- Writing Sample
- Two references (no actual letters, just names and email addresses
)
And anything else requested in the position description.
Further Info: