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Western Washington University, with over 16,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its
educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community with an urban population of
approximately 115,000 people, overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles
north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western is the highest-ranking public, master’s-granting university in
the Pacific Northwest, according to the 2022 U.S. News & World Report rankings. Western Washington University is committed to achieving
excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education based on
innovative scholarship and creative activity. Western’s greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who
make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone
can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive
working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents.
The
Computer Science Department has 19 tenured or tenure-track faculty, 15 non-tenure track instructors, and serves approximately 500 majors or
pre-majors. The department offers an ABET-accredited B.S. in computer science, an M.S. degree, and B.S. degrees in Data Science and
Cybersecurity, as well as a CS Education B.A. degree. The department has a strong history of research collaboration with other disciplines
across campus such as Anthropology, Linguistics, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Physics, among others, as well as
collaborations with regional tech partners such as the Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL). Collaborations with the Washington
Autonomous Vehicle Cluster (WAV-C), and with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), provide additional opportunities for faculty whose
specialty is robotics. Faculty-mentored research projects are a hallmark of CS at WWU, which the department and college support in numerous
ways, including by funding student and faculty travel to academic conferences to present their co-authored publications.
ADEI
efforts: The Computer Science Department is committed to cultivating equitable and diverse learning and work environments to
fulfill Western’s strategic goals of Advancing Inclusive Success, Increasing Washington Impact, and Enhancing Academic Excellence. The
department’s on-going efforts include faculty involvement in workshops on inclusive pedagogy and educational research on student
success, among others.
Work Life Balance: The department supports a genuine balance between teaching and
scholarship, and between life and work. Standards for tenure and promotion are designed with this commitment in mind. Faculty have
reasonable yearly teaching loads, which enables them to pursue their scholarship interests via mentoring of undergraduate and graduate
students. Above all, high quality engaged instruction is highly valued.
Department Growth: As part of the
university’s commitment to cultivate expansion in critical disciplines, Kaiser Borsari Hall is being built to increase capacity in
Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering. The 20,000 square foot facility will house state-of-the-art teaching classrooms,
new faculty offices, a showcase robotics lab, as well as student project spaces. The new building will add to the existing footprint of CS
at Western, and is slated to open in January 2025.
Student culture: The department has a long history and culture of
student engagement in faculty-mentored research that is supported by the College. The extent and success of student research is evidenced by
several alumni each year proceeding to PhD programs at top institutions. Our undergraduate and graduate students land careers at a wide
range of destinations, from top tech companies to startups, to national labs.
Visit our department web page at http://www.cs.wwu.edu for more information.
The
Computer Science Department at Western Washington University (WWU) invites applications for a tenure-track position beginning 16 September
2024 at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor. All areas of specialization will be considered, but the department is particularly
seeking candidates with research expertise and teaching interests in robotics. To facilitate the development of a research program that
involves both undergraduate and graduate students, start-up funds suitable to purchase research grade robots such as Spot from Boston
Dynamics will be available, as well as funds for several 6 DOF articulated arms for curricular use.
Required
Qualifications:
- An earned PhD at time of application, or ABD at time of application, in Computer Science or a closely
related field. If ABD, all degree requirements must be completed by June 15th of the first year of employment (e.g., for a September 2024
start date, all degree requirements must be completed by June 15, 2025). - Record of or potential for, and commitment to high
quality and inclusive teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels. - A record of high-quality scholarship in computer
science. - Ability to develop a research program that involves undergraduate and/or graduate M.S. students.
- Commitment to teach and engage in curricular development at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
- Excellent verbal and
written communication skills. - For appointment at the tenure-track Associate Professor level (without tenure), demonstrated
significant research and evidence of successful teaching commensurate with standards for promotion to associate professor in the department,
college and university.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Scholarly interest and expertise in
robotics. - Commitment to seek external funding.
Conditions of Employment:
All
employees must comply with our Immunization policies, including Proof of Rubeola Measles Immunity within 60-days of hire. Please reach out
to [email protected] if you need information regarding medical or religious
exemption and applicable accommodations.[This position requires a fingerprint background check.]
Salary:
Commensurate with experience and qualifications. Anticipated starting salary range for assistant professor appointment, tenure-track is
generally between $99,000-$103,000, with placement within the position’s salary range being based on qualifications and professional
experience. For an associate professor appointment, tenure-track, anticipated starting range is $109,000-$112,000. The entire salary range
for the assistant professor position is $99,000-$105,000, and for the associate professor position is $109,000 – $125,000, with the upper
end of the salary range typically being achieved through collectively bargained salary adjustments which include a 10% salary increase
accompanying tenure. Relocation assistance may be available per University guidelines. Salary and Start-up funds are to be determined upon
being offered the position.
Application Instructions:
- Application Letter (max 2 pages): a letter of
application that addresses how you meet the qualifications for the position, your ability and commitment to fulfill the position
responsibilities, and your availability to start as of September 16, 2024. - Diversity Statement (max 2 pages): a separate
statement of demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion in teaching, scholarship and/or service describing past experiences,
contributions to diversity and inclusion efforts, the impact on students, faculty, staff and/or your field, and a description of how you
will demonstrate a commitment in these areas in teaching, research, and/or service at WWU. - Teaching Statement (max 2 pages): a
separate statement of your teaching experience and/or interests, and plans for teaching introductory and advanced courses up through and
including graduate M.S. courses. Please include a summary of teaching evaluations, if applicable. - Research Statement (max 4
pages, not including references): in a separete statement, please detail your research interests, current and future projects, and plans for
recruiting and involving both undergraduate and graduate student. - Vita: a full curriculum vitae.
- References: the names and contact information for at least three professional references. Please do not send letters of
recommendation; these will only be required for semi-finalists, and will be requested from the provided references via Western’s
PageUp electronic application system. - Undergraduate & Graduate Transcripts: unofficial copies of transcripts are acceptable for
initial application review.
Closing Date Notes:
For priority consideration, applications should
be received by December 1, 2023. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Screening interviews are anticipated to be
conducted via Zoom beginning the week of December 11, 2023. Finalist interviews are anticipated to be conducted on campus in
January/February 2024. Inquiries about the position may be addressed to the search committee and Department chair, Prof. Filip Jagodzinski,
at [email protected].
WWU is committed to
providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format
or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services, 360.650.3303 or 711 (Washington Relay).
All new
employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and
Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires and rehires, which includes
a sexual misconduct background check.
