Associate/Full Professor - Computer or Information Sciences (Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion)

About UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.

About the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences

Celebrating 60 years of pioneering contributions to computing, the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) at UMass Amherst is home to graduate and undergraduate programs that are ranked among the top twenty-five in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and CS Rankings. Following a decade of tremendous growth, CICS currently has 89 core faculty, including 20 ACM Fellows, 11 IEEE Fellows, and 38 NSF CAREER Award winners. CICS research encompasses all major technical specializations across the profession and serves as the focal point for interdisciplinary computing research at UMass Amherst, with affiliated research centers such as the Center for Intelligent Information Retrieval, the Center for Data Science, the Center for Smart and Connected Society, the Computational Social Science Institute, and the Cybersecurity Institute, and the NIH-funded Massachusetts AI and Technology Center for Connected Care in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease.

The college currently enrolls approximately 350 doctoral students, 625 master's students, and 2,000 undergraduate students in its computer science and informatics programs and continues to build on its history of innovative teaching with new programs in public interest technology and a growing online master's program. The college's new building, slated to open in 2025, is being designed to accommodate its growth and serve as a hub for community, collaboration, and research. The CICS community is united by a revolutionary vision for computing research, education, and outreach--Computing for the Common Good--and is committed to inspiring and educating students from all backgrounds and experiences, while conducting research that improves the lives of the people of the Commonwealth and the world.

Job Description

The Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst invites applications for an academic-year tenure-track faculty position at the Associate or Full Professor level in any area of computer or information science with a concurrent half-time role as the Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (AD of DEI). The expectation is that this individual will serve in the Associate Dean role for 3-5 years, renewable with satisfactory performance. While serving as Associate Dean, the individual will have half of the teaching load of a normal tenure-track faculty member: they will teach one course per academic year and one graduate seminar once every four years. A successful candidate will have an established and recognized record of research in computer science or information science, a strong record of professional and institutional service, and will have demonstrated potential for continued research, teaching, and service success. While faculty in all areas of computer science and information science will be considered, we currently have particular interest in HCI, Informatics (CS + X), AI, machine learning, information retrieval, programming languages, natural language processing, data management, and theory.

In CICS, we are committed to building an inclusive and diverse community. We are focused on increasing the diversity of our students, faculty, and staff, and on helping our diverse populations to persist and thrive. We have many programs and efforts towards these ends. We strive to cultivate a sense of belonging and an inclusive environment, and to integrate these ideals with our missions of research and teaching. Simultaneously, we want diversity to be visible in the life of the College. We have made great progress; for example, we have dramatically increased the number of undergraduate women and women on the faculty, while also growing the number of undergraduates of color. But there are still challenges; for example, retention is not as strong as it could be for these groups, the LGBTQIA+ community reports a lower sense of belonging, and as the college has grown, the sense of community has weakened. A strong leader in this Associate Dean role will address these and other challenges they may identify, while building on our programs for the successful recruitment and retention of students, researchers, faculty, and staff from underrepresented groups such as racially minoritized communities, first generation communities, and LGBTQIA+ communities.

The faculty member assuming the Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion role will serve as a thought-leader, strategist, and expert in DEI and will work to further those values in the CICS community. They will work with many stakeholders within the College, across the campus, and beyond to articulate a vision and goals related to DEI and to coordinate with staff and faculty to implement concrete plans to enhance recruitment, retention, and long-term success of students, faculty, and staff from historically marginalized and underrepresented groups in computer science. They will work jointly as appropriate with other university groups that support such efforts, including the University's Office of Equity and Inclusion, the Senior Vice Provost for Equity and Inclusion, the ADVANCE team, and a broad variety of student, staff, and faculty support groups.

In the Associate Dean of DEI role, the successful candidate will work to effectively communicate and present our DEI strategy to partners, donors, foundations, and other organizations, and will work with granting agencies to secure funding for new and existing DEI programs. The AD of DEI will plan and oversee all DEI program budgets.They will ensure that faculty are trained on -- and follow - inclusive and equitable practices in recruitment, evaluations, and promotion actions. The AD of DEI will oversee and support the College's Diversity Committee, and will assist its members in setting clear goals for each academic year that work towards enhancing an inclusive and welcoming College climate. They will also establish and track appropriate metrics to enable us to measure our progress and the effectiveness of our DEI programs.

This position will oversee the Executive Director of Diversity & Inclusive Community Development and their team, which today includes a Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator and student employees. The Executive Director and their team have built a rich set of diversity and inclusion programs for our College, focused on three key areas: (1) providing DEI expertise for students, staff, and faculty, (2) supporting students experiencing difficulties or from marginalized identities, and (3) running summer and term-time programs aimed at supporting marginalized populations, such as our FIERCE Residential Academic Program and our Massenberg STEM Institute. TheAssociate Dean of DEI will work with the Executive Director to define and recruit a new staff position within their team to focus on maintaining and growing other programming to meet our changing needs and goals.

Requirements

Before starting in this position, applicants must hold a PhD in Computer Science, Information Science, Engineering, or a related STEM field and should have a compelling track record in research, teaching, and service. Applicants must also demonstrate a commitment to and a track record of success in creating, leading, and supporting DEI initiatives.

Additional Information

Starting Date: September 1, 2025. Other start dates (e.g., Spring 2026 or Fall 2026) may be considered.

UMass Amherst and CICS are very supportive of dual-career families. We have a Partner Employment Program and will work with candidates to find opportunities for partners within CICS, across the University, and in the nearby community. Although UMass does not guarantee job placement, efforts are made to help secure a position for spouses or partners. For more information on our Partner Employment Program or other faculty benefits, please see https://www.umass.edu/prospective-faculty/work/balance.

Salary will be highly competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience. Inquiries and requests for more information can be sent to facrec@cs.umass.edu.

Application Instructions

We will begin interviewing in December 2024 or as soon as strong candidates are identified. To ensure consideration for a Winter/Spring interview, we encourage you to apply no later than December 1, 2024.

Candidates must provide the following in their application package.

• Cover letter that explains your interest in this position in CICS and why you are a good fit for UMass and CICS.
• Statement of diversity experience that explains your interest in the -time Associate Dean for DEI position. Candidates should describe their vision for advancing diversity and inclusion within CICS and highlight any past efforts they have made to increase diversity and inclusion in previous roles.
• Current curriculum vitae.
• Statement of research outlining your accomplishments briefly, focusing on your future plans and potential fit at UMass Amherst.
• Statement of teaching, including your teaching philosophy and potential courses you might offer at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
• Contact information for three professional references.
• Current and previous UMass employees applying for this position should expect that their past teaching, advising, and service contributions will be reviewed as part of their application. This includes, but is not limited to, review of SRTI scores and comments for each course that was taught. Individuals who have previous experience teaching at another university are strongly encouraged to provide relevant course feedback scores and comments for review by the search committee

The University is committed to active recruitment of a diverse faculty and student body. The University of Massachusetts Amherst is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer of women, minorities, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities and encourages applications from these and other protected group members. Because broad diversity is essential to an inclusive climate and critical to the University's goals of achieving excellence in all areas, we will holistically assess the many qualifications of each applicant and favorably consider an individual's record working with students and colleagues with broadly diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds in educational, research or other work activities. We will also favorably consider experience overcoming or helping others overcome barriers to an academic career and degree.