Assistant/Associate Professor - Natural Language Processing (NLP)

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 tenure-track faculty in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and similar areas, at the Assistant and Associate Professor levels.

As a campus with an increasingly diverse student body, we encourage applications from women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, and individuals with a commitment to mentoring individuals from historically marginalized groups in computer science.

Requirements

Before starting in this position, applicants must hold a PhD in Computer Science or a related area and should show evidence of exceptional research promise.

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 January 2025. 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 lays out your interest in this position and why you are a good fit.
• 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.
• Statement of vision for the candidate's role in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Candidates should list past and planned future actions to support the diversity mission of the college and UMass.
• 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.