Assistant Teaching Professor – Quantitative Methods and Data Science for Environmental Studies

Position overview

Position title: Assistant Teaching Professor (tenure track) in Quantitative Methods and Data Science for Environmental Studies

Salary range: The posted UC salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and/or step at appointment. See Table 1 for the salary history range. A reasonable estimate for this position is $100,000-$155,000. “Off-scale salaries” and other components of pay, i.e., a salary that is higher than the published system-wide salary at the designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions. Applicants that currently hold a senate faculty position at another UC campus should be aware of the policies governing intercampus faculty hiring & transfers. These policies can be found at UCOP APM 510-18 .

Percent time: 100%

Anticipated start: July 1, 2025 or later

Position duration: Tenure Track

Application Window

Open date: October 11, 2024

Next review date: Friday, Nov 22, 2024 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Monday, Jun 30, 2025 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position description

The Environmental Studies Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara invites applications for an Assistant Teaching Professor (tenure track), to start July 1, 2025 or later. We seek a passionate instructor with demonstrated expertise in the use and teaching of quantitative analysis and data science tools to study the environment.

An Assistant Teaching Professor is a tenure-track faculty member whose primary responsibilities are teaching and pedagogical innovation. Other responsibilities include advising, academic program development, professional and/or scholarly activity, especially as they relate to instruction and pedagogy, and department, University and/or public service. Faculty in the Teaching Professor series are expected to maintain a continuous and current command of their subjects. They should, among other things, demonstrate the ability to foster inclusive, stimulating, and effective learning environments.

Specific areas of expertise are open but should involve the application of quantitative and data science methods to study environmental challenges and solutions. The successful candidate will teach the equivalent of seven, quarter-long courses per year, including an introductory course in quantitative reasoning, as well as an upper division course in environmental statistics. The instructor will have the opportunity to develop further courses that align with their areas of specialization. These courses might cover topics such as geospatial analysis, programming, data science, data visualization, and/or machine learning. The ideal candidate would be excited to lead the coordination of quantitative curricular offerings across the department to ensure a more holistic and rigorous sequence of courses that empowers our undergraduate BA and BS majors to build proficiency in quantitative and data science techniques.

The University is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through research, teaching and service as appropriate to the position.

UCSB’s Environmental Studies Program is an interdisciplinary undergraduate program that was founded in the aftermath of the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill. It has maintained a position of national leadership since then, graduating over 8000 students. The program has a longstanding commitment to integrative research and teaching and to interdisciplinary balance among the biophysical and chemical sciences, engineering sciences, humanities, social sciences, and applied professions. For more information, please see http://www.es.ucsb.edu/.

In 2024-25, UC Santa Barbara departments are partnering with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to launch a special faculty recruitment initiative named after Benjamin Banneker, the 18th-century African American mathematician, astronomer, antiracist, engineer, ecologist, and peace advocate. Funded by an Advancing Faculty Diversity grant from the UC Office of the President, the Banneker Initiative will recruit scholars, scientists, and engineers whose disciplinary and interdisciplinary work would take place within the community of concerns exemplified by Banneker’s intellectual, ethical, and social commitments as an African American scientist, especially his desire to advance scientific and humanistic knowledge for the public good. With the goal of creating a diverse community around such concerns, applicants may be eligible to be fellows in the Benjamin Banneker Initiative. The community of Banneker Fellows will receive funding for cohort building and professional development activities, including enrollment in the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity Faculty Success Program, proposal writing training, and seed grants. Further information about the Banneker Initiative can be found here: https://diversity.ucsb.edu/initiatives-and-resources/benjamin-banneker-initiative

Department: https://es.ucsb.edu/

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

Applicants must have completed all of the requirements for a PhD (or equivalent) except the dissertation at the time of application in a related field (environmental, social, and/or computational science).

Additional qualifications (required at time of start)

By the time of hire, candidates must have a PhD (or equivalent).

• Preferred qualifications
• At least two years of teaching at the university level, including at least one course as instructor of record, and at least one year teaching quantitative reasoning, statistics, data science, and/or programming.
• Demonstrated excellence in teaching effectiveness, including evidence of pedagogical innovation or experimentation.
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive learning community, including evidence of engagement in relevant activities promoting equity, inclusion, and diversity.
• Demonstrated commitment to professional service, including service promoting access to and diversity in higher education.
• Experience using mathematics or data science to conduct environmental research.

Application Requirements

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae – Please include your most recent CV.
• Cover Letter
• Statement of Teaching & Mentoring (Philosophy and Practice) – This statement should describe your approach to classroom instruction and working with students/mentees in a one-on-one setting. Please include discussion of your relevant experience and expertise, highlighting your planned teaching approaches and practices, such as lecturing style and/or assessment choices. The statement should also include descriptions of your pedagogical innovations, together with your assessments of their effectiveness. A description of how your pedagogical approach supports diversity, equity and inclusion in the classroom may either be included here or in your Statement of Contributions to Diversity. Feel free to reference items included in your teaching portfolio as evidence of your pedagogical approach and success.
• Teaching Portfolio – Evidence documenting your excellence and innovation in teaching. It could include material such as:
• 1) Example course materials such as syllabi, selected assignments or classroom activities.
• 2) Assessments of teaching effectiveness (including, but not limited to, student evaluations).
• 3) Documentation of educational contributions above the level of individual courses (e.g., curricular or programmatic activities).
• Statement of Contributions to Diversity – This statement explains your philosophy and experience contributing to more inclusive classroom and academic communities. This statement will be reviewed for evidence of teaching, research, professional and/or public service contributions that promote diversity and contributions furthering diversity and equal opportunity in higher education through knowledge of, contributions to, and plans to promote diversity.
• Statement of Research or Other Scholarly Activities – While the focus of this position is active teaching, the department recognizes research and other scholarly contributions made by teaching faculty. This document is optional.
• (Optional)

Reference requirements

• 3-5 required (contact information only)

We will only solicit letters for applicants who make it to the Committee’s shortlist. References will need to submit letters of recommendation via the UC Recruit website. The three letters of recommendation must come from colleagues, faculty mentors, or superiors that can attest to the professional record of the applicant.

Apply link:https://recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02860

Help contact: ES-AP@es.ucsb.edu

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the University of California’s Affirmative Action Policy please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4010393/PPSM-20. For the University of California’s Anti-Discrimination Policy, please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination.

As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California Policy on Vaccination Programs, as may be amended or revised from time to time. Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.

Job location

Santa Barbara, CA

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