As an incoming Assistant Professor in a university setting, your main responsibilities typically revolve around three components: teaching, research, and service to the institution. In terms of teaching, you would be involved in advising incoming first-year students, guiding majors, supervising independent studies, and overseeing senior theses. This aspect of the role requires a dedication to fostering academic growth and supporting students in their educational journey.
On the research front, Assistant Professors are expected to engage in scholarly activities, contribute to their field of expertise, and often pursue external funding for research projects. This involves conducting experiments, publishing papers in academic journals, and presenting findings at conferences to advance knowledge in the respective discipline.
Additionally, service to the institution is a crucial aspect of the role. This entails participating in academic and administrative committees, contributing to the university’s governance, and collaborating with colleagues to enhance the overall academic environment. Serving on various committees helps in decision-making processes and shaping the direction of the department or university.
Each Assistant Professor may have specific duties based on their department and university guidelines, but these core responsibilities of teaching, research, and service remain consistent across institutions. It is a role that requires a passion for education, a commitment to research excellence, and a willingness to contribute to the academic community.
Looking at some examples of incoming Assistant Professors in various universities, we see individuals like Jiaxuan You, who will be joining the Computer Science Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Fall 2024. Ari Holtzman, an incoming Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Data Science at the University of Chicago, is renowned for his research in dialogue and text generation, including winning the first Amazon Alexa Prize in 2017. Furthermore, Chen Lian, joining the UC Berkeley Economics Department, focuses on macroeconomics, behavioral economics, and finance in his research.
Overall, the role of an Assistant Professor is multi-faceted, requiring a balance of teaching, research, and service to contribute effectively to the academic community and advance knowledge in their respective fields.
- Jiaxuan You’s Homepage – Stanford University
- The Transition from Grad Student to Assistant Professor
- Heng Yang – Harvard University
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