Transitioning from a graduate student to an Assistant Professor typically involves a significant shift in responsibilities. As outlined by the University of California, Berkeley, an Assistant Professor’s role comprises three main components: teaching, research, and service to the institution, which includes participating in academic and administrative committees.
Teaching responsibilities usually involve advising new students, overseeing independent studies, and guiding senior theses. On the other hand, research duties entail conducting original research in the professor’s field of expertise. Moreover, service to the institution involves various activities to contribute to the academic community.
For example, Jiaxuan You is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, set to become a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the fall of 2024. Similarly, Heng Yang is an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at Harvard University, focusing on computational robotics.
Another individual, Yang Song, leads the Strategic Explorations team at OpenAI and is an incoming Assistant Professor at the California Institute of Technology. Additionally, Ari Holtzman is an incoming Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Data Science at the University of Chicago, with research interests spanning dialogue and text generation.
Furthermore, Hanjie Chen is joining Rice University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science, starting in the fall of 2024 after working as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins University.
Each individual’s journey from graduate student to Assistant Professor is unique, involving a combination of academic achievements, research contributions, and teaching experiences. This transition marks a significant milestone in an academic career, representing a shift towards greater independence and responsibility in the realms of teaching, research, and service to the academic community.
- How does one transition from an Assistant Professor to an Associate Professor position?
- How does one get promoted from Assistant to Associate Professor and then to full Professor?
- How does one become an assistant professor in academia?