Description

Description

The Connolly Alexander Institute for Data Science (CAIDS) seeks to hire a Professor of Practice in Data, who will teach introductory and multi-disciplinary courses in data literacy, presentation, management, and/or analysis. CAIDS promotes, teaches, and supports data literacy and data science for students, faculty, and the community. CAIDS programming includes courses, workshops, events, student internship and co-curricular experiences, research grants, interdisciplinary research groups, and statistical consulting. For more information on CAIDS, see datainstitute.tulane.edu.

This position has a teaching load of two courses per semester (i.e., a 2/2), which is the same teaching load as most tenure-track faculty at Tulane University. The Professor of Practice will be expected to teach DATA 1010 "Introduction to Data". This course seeks to be accessible to students of all backgrounds and abilities and will teach them fundamental skills in data literacy, analysis, communication, and ethics. The Professor of Practice will also develop and teach one or two multi-disciplinary courses in data analysis, presentation, ethics, or management in their areas of interest or expertise. This position is a permanent one, with contracts renewed every three or five years. Renewal is based on an evaluation of teaching, service, and research (if part of the negotiated workload).

In addition to teaching, the Professor of Practice will develop and facilitate aspects of CAIDS programming or services around increasing the participation of faculty and students across CAIDS's existing and new programs while upholding CAIDS's mission of being inclusive to all data fields. Based on the candidate's expertise, possible service roles may include developing and coordinating internal and external internship programs, research assistant programs, grant coordination, developing and coordinating workshops and data-thons, student group advising, fostering partnerships with community organizations and community outreach partnerships (e.g. K-12 educational programming), overseeing annual programming such as the annual data theme and Love Data Week, or supporting interdisciplinary research groups in the Professor of Practice's area(s). The Professor of Practice will also have a role in helping direct and manage the focus and trajectory of CAIDS as an active and key partner. Conducting research is not a requirement for the Professor of Practice position, but data-related research or scholarship on data science teaching and learning can be incorporated into the workload. This deviates from most other Professor of Practice positions which do not provide time for research.

Qualifications

Required Education and Experience

• A Ph.D. in a field of study that relates to data* and teaching experience as an instructor or teaching experience in a data-focused course; OR
• A Master's degree in a field of study that relates to data,* with at least five (5) years of combined experience teaching in higher or secondary education and/or working in industry or government in a data literacy, data analysis, or data management position.
• *Related fields are those that conduct data analysis or management, and applied statistics, which includes, but is not limited to, statistics (preferably applied), quantitative social sciences (e.g., economics, sociology, political science, psychology, public or business administration), geography and related fields that use GIS (geographic information systems), computer science, public health or medicine, humanities with a data focus (e.g., digital humanities), education with a data focus, and numerous STEM fields. Those with a background in qualitative research methodology will also be considered so long as they are able to teach basic quantitative methods in addition to qualitative methods.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Abilities/Competencies Typically needed to Perform This Job Successfully:

1. Demonstrated ability to teach in post-secondary institutions, particularly to students with minimal background in data, statistics, or computer science.
2. Ability to initiate and manage programming and initiatives, often with minimal supervision.
3. Ability to develop creative and practical higher education co-curricular programming such as workshops, data-thons, internships, or service-learning opportunities.
4. Proficiency with some statistical software, statistical data analysis, or data management software or tools, such as, but not limited to, Excel, R, SQL, or Python.
5. Ability and desire for continuous improvement in pedagogy and understanding of data analysis, management, communications, or ethics.
6. Demonstrated ability to interact well with diverse groups of people, including students of different backgrounds (broadly defined), university leadership, staff, and faculty.
7. Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Applicants with experience in STEM, public health, or health sciences fields, especially with a focus on education, particularly in data science and data literacy.
2. Applicants with experience in AI, broadly defined, such as the technical aspects of AI, using AI for research or other applications, background in ethical use of AI, the impact of AI on society, or AI literacy.
3. Experience teaching a post-secondary course as an instructor.
4. Teaching experience in data-focused courses.
5. Applicants with training or education in teaching or pedagogy, such as having taken courses or workshops.
6. Experience in running post-secondary co-curricular programming such as workshops, internships, and events.
7. Ability to develop industry or community relationships that lead to service-learning opportunities, student internships, or community partnerships.
8. A focus on engaging diverse populations (broadly defined) in data literacy.

Application Instructions

Candidates must submit an application via Interfolio to be considered for the position. Applications will be reviewed starting on October 26th (recommended submission date) and will continue to be reviewed as received until December 19, 2025.

REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS:

• Cover letter
• Current C.V.
• Teaching statement/philosophy
• Diversity statement
• Contact information for 3 references

The cover letter and/or teaching statement should address the candidate's interest and experience in teaching introductory and intermediate courses on data literacy, data analysis, or data management. Additional documents may be requested at a later date.

For more information about the position, please contact us at caids@tulane.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Tulane University is an equal opportunity educator and employer committed to providing an education and employment environment free of unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Legally protected demographic classifications (such as a person's race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, shared ancestry, disability, genetics, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws) are not relied upon as an eligibility, selection or participation criteria for Tulane's employment or educational programs or activities.

Tulane University is responsible for providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities throughout the applicant screening process. If you need assistance in completing an application or during any phase of the interview process, please contact the Office of Human Resources by phone at 504-865-4748 or by email at hr@tulane.edu.