Assistant Professor, Teaching Track in Human-Computer Interaction

Position Overview

Organization: Information School

Title: Assistant Professor, Teaching Track in Human-Computer Interaction

Position Details

Position Description

The Information School of the University of Washington seeks an Assistant Professor, Teaching Track, in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) to teach and engage in research dedicated to designing, building, and/or studying interactive technologies for the good of people, organizations, society, or the environment. We encourage applicants from all disciplines in HCI, including but not limited to information, computing, engineering, social and behavioral science, healthcare, computer science and engineering, and information and library sciences, and design. As a highly multidisciplinary academic unit, the UW Information School houses and welcomes HCI researchers from all relevant methodological backgrounds. The successful candidate will be expected to engage in work that has relevance to pressing social issues, including strengthening democracy, improving the environment, promoting human health and well-being, or furthering racial justice, reconciliation, and repair.

This position will be expected to teach the study, design, and development of information technology for the good of people, organizations, society, and the environment. The successful applicant will be expected to (1) be an engaged teacher and mentor, (2) engage in one or more domains of information technology below, and (3) engage diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and justice in the context of teaching technical topics. 

The successful candidate will be expected to apply HCI and theory in their teaching. We are looking for candidates who will apply that HCI expertise to any number of pressing social problems, including but not limited to the environment, justice, or health and well-being.  

The successful applicant will be expected to engage in effective and engaging teaching. The successful applicant will be expected to engage in service for their department and the broader HCI field. The successful applicant will be expected to incorporate teachings on the ways that technology can and has been used to exclude, marginalize, privilege, and even harm people, societies, and the environment (e.g., via inaccessible user interfaces, exclusionary data schemas, misleading data visualizations, selective data collection practices, biased training data or algorithms, unobtainable technologies for learning, inadequate Internet access in rural communities, inscrutable face and image classifiers, deep fakes, and many other ways). The successful applicant will be expected to excel in their teaching and pedagogical work while also understanding its possible social limitations and harms, and to appreciate the larger ramifications surrounding interactive technologies, especially concerning matters of social justice.

The UW Information School brings together faculty and students in HCI and many other disciplines. Current HCI faculty and students are world-class leaders in accessible computing, computing education, digital youth, health and wellness informatics, crisis informatics, ICT4D, information ethics, social computing, and value sensitive design, to name a few. The successful applicant will be expected to investigate HCI topics that will deepen and/or extend our strengths in HCI.

The UW Information School is also a founding member unit of the DUB Group (design: use: build:), an inclusive cross-campus alliance of faculty and students pursuing research in HCI and Design. DUB also includes industry affiliates who complement the dozens of active faculty and students on campus. Applicants to this position within The Information School are expected to participate in the larger DUB community and engage with HCI and Design faculty across the UW campus.

The UW Information School is dedicated to hiring faculty who will enhance our inclusion, diversity, equity, access, and sovereignty (IDEAS) mission and vision through their research (as applicable), teaching and service. As information systems and institutions serve increasingly diverse and global constituencies, it is vital to understand the ways in which differences in gender, class, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, national and cultural boundaries, national origin, worldview, intellectual origin, ability, and other identities can both divide us and offer us better ways of thinking and working. The Information School faculty are committed to preparing professionals who work in an increasingly diverse and global society by promoting equity and justice for all individuals, actively working to eliminate barriers and obstacles created by institutional discrimination.

Our new colleague will join a broad-based, inclusive information school, whose faculty members pursue their scholarship, teaching, and service across multiple degree programs. The University of Washington is an institution that encourages inclusive research and community outreach, situated between the Puget Sound and Lake Washington, in the city of Seattle, on the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. Seattle is a rapidly growing, dynamic, and diverse metropolitan area with a leading technology sector and vibrant civic sector.

The position is a full-time 9-month teaching track appointment at the rank of Assistant Teaching Professor with an anticipated start date of September 1, 2023. Applicants may find further information about the Information School at ischool.uw.edu. 

Teaching professors are an integral part of the faculty of the iSchool. We provide mentorship, a career path, and opportunities for leadership in the school. This is a full-time appointment at the rank of Assistant Teaching Professor. This position includes faculty voting rights but is not tenure eligible. The University of Washington is on the quarter system (autumn, winter, spring) and teaching professors typically teach two courses per quarter (6 courses over 9 months) with summers off. Opportunities for summer teaching are often available. University of Washington teaching professors engage in teaching, mentorship, and service. Scholarship is supported and encouraged, including innovations in teaching, leadership in teaching communities of practice, and teaching mentorship. 

Qualifications

Applicants must minimally have a master’s degree (or foreign equivalent) in a relevant field. Applicants must have 3 years of experience in a technical role in industry, government, or a nonprofit, or experience teaching at least one course as either the lead or assistant instructor.

Instructions

The initial application package must include a resume or CV, a cover letter, a diversity statement (see below), and names and contact information for three references, who may be contacted for letters of recommendation. We encourage you to choose references from anyone who can speak to your expertise, your ability to teach and mentor, or your general ability to collaborate and work with diverse communities. Short-listed candidates will later be asked to do a live teaching demonstration and submit a teaching statement. Details on these will be provided at the appropriate time.

Please note: The cover letter is important. Drawing on your background, please tell us about your technical expertise, examples of how you might incorporate issues of social justice into your teaching of technical material, and why you’d like to do this teaching at University of Washington Information School.

iSchool Diversity Statement Guidelines

Inclusion, diversity, equity, access, and sovereignty (IDEAS) are core values of the Information School, as described on our website: https://ischool.uw.edu/diversity. The Diversity Statement provides an opportunity for applicants to reflect on their research, teaching, and service accomplishments and goals that contribute to those values. We expect about a one-page statement that describes the applicants’ IDEAS efforts.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, gender identity or expression, age, disability, or protected veteran status.

Commitment to Diversity

The University of Washington is committed to building diversity among its faculty, librarian, staff, and student communities, and articulates that commitment in the UW Diversity Blueprint (http://www.washington.edu/diversity/diversity-blueprint/). Additionally, the University’s Faculty Code recognizes faculty efforts in research, teaching and/or service that address diversity and equal opportunity as important contributions to a faculty member’s academic profile and responsibilities (https://www.washington.edu/admin/rules/policies/FCG/FCCH24.html#2432).

Privacy Notice

Review the University of Washington Privacy Notice for Demographic Data of Job Applicants and University Personnel to learn how your demographic data are protected, when the data may be used, and your rights.

Disability Services

To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 or dso@uw.edu.

COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements and Information

Under University of Washington (UW) Policy, University-compensated personnel must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof thereof, or receive a UW-approved medical or religious exemption. This requirement will be a condition of any offer associated with this recruitment. For more information, please visit https://www.washington.edu/coronavirus/vaccination-requirement/.

Apply now

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