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Position Rank and Title: Open Rank Professor

School/Department Name:  Applied Data Science

Compensation: Commensurate with qualifications, experience, and rank as established by the CSU Salary Schedule. Anticipated hiring academic year annual salary range: $110,000 - $130,000 annually.       

Faculty employee benefits are very competitive for the higher education sector.  See the CSU Employee Benefits Summary for details about the CSU’s excellent benefits package.

Target Start Date: August 18, 2025

Application Deadline: Applications accepted until filled or closed

Position Description

The Department of Applied Data Science at San José State University is pleased to announce a search for open ranks in Applied Data Science beginning in August 2025. We are seeking candidates with expertise in areas such as machine learning, deep learning, natural language understanding, and data engineering to contribute to our interdisciplinary applied data science curriculum. Successful applicants will be expected to teach graduate courses, including but not limited to Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing, Generative AI, and Big Data Analytics. Candidates will also be encouraged to engage in collaborative research that addresses real-world data challenges across various industries and society.

The department of Applied Data Science offers academic programs to address the emerging workforce demands of the interdisciplinary talents designing and deploying intelligent solutions to real-world data challenges. Students acquire a comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the principles, methodologies, and technologies of data science. Silicon Valley is known for its leadership in the big data and AI economy and its demand for talent in response to the exponential growth of data. The department continuously seeks guidance from leading data professionals and companies to ensure that the curriculum is relevant for growing the talent needed in Silicon Valley.

The department of Applied Data Science is an academic hub, in partnership with other SJSU departments and industry partners, for promoting education and research in applied data science. In order to address the immense demand for data science professionals, the department launched an MS in Data Analytics program in August 2018. This program provides students with the advanced education necessary to draw insights from real data and apply analytical skills to solve practical problems. Currently, 400 students are enrolled in the program, with continued plans for future growth. More than 150 Silicon Valley companies have hired our students for internships and permanent positions.

More information about the Department of Applied Data Science at San José State University can be found here. More information about the MS in Data Analytics program can be found here.

The Department of Applied Data Science and San José State University value diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Our excellence in research, teaching, and service can only be fully realized by faculty, students, and staff who share our commitment to these values. SJSU enrolls more than 36,000 students, many of whom are historically underserved, and around 45% are first-generation and 38% are Pell-recipients. SJSU is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander (AANAPISI) Serving Institution. The university’s commitment to social justice extends from its vibrant, inclusive campus to an international network of over 275,000 alumni. As such, San José State is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty so our disciplines, students, and the community can benefit from multiple ethnic and gender perspectives.

Successful candidates will demonstrate evidence of a commitment to equity and inclusion through their research, teaching, and/or service. We ask that all applicants include a Diversity Statement with their application package. A guide to writing this statement can be found at SJSU Diversity Statement Guidelines, along with information about how these statements will be evaluated.

Required Qualifications

• An earned doctorate in computer science, data science, or related fields by the start of appointment.
• Evidence of or strong potential for scholarly and professional achievement.
• Evidence of or strong potential for teaching and/or training effectiveness.
• Expertise in at least two fields in Natural Language processing (Natural Language understanding, deep learning, Natural Language Generation, Large Language Models, and generative AI) or at least two fields in Data Engineering (ETL data pipeline, big data processing, data warehouse, NoSQL database, distributed/parallel systems, and cloud computing).
• Applicants should demonstrate an awareness of and sensitivity to the educational goals of a socially and economically diverse student population as might have been gained in cross-cultural study, training, teaching, and other comparable experience.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

Priority will be given to candidates who possess one or more of the following:

• The ability to teach courses in at least two of the above fields in Large Language Models, Deep Learning, or Data Engineering.
• The ability to teach graduate-level courses to students with diverse academic and professional backgrounds.
• The potential to jointly develop applied research projects in emerging data science/analytics with Silicon Valley companies.
• The potential to be qualified for tenure through excellent teaching, research, and services
  
  

Key Responsibilities

• The candidate will have teaching responsibilities in data science and applied technologies.
• The candidate will be actively engaged in scholarly activities, as evidenced by: conducting research, presenting professional papers, publishing in peer-reviewed journals, and developing grants.
• The candidate will participate in shared governance, usually in department, college, and university committees and other service assignments.
•  Faculty shall organize all their classes within the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS).
• The candidate must demonstrate awareness and experience understanding the needs of a student population of great diversity – in age, abilities, cultural background, ethnicity, religion, economic background, primary language, sexual orientation, gender identity, and academic preparation – through inclusive course materials, teaching strategies and advisement.
  
  

Other Duties

Note that all San José State University employees are considered mandated reporters under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and are required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment. Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) and CSU systemwide policy, some faculty duties may lead to designation as a Campus Security Authority (CSA). CSAs are required to complete Clery Act training and to immediately report Clery incidents to the institution.

Faculty employees must complete CSU employee training as assigned and required based on their role (e.g., Data Security, FERPA, Preventing Discrimination and Harassment, Title IX, Health and Safety). The President may recommend or require compliance with safety measures that decrease the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission or illness and allows the core mission and activities of the campus to continue.

Application Procedure

Click Apply Now to complete the SJSU Online Employment Application and attach the following documents:

• letter of interest
• curriculum vitae
• diversity statement
• statement of teaching interests/philosophy
• research plans
• three references with contact information or three references we may contact for letters

Inquiries may be directed to Dr. Simon Shim, Department Chair, at simon.shim@sjsu.edu.

Conditional Offer

The work for this faculty position may only be performed in the State of California and requires establishing an on-campus presence.  Employment is contingent upon US residence and proof of eligibility to work in the United States. Satisfactory completion of a background check (including a criminal records check) is required for employment. SJSU will make a conditional offer of employment, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the continued employment of a current employee who was conditionally offered the position.

San José State University: Silicon Valley's Public University

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley — one of the most innovative regions in the world — San José State University is the founding campus of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system and the first public university in the West. Recognized as a leading transformative educational institution, San José State is an essential partner in the technological, economic, cultural, and social development of Silicon Valley, the Bay Area, and California. SJSU is a top-200 school nationally in research funding and second highest in research productivity in the CSU system. Cutting-edge research, world-class scholarship, student-centered learning, diverse communities, and commitment to social justice, allow SJSU to provide life-changing opportunities and advance the public good locally and globally.

Equal Employment Statement

San José State University prohibits discrimination on the basis of Age, Ancestry, Caste, Color, Disability, Ethnicity, Gender, Gender Expression, Gender Identity, Genetic Information, Marital Status, Medical Condition, Military Status, Nationality, Race, Religion, Religious Creed, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Sex Stereotype, and Veteran Status. This policy applies to all San José State University students, faculty, and staff as well as University programs and activities. Reasonable accommodations are made for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose.

Campus Security and Fire Safety Notification

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the Annual Security Report (ASR) is also now available for viewing at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Security-Report.pdf. The ASR contains the current security and safety-related policy statements, emergency preparedness and evacuation information, crime prevention and Sexual Assault prevention information, and information about drug and alcohol prevention programming. The ASR also contains statistics of Clery crimes for San José State University locations for the three most recent calendar years. A paper copy of the ASR is available upon request by contacting the Office of the Clery Director by phone at 408-924-1501 or by email at clerycompliance@sjsu.edu.

Pursuant to the Higher Education Opportunity Act, the Annual Fire Safety Report (AFSR) is available at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Fire-Safety-Report.pdf. The purpose of this report is to disclose statistics for fires that occurred within SJSU on-campus housing facilities for the three most recent calendar years, and to distribute fire safety policies and procedures intended to promote safety on Campus. A paper copy of the AFSR is available upon request by contacting the Housing Office by phone at 408-795-5600 or by email at uhs-frontdesk@sjsu.edu.