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Assistant Professor - Computer Science, Cybersecurity or AI

Categories: College of Science & Engineering

Position TitleAssistant Professor - Computer Science, Cybersecurity or AI

About the University

Western Washington University, with over 14,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

About the Department

The Computer Science Department has 18 tenured or tenure-track faculty, 15 non-tenure track instructors, and serves upwards of 600 majors or pre-majors.  During any one quarter, up to 1000 students are taking one or more computer science classes. The department offers an ABET-accredited B.S. in computer science, an M.S. degree, a B.S. degree in Data Science, a B.S. degree in Cyber Security, as well as a CS Education B.A. degree. The department is currently seeking ABET accreditation for Data Science and Cyber Security. The department has a strong history of research collaboration with other disciplines across campus such as Anthropology, Linguistics, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Physics, among others, as well as collaborations with regional tech partners such as the Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL). Collaborations with the Washington Autonomous Vehicle Cluster (WAV-C), and with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), provide additional opportunities for faculty whose specialty is robotics. Faculty-mentored research projects are a hallmark of CS at WWU, which the department and college support in numerous ways, including by funding student and faculty travel to academic conferences to present their co-authored publications.

The Computer Science Department and the College of Science and Engineering are committed to cultivating equitable and diverse learning and work environments to fulfill Western’s strategic goals of Advancing Inclusive Success, Increasing Washington Impact, and Enhancing Academic Excellence. The department and college’s on-going efforts include faculty involvement in workshops on inclusive pedagogy and educational research on student success, among others.

Work Life Balance: The department supports a balance between teaching and scholarship, and between life and work. Standards for tenure and promotion are designed with this commitment in mind. Faculty have reasonable yearly teaching loads, which enables them to pursue their scholarship interests via mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students. Above all, high quality engaged instruction is highly valued.

Department Growth: As part of the university’s commitment to cultivate expansion in critical disciplines, Kaiser Borsari Hall was recently built to increase capacity in Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering. The 20,000 square foot facility houses state-of-the-art teaching classrooms, new faculty offices, a showcase robotics lab, as well as student project spaces.

Student culture: The department has a long history and culture of student engagement in faculty-mentored research that is supported by the College. The extent and success of student research is evidenced by several alumni each year proceeding to PhD programs at top institutions. Our undergraduate and graduate students land careers at a wide range of destinations, from top tech companies to startups, to national labs.

Visit our department web page athttps://cs.wwu.edu/for more information.

About the Position

Exceptional scholars from all fields of computer science are encouraged to apply, especially those who bring expertise that complements or expands upon strengths of theWWU CS Department Faculty (https://cs.wwu.edu/faculty-student-department-spotlights) .

The position involves developing and teaching computer science courses (broadly speaking, to include computer science, data science, and/or cybersecurity courses in line with the successful applicant’s specialization), conducting research, advising students, engaging with the community, and service to support the department, college, and university. This position offers a unique and exciting opportunity to be part of the growth of the department, including the development of new curricula, research areas, and laboratory facilities.

The position requires a strong commitment to teaching and scholarship. Responsibilities include teaching core and service courses in computer science, data science, cybersecurity (as relevant to specialty), as well as developing and teaching advanced/ graduate-level courses in the candidate’s area of specialization. Scholarship responsibilities include developing and maintaining a relevant program of scholarship that engages our students. It is expected that the successful candidate will fulfill teaching, scholarly, service, and mentoring responsibilities in ways that provide an equitable and inclusive environment for all students, faculty, and staff.

All areas of specialization will be considered, but the department is particularly seeking candidates with research expertise and teaching interests in AI or cybersecurity. To facilitate the development of a research program that involves both undergraduate and graduate students, start-up funds will be available.

Required Qualifications

+ An earned PhD at time of application, or ABD at time of application, in Computer Science or a closely related field. If ABD, all degree requirements must be completed by June 15th of the first year of employment (e.g., for a September 2026 start date, all degree requirements must be completed by June 15, 2027).

+ Record of or potential for, and commitment to high quality and inclusive teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

+ A record of high-quality scholarship in computer science.

+ Ability to develop a research program that involves undergraduate and/or graduate M.S. students.

+ Commitment to teach and engage in curricular development at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

+ Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

+ Scholarly interest and expertise in AI or cybersecurity.

+ Commitment to seek external funding.

Conditions of EmploymentAll employees must comply with our Immunization policies, includingProof of Rubeola Measles Immunity (https://policy.wwu.edu/POL-U1300.01-Requiring-Proof-Of-Rubeola-Measles-Immunity) within 60-days of hire. Please reach out [email protected] you need information regarding medical or religious exemption and applicable accommodations.

Salary

Commensurate with experience and qualifications. Anticipated starting salary range for assistant professor appointment, tenure-track is generally between $100,000-$104,000, with placement within the position’s salary range being based on qualifications and professional experience. The entire salary range for the assistant professor position is $100,000-$106,000, with the upper end of the salary range typically being achieved through collectively bargained salary adjustments.Relocation assistance (https://policy.wwu.edu/POL-U5410.08-Providing-Relocation-Compensation) may be available per University guidelines. Salary and Start-up funds are to be determined upon being offered the position

Benefits InformationBenefits Overview for Faculty Positions (https://hr.wwu.edu/files/2022-06/Benefits-Faculty.pdf)

Bargaining Unit

United Faculty of Western Washington

Application Instructions

+ Application Letter (max 3 pages): a letter of application that addresses how you meet the required and preferred qualifications for the position, and your ability and commitment to fulfill the responsibilities of the position.

+ Service and Engagement Statement (max 2 pages): in a separate statement please describe activities such as mentoring, outreach, and other service efforts that support student success and promote equity and access, which impact students, faculty, staff and/or your field, and a description of how you will demonstrate a commitment in these areas in teaching, research, and/or service at WWU.

+ Teaching Statement (max 2 pages): in a separate statement, address how you support student success and foster inclusive, accessible learning environments. Explain your teaching experience and/or interests, and plans for teaching introductory and advanced courses up through and including graduate M.S. courses. Please include a summary of teaching evaluations, if applicable.

+ Research Statement (max 4 pages, not including references): in a separate statement, please detail your research interests, current and future projects, and plans for recruiting and involving both undergraduate and graduate students.

+ Vita: A full curriculum vitae.

+ References: the names and contact information for at least three professional references.  Please do not send letters of recommendation; these will only be required for semi-finalists, and will be requested from the provided references via Western’s PageUp electronic application system.

+ Undergraduate & Graduate Transcripts: unofficial copies of transcripts are acceptable for initial application review.

Closing Date Notes

For priority consideration, applications should be received by 8 December. Screening interviews are anticipated to be conducted via Zoom in early December.  Finalist interviews are anticipated to be conducted on campus starting in early January. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Inquiries about the position may be addressed to the search committee and Department chair, Prof. Filip Jagodzinski, [email protected]

Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with applicable laws, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, citizenship or immigration status, pregnancy, use of protective leave, genetic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, creed, religion, veteran or military status, disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal (including a service animal in training) by a person with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. See WWU’s Policies on Prohibiting Discrimination Based on A Protected Class (https://policy.wwu.edu/POL-U1600.02-Prohibiting-Discrimination-Based-on-A-Protected-Class-Interim) andProhibiting Discrimination Based on Sex (https://policy.wwu.edu/POL-U1600.04-Prohibiting-Discrimination-Based-on-Sex-Interim) . Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Western Washington University, Old Main 126 (MS 9021), 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225;360.650.3307(voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); [email protected]

WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services (https://hr.wwu.edu/workplace-accommodation) ,360.650.3751or 711 (Washington Relay).

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report: This report is provided pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act ("The Clery Act"). It includes statistics for the previous three calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on Western's campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Western; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. You can obtain a copy of this report in printed or alternate formats by contacting the Office of Student Life [email protected]. The report can be found at:Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (https://www.wwu.edu/clery) .

All new employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires and rehires, which includes asexual misconduct background check (https://hr.wwu.edu/sexual-misconduct-background-checks) .

Job no: 502776

Advertised: Nov 17 2025 08:00 Pacific Standard Time

Applications close: