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Job Category:
Faculty
Employment Type:
Regular
Job Profile:
Assistant Professor
Job Summary:
The Department of Computer Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has embarked on a multi-year effort to grow its faculty, enhance its strengths in many areas of computing, and extend its impact in interdisciplinary areas. As part of this endeavor, and as part of the department’s involvement in the Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) Initiative at UW-Madison, we invite highly qualified candidates with expertise in natural language processing (NLP) to apply to a position at the assistant level that will begin in August 2026. Natural Language Processing (NLP) is essential to facilitating interactions between humans and AI.
We are particularly interested in candidates whose research and expertise are in causal inference for robust, reliable, and responsible NLP. The successful candidate will advance the educational mission of the College of Letters & Science that values, prioritizes, and actualizes evidence-based and student-centered teaching and (undergraduate student) mentoring. They will contribute to an environment that fosters engagement and a sense of belonging for faculty, staff, students and members of the broader community.
Duties will include scholarly research in natural language processing and related areas of computer science. It will also include individual and classroom teaching in computer science at the undergraduate and graduate levels and advising and mentoring graduate students majoring in computer science or related areas, service to the department, college, university, and academic community, nationally or internationally. The successful candidate, as a member of the College of L&S, will proactively contribute to, support, and advance the college’s commitment to excellence among all aspects of their teaching, mentoring, research, and service.
The Department of Computer Sciences is among the oldest and top-ranked computer science departments in the world, renowned for its groundbreaking research in computer architecture, database systems, distributed and grid computing, programming languages, optimization, and many other areas of computer science. The department has a strong track record of support of transformative research and building large-scale computing infrastructures, such as HTCondor and CloudLab, and of new interdisciplinary collaborations, programs, and centers, including the Wisconsin Institutes of Discovery (WID). The department has also been the beneficiary of significant donations aimed at supporting its research and educational mission.
The School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences (CDIS) is a significant resource for the Department of Computer Sciences to strengthen its interdisciplinary and cross-campus research collaborations, to establish new, innovative educational programs in the intersection of computing and other domains, and to promote engagement with high-impact, real-world challenges that can be addressed through computing. More information about CDIS can be found at https://cdis.wisc.edu. Construction is proceeding on a new building for CDIS, which will be the new home of the Department of Computer Sciences (see https://cdis.wisc.edu/building-future/).
This position is part of the Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) Initiative. Through accelerated and strategic faculty hiring, research infrastructure enhancement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and increased student and educational opportunities, RISE addresses complex societal challenges of importance to the state, nation and world. Building on UW–Madison’s strengths, RISE expands the University’s successful track record of connecting with communities and industry on collaborative solutions.
Over the next three academic years, UW–Madison will substantially increase current hiring levels, bringing 150 new RISE faculty to campus. Candidates hired through RISE will join a community of scholars working across disciplines, schools and colleges on research, teaching and outreach endeavors.
The community will engage regularly in venues such as seminar series and colloquia to share ongoing projects and identify opportunities to work together. The University will support the community, facilitating access to research infrastructure, and funding to support broad and rich collaboration.
Further information regarding RISE can be found at: https://rise.wisc.edu/
In the College of Letters & Science, we provide a liberal arts education that is both broad and deep through excellent, empathic teaching. We hire faculty who are interested in pursuing difficult questions, making new discoveries, and making an impact in their field. We reward excellent teaching and classroom innovation, and we are committed to shared governance. Learn more about the L&S mission on our webpage: https://ls.wisc.edu/about/mission.
Located at the nexus of four beautiful lakes, Madison, the capital of the state of Wisconsin and home to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, consistently ranks among the top American cities for its quality of life. With the headquarters of medical software company Epic, Microsoft's Jim Gray Systems Lab, Google, and several other technology giants in the area, as well as a strong startup ecosystem, Madison is also among the fastest growing technology hubs in the country.
Key Job Responsibilities:
Duties will include scholarly research in natural language processing and related areas of computer science; individual and classroom teaching in computer science at the undergraduate and graduate levels and advising and mentoring graduate students majoring in computer science or related areas; service to the department, college, university, and academic community, nationally or internationally. The successful candidate, as a member of the College of L&S, will proactively contribute to, support, and advance the college’s commitment to excellence among all aspects of their teaching, mentoring, research, and service.
Department:
College of Letters and Science, Department of Computer Sciences
Compensation:
Negotiable – 9 months / ongoing / renewable
Required Qualifications:
Successful candidates will show potential for developing an outstanding scholarly research program in one or more area(s) of computer science related to natural language processing and for innovative and for student-centered teaching in computer science at all levels. The successful candidate will demonstrate fostering or the ability to foster a teaching, learning, mentoring, departmental, and a research environment where all can thrive.
Education:
Required: PhD. Applicants must have a Ph.D. in Computer Science or in a closely related area prior to start of appointment.
How to Apply:
Apply online at Jobs at UW (http://jobs.wisc.edu) under Job Requisition JR10005673. Applications must be received both through UW-Madison's online application system (jobs.wisc.edu) and Academic Jobs Online) to be considered. Click the "Apply Now" button at Jobs at UW to start the application process.
Applicants should submit the following five (5) items to Jobs at UW:
1. a letter of application
2. curriculum vitae
3. a teaching statement
4. a research statement
5. three publications
Applicants must also complete the standard Academic Jobs Online application, including reference letters. Reference letters are not to be uploaded to Jobs at UW.
Applications not submitted to both Jobs at UW and Academic Jobs Online will not be considered.
For full consideration, all materials must be received no later than 11:59pm on January 14, 2026. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Please note that applicants will be evaluated based upon submitted application materials and therefore should speak to and include evidence of their qualifications. Application materials must clearly demonstrate the applicant’s dedication to excellence in student-centered teaching and mentoring.
Additionally, materials should showcase the applicant’s ability to purposefully plan their teaching practices, evidenced through goals, action plans, reflection, and related documentation. This portion of the application materials must be created by the applicant and may include supporting letters. It cannot be only in the form of letters and testimony by others.
Contact Information:
CS Chair Paul Barford
recruiting@cs.wisc.edu
(608) 262-1204
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.
Institutional Statement on Diversity:
Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.
To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.
Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.
The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).
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