The Rice Center for Engineering Leadership (RCEL) in collaboration with the Department of Statistics at Rice University seeks applicants with statistics, data science and technical management/leadership experience for a lecturer faculty position in the new Master of Engineering Management & Leadership (MEML) degree program.
RCEL is a center within the George R. Brown School of Engineering at Rice University in Houston, Texas. The mission of RCEL is to produce a generation of ethical-technical leaders in engineering and technology. RCEL works closely with all of the departments in the Rice School of Engineering.
Overview for the relevant MEML course to be taught:
Modern engineering leaders face myriad projects and problems that involve the generation, collection, analysis, visualization and interpretation of data, much of which is now known as big data (upwards of millions of observations) and/or high-dimensional (upwards of millions of variables) problems and/or data science (using computation and statistics to extract new knowledge from data). Engineering leaders must be able to leverage data science for today’s complex data-driven decision making. This course will provide a foundation in statistics and data science with a view toward preparing engineering leaders to engage and direct teams in data based solutions to engineering problems. Students will learn about fundamental statistical concepts and methods not only for being knowledgeable consumers of statistics, but also understanding best practices in the data science pipeline from study design, data collection, data quality and data management to actionable decisions based on visualization, basic data analysis, basic machine learning, and interpretation of statistical results, including ethics and reproducibility.
Candidates for these Lecture positions should have a PhD in statistics, a relevant engineering, or a computational science (e.g., computer science, computational & applied math, etc.). Candidates with industry experience are especially encouraged to apply. Each candidate will have an academic home in the Department of Statistics and a joint affiliation with RCEL. These engineering faculty positions offer flexible opportunities for individuals passionate about statistics, big data, and technical/engineering management. Hiring at the Professor in the Practice (i.e., 10+ years of industry experience) or Teaching Professor rank may be considered, where appropriate. The precise job responsibilities will be tailored for each candidate, but may include:
- Teaching or team-teaching MEML courses, in particular, one on Applied Statistics and Data Science for Engineering Leaders Collaborating with other RCEL and statistics faculty to advance knowledge in statistics and data science (and if appropriate engineering management & leadership).
- Developing new course(s) and course content.
- Teaching BOTH traditional (lecture-style) on-campus and online courses at the masters level. Building and fostering partnerships with industry and other academics to bring state-of-art material to the MEML degree course(s).
- Mentoring students on MEML projects and on professional and career development.
- Performing service relevant to RCEL and the statistics departments in support of the school of engineering mission.
Application Process:
To apply, follow these instructions. Extended deadline is July 7.
Submit a cover letter, CV, a statement about relevant engineering management and leadership research and/or job experience, and optionally a teaching statement, including examples of teaching materials.
Questions regarding this position can be directed to Rudy Guerra (rguerra@rice.edu), the Department of Statistics chair, or Fred Higgs (higgs@rice.edu), the RCEL Faculty Director. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with start dates as early as Fall 2021. The successful candidate will have a strong commitment to teaching, advising, and mentoring graduate students from diverse backgrounds.
About Rice University
The George R. Brown School of Engineering ranks among the top 20 of undergraduate engineering programs (US News & World Report) and is strongly committed to nurturing the aspirations of faculty, staff and students in an inclusive environment.
We seek greater representation of women, minorities, people with disabilities, and veterans in disciplines in which they have historically been underrepresented; to attract international students from a wider range of countries and backgrounds; to accelerate progress in building a faculty and staff who are diverse in background and thought; and we support an inclusive environment that fosters interaction and understanding within our diverse community.
Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment to diversity at all levels and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.