Description

Washington State University (WSU) is starting a new research and education program to meet burgeoning demand for computer scientists with expertise in cybersecurity. This initiative is supported by $2 million in Washington state funding. To support this cybersecurity program across three WSU campuses (Everett, Pullman, and Tri-Cities), we plan to hire up to nine faculty in cybersecurity. We invite applications for permanent full-time tenured/tenure-track/career-track teaching faculty positions in the broad area of cybersecurity at the assistant/associate/full professor level. Some specific cybersecurity areas (including but not limited to) are systems/application security, privacy-preserving computing, applied cryptography, formal methods for security, security of machine learning systems, machine learning for security, hardware security, IoT and cyber-physical systems security, differential privacy and applied cryptography. Candidates can select their preference for WSU campus and the position level. The new faculty will have numerous collaboration opportunities with several large initiatives within the WSU system including (but not limited to) the WSU-PNNL Advanced Grid Institute (AGI), DOD-funded CySER Institute for cybersecurity, and NSF-USDA AgAID AI Institute.

Requirements: Candidates for Assistant Professor must have an earned Ph.D. degree in computer science or a related field by the time of hire; candidates for Associate Professor or Professor must additionally meet the WSU standards for promotion to those ranks.

Tenure-track candidates at all ranks must have published promising research work and demonstrate a strong commitment to building a world-class research and training program. Candidates must additionally have strong leadership qualities commensurate with the rank, as well as exceptional communication and interpersonal skills. Candidates should demonstrate a commitment to teaching excellence at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and a commitment to diversifying the student body. 

Career-track teaching faculty at all levels should demonstrate strong teaching, communication, and leadership skills, and optionally bring real-world experience working on cybersecurity tools and systems, and experience in developing cybersecurity related curriculum. Recent graduates and graduate students expecting to graduate by August 2023 who have a passion for teaching core undergraduate level computer science and cybersecurity courses are strongly encouraged to apply.

Duties: The job duties of successful candidates at all ranks include teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in cybersecurity and other relevant computer science and engineering courses; conducting funded research; publishing in top-tier venues; directing M.S. and Ph.D. student research programs; participating in the continuous teaching assessment activities of the relevant units and WSU campuses; effectively communicating and interacting with students; and collaborating with others within the unit, the University, or other organizations including regional partners such as the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Washington State University is one of the nation’s top 50 public research universities in computer science according to U.S. News and World Report. WSU is among 108 public and private universities in America recognized with the “very high research activity” categorization and among 240 universities and colleges nationwide to earn the “community engagement” classification from the Carnegie Foundation.

WSU Pullman and Everett: The new faculty will join 37 existing tenure-track faculty members in the School of EECS, which has experienced rapid growth over the past four years. In 2021 approximately 1200 undergraduate students, and 275 graduate students are enrolled in the School. EECS expects continued increase in enrollments and anticipates multiple faculty hires over the next few years. The current faculty composition in the School of EECS includes a member of the National Academy of Engineering and ten fellows of national professional organizations as well as fourteen CAREER and Young Investigator award recipients. Our graduate students have recently won multiple prestigious awards including Microsoft Research fellowship, IBM Research fellowship, and NSF Computing Innovation fellowship.

With a population of 34,000, Pullman is a quintessential college town—ranked #1 in the “Best Cities to Live in Washington” by the Washington state Chamber of Commerce 2019 report, one of the top 10 best college towns in the nation according to MSN’s 2012 report; ranked #15 safest college town in America by a SafeWise 2019 report; and recognized by Bloomberg Businessweek as the “Best Place to Raise Kids” in Washington State. Pullman consistently boasts one of the top school districts in the state. Situated to the east of the Cascade Mountains, Pullman enjoys a dry four-season climate (21 inches of annual participation), with sunny, warm summers, relatively mild winters, and excellent access to outdoor recreational opportunities.

Washington State University Everett is a student- and community-centered campus, located in the seventh-largest city in Washington State. The Everett campus provides the unique opportunity to align world-class WSU academics directly with industry partners whose headquarters are next door in the Puget Sound area, including Boeing, Microsoft, Naval Station Everett, and more. WSU Everett offers top-tier higher education to serve the local community, bringing the Coug experience to the west of the Cascade.

Less than 40 minutes from Seattle, Everett is a bustling business epicenter with a majestic natural backdrop. Snohomish County’s largest city is home to the second-largest marina on the West Coast and Boeing’s jumbo jet assembly plant, the largest building by volume in the world.

WSU Tri-Cities:  The new faculty will join the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences (SEAS),  an integral unit within the university’s Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture. SEAS is among the newest academic units at WSU Tri-Cities, with programs in computer science and civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering at the Baccalaureate, Master’s, and Doctoral levels, encouraging interdisciplinary initiatives. All undergraduate programs are accredited by ABET. The School currently has 314 students and expects continued enrollment increases. SEAS produces profession-ready graduates by educating them through project-based experiential learning. Students participate in laboratory experiences, develop industry-sponsored projects, complete paid internships, and participate in research with their professors.  Computer Science is an independently accredited program in SEAS currently with 3 permanent faculty positions, 64 undergraduates, and 5 graduate students. Cyber security research in collaboration with PNNL and supported by CySER is ongoing.

WSU’s Tri-Cities campus is in Richland, WA on the west banks of the majestic Columbia River. In this region, Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco make up the Tri-Cities, Washington. The campus draws from a regional population of approximately 260,000, and is expanding its reach both nationally and internationally, also benefiting from a newly renovated airport. The growing campus has approximately 1,600 students who are served by nearly 90 full-time and 250 adjunct faculty members, many of whom are full-time researchers and scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory or local science and engineering firms. WSU Tri-Cities is experiencing a time of unprecedented growth and development. Legislative support, tremendous community leadership and backing, and partnerships with businesses and community organizations have resulted in many exciting new and expanded initiatives in dynamic student engagement, research, and community collaborations.

Applications should include a cover letter indicating the level of position sought, preferred WSU campus or campuses (Everett, Pullman, Tri-Cities), and summarizing qualifications. All applications should also include teaching and diversity statements, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references.  Tenure-track/tenured faculty applications include research statement. Candidates should apply for positions at the campus or campuses which best match their career goals.  Candidates may apply to one, two, or three campuses but will only be considered at the campus(es) to which they apply.

To apply, visit:

For WSU Everett: tinyurl.com/everett-cybersecurity

For WSU Pullman: tinyurl.com/pullman-cybersecurity

For WSU Tri-cities: tinyurl.com/tricities-cybersecurity

Application review begins October 1, 2022. It is anticipated that successful candidates will begin their appointment no later than Aug 16, 2023. For questions about WSU Everett positions, please contact Bolong Zeng at bzeng@wsu.edu.  For questions about WSU Pullman positions, please contact Jana Doppa at jana.doppa@wsu.edu. For questions about WSU Tri-cities positions, please contact Mohamed Osman at osman@wsu.edu.

WSU is committed to excellence through diversity, has faculty friendly policies including a partner accommodation program, on-site childcare availability, and a NSF ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant to increase the advancement of women faculty in science, engineering and math (see https://advance.wsu.edu/initiatives/). These open positions are part of WSU’s priority to build a diverse faculty and, as such, female and minority candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. WSU is an EEO/AA/ADA educator and employer.