About James Madison University
Mission

We are a community committed to preparing students to be educated and enlightened citizens who lead productive and meaningful lives.

Vision

To be the national model for the engaged university: engaged with ideas and the world.

Who We Are

Located in the heart of Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA. With a population of just over 53,000, Harrisonburg is one of the most diverse communities in the Commonwealth of Virginia. JMU is a selective, public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and inclusive environment for students, faculty and staff. The student body includes approximately 20,000 undergraduate and 1,900 graduate students, with over 1,000 full-time instructional faculty.

JMU offers thriving programs in the liberal arts, science and technology, and professional disciplines at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. The university is committed to expanding diversity, fostering equity and inclusion, and supporting superlative teaching and scholarship. JMU has achieved national recognition for the high quality of its academic programs, focus on maintaining strong student/faculty interaction, and innovative faculty research.
General Information
The School of Integrated Sciences (SIS) at James Madison University (JMU) seeks a new full-time tenure-track colleague at the level of Assistant or Associate Professor. This person will join the Integrated Science and Technology (ISAT) faculty in August 2023 and support the Applied Computing concentration within the major.

The ISAT Program is a unique ABET-accredited, multidisciplinary, applied science program with roughly 300 undergraduate majors. ISAT prepares graduates with modern problem-solving skills through the strategic integration of technology, natural and social sciences, humanities, and systems thinking. ISAT emphasizes holistic problem-solving approaches to define and address complex problems using science, technology, and social systems.

Students in the ISAT Program declare a concentration in one of six areas: Applied Computing, Applied Biotechnology, Energy, Environment and Sustainability, Industrial and Manufacturing Systems, and Public Interest Technology & Science. This novel curricular framework makes for an exciting, supportive, and interdisciplinary academic culture, enabling faculty and students to grow into new areas of expertise and flourish within our inclusive community. Faculty come together around a shared passion for impactful and socially-engaged STEM education and scholarship.

In addition to the ISAT Program, the School of Integrated Sciences is home to undergraduate degrees in Intelligence Analysis and Geography, offering rich opportunities to collaborate across these globally-minded programs. And, with a Master’s Degree in Environmental Management and Sustainability in partnership, our new colleague will be invited to teach at the graduate level.
Duties and Responsibilities
Our new colleague will teach a variety of required and elective courses in the ISAT-Applied Computing area of the curriculum. These courses emphasize deconstructing and solving problems using computational thinking applied to data analysis, modeling and simulation, databases, knowledge-based systems, and/or building and implementing web apps and mobile apps. Evolving topics may include Database Design, SQL, Data Science, Agile Software Development, Python, and Data. Course and program-level curricular design and development is supported and encouraged. A typical teaching load is three courses per semester.

In addition to excellence in undergraduate teaching, the position requires an active scholarly program (research and/or application) that enriches and engages faculty and students in one or more of ISAT’s concentration areas (See “General Information”). For example, ISAT faculty work with students on multi-year undergraduate capstone projects. These projects provide opportunities for teams of students and faculty to explore, develop, and expand scholarly interests. Excellence in scholarship involves active participation and contribution to one or more external scholarly communities.

All faculty participate in service activities to support the school, college, and university. Community engagement is highly encouraged.
Qualifications
A terminal degree in a relevant academic discipline and demonstrated expertise is required for a tenure-track appointment; ABD candidates are encouraged to apply. Candidates with a graduate degree and substantial experience in the field are welcomed and would be eligible for a renewable term appointment.

We are particularly interested in new colleagues specializing in Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Big Data Engineering, Databases, Data Mining, Data Visualization, Data Analytics, Computational Sciences, Data Science, Software Engineering, or Application Development. A strong understanding of issues related to data ethics would be a plus.

Our new colleague will embrace the interdisciplinary nature of the school by actively seeking opportunities to collaborate across program and/or concentration boundaries, and by leading the school into innovative applications of computing, data science, and pedagogy. Candidates must demonstrate a strong potential for teaching undergraduates, an ability to contribute to the ISAT-Applied Computing curriculum, and a demonstrated commitment to scholarship involving students. Strong candidates will demonstrate an ability to work across disciplines and a commitment to collegiality, equity, and inclusivity. These qualities support ISAT and University goals of integrating diverse perspectives and removing barriers to participation.
Conditions of Employment
Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.

E-Verify Notice: After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. James Madison University uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.