1. The Nature of the Beast Field guide to computer scientists slide 1

2. Computer Scientists uThey come in two flavors Industrial Academic uMany similarities uKey differences: How they are evaluated

3. The Ecology of Academia uTwo kinds of faculty uTenure track Assistant Professor Associate Professor Full Professor uNon-tenure track Lecturers Adjunct Professor Research Professor Visiting Professor

4. Tenure Track Faculty uHow do you become one? Get a PhD Submit an application Get an interview Wow them on the interview Congratulations! The tenure clock starts ticking...

5. About Me (pre-PhD) uGrew up in a country that does not exist anymore u1994: undergraduate degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Washington Prior to that, a few years at Moscow University u2000: PhD in computer science from Stanford

6. About Me (post-PhD) u2000: Bell Labs Silicon Valley Fired 3 months after joining (Lucent shut down the lab) u2001-04: SRI International Researcher at a “think tank” Active in research, kept publishing uSince 2004: assistant prof. at UT Austin Just received tenure Promoted to associate prof. effective September

7. How Did I Get a Faculty Position? uUTCS is a top-10 computer science department uWhy did they hire me? uMust have done something right Publication record Important people said good things about me (more about this later) uSome amount of luck Worked on interesting problems in the “right” area Was in the right place at the right time

8. What is Tenure? uA system with a long probationary period uTwo outcomes: Tenure: A job for life No tenure: Good luck! Have a good life uThe tenure decision: evaluation of teaching, research, and service

9. uTeaching Teach (and design) organized classes Advise students (very time-consuming) uResearch Do research (usually with graduate students) Write papers Attend scientific meetings uObtain grants to fund more research (10% hit rate at NSF) Life of a Tenure-Track Professor

10. Success Factors (at a research university) 1.RESEARCH 2.RESEARCH 3.RESEARCH 4. Teaching 5. Service

11. “Evaluation by Rumor” uExternal letters are extremely important in the tenure review process uThe department asks prominent researchers in your field for their opinions about your research Typically, senior faculty at leading universities in the field (MIT, Stanford, Berkeley …) uYour letter writers know you by your reputation If they do not know you, you are in trouble! uLogical conclusion: the goal of a tenure-track faculty member is to acquire a stellar research reputation

12. Acquiring Research Reputation uHigh-impact publications in top-notch venues uImpact = excitement of other researchers in the field Did you solve a long-standing open problem? Do other researchers cite your work and build on it? uTop-notch venues = where is the best work in your field typically published? CS is unique: conferences (with brutal peer review) matter more than most journals

13. But Wait, There’s More! uService To the department Graduate admissions Faculty recruiting Undergraduate curriculum Run honors program Develop departmental policies... To the college and university To the academic community

14. External Service uOrganize and run scientific meetings Evaluate submitted research papers uServe on editorial boards Evaluate submitted journal papers uMake funding decisions Evaluate submitted grant proposals uYou affect people’s tenure cases and their lives

15. When I Am Not In My Office…

18. Non-Tenure Track Faculty uTypically focus on teaching and service rather than research

19. Take Home Points uThe faculty love their job uThey have high expectations uThey expect some of these traits in the students who they work with uBe somewhat prepared before you approach them