Visiting Assistant Professor of Statistics and Data Science

The Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science (MSCS) at St. Olaf College invites applications for a full-time, one-year position in statistics and data science at the level of Visiting Instructor or Assistant Professor, to begin August 2025. The position is for one year with potential for subsequent appointments based on staffing needs and success in the first year.

Responsibilities include teaching introductory statistics and data science courses, as well as participating in the life of the Statistics and Data Science Program, MSCS Department, and college as a whole. The full-time teaching load is six course sections total among fall, January, and spring terms. 

Salary: $59,000 - $64,000

Qualifications
We are looking for candidates who have a PhD in statistics, biostatistics, data science, or a related field; ABD candidates will be considered. Highest consideration will be given to candidates with demonstrated effectiveness or potential in teaching at the undergraduate level. We are particularly interested in applicants who will contribute to the department’s commitment to increasing access and opportunities for populations that are currently under-represented in MSCS-related fields. Candidates, in their letters of application, should address their potential to contribute to the St. Olaf community that maintains a diversity of people and perspectives as one of its core values. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the U.S.

About the Department
The Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science (MSCS) Department includes thriving programs in mathematics, statistics and data science, computer science, mathematical biology, and mathematics education. While maintaining disciplinary rigor, we promote interactions and synergy among MSCS programs and across the college. Our dedicated MSCS faculty collaborate with talented students, support our excellent record of teaching, and are leaders in a wide range of research programs. Our department is actively engaged in the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we seek a colleague who will contribute to inclusive excellence and teach a variety of courses across our mathematics curriculum. If interested, abundant support is available for collaborative research projects involving undergraduates, including through our Collaborative Undergraduate Research and Inquiry program and the Center for Interdisciplinary Research.

The St. Olaf mathematics program is among the largest and most successful at American undergraduate institutions, graduating about 70-80 mathematics majors annually. The computer science program graduates about 40-50 majors per year with statistics and data science as the newest major in the department. St. Olaf is among the nation’s top undergraduate origins of PhDs in the mathematical sciences.

For more information about the department, visit https://wp.stolaf.edu/mscs/.

We strive to be a campus of welcome where students, faculty, and staff thrive by bringing their full humanity—gender identity, sexuality, race, ethnicity, national origin, socioeconomic class, disability, religion, spirituality, and age—to the Hill each day. Our goal is to generate conversations and processes that over time create greater clarity, transparency, trust, cooperation, consensus, respect, and measurable outcomes. Practices that support this goal include listening, cultivating a growth mindset, respecting those with different views, being informed by data, and understanding that the work is ongoing, collaborative, organic, and ever evolving. We encourage applicants to familiarize themselves with our Community and Belonging webpage to learn more about our commitment and to identify how you might contribute to these efforts.

How to Apply
A complete application includes the following:

References: Provide contact information for three professional references who can speak to your abilities in teaching and scholarship.

Supporting Documents and URLS:

1. Cover letter outlining your qualifications and why you are interested in this particular position
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Graduate transcripts (unofficial)
4. Teaching statement describing your teaching philosophy. This should include your views and approaches to teaching, and not simply a list of your teaching experiences.

Review of applications will begin on February 17 and will continue until the position is filled. Questions about the position, department, or college may be directed to Katie Ziegler-Graham, Director of Statistics and Data Science, at kziegler@stolaf.edu.

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