The CDS Faculty Rotation program provides a unique opportunity for collaboration across BU academic units for the purpose of sharing and disseminating the best practices in data science education. By broadening participation in data science instruction at BU, the program brings high-quality data science course experiences to students both in CDS and in the home departments of participating faculty members. Tenure-track faculty and teaching-stream faculty may find this program particularly appealing as it provides an opportunity for growth and development through interaction and collaboration with CDS faculty and students.
The Program
Under this program, selected teaching rotation faculty members will receive affiliation or secondary appointments in CDS for a 3-year period, during which they are expected to develop a new course and teach it at least once per academic year in CDS (i.e., at least 3 total) in consultation with CDS leadership and the leadership of the faculty member’s home academic unit, which is provided with adequate teaching replacement costs. Faculty members participating in the program will be provided with two semesters of PhD student support per academic year (1 TF and 1 RA) as well as $5,000 per year to support research and teaching related expenses.
For further details please see the full program announcement.
Eligibility and Nomination Guidelines
The CDS Faculty Rotation Program is open to all full-time faculty members at Boston University, including those with teaching stream appointments. Interested faculty should provide a proposal not to exceed two pages, as well as a memo of endorsement from their Department Chair of the proposed curricular development/plan, noting that Chair and Decanal support is needed for secondary appointments.
Submission Process
Proposals should be addressed to Azer Bestavros, Associate Provost for Computing & Data Sciences, and sent via email to cds-ap@bu.edu.
Selection Process and Deadlines
The Associate Provost will convene a CDS ad hoc committee to review applications and recommend one or more finalists. Upon agreement of the Chair and Dean, selected faculty members will be notified by the Associate Provost. Proposals should anticipate a start-date of two semesters after approval to allow for course scheduling coordination, (i.e., proposals approved in Fall 2023 will assume a start-date of Fall 2024).
While all curriculum/course development proposals will be considered, preference will be given to proposals for undergraduate electives that contribute to either the methodological or in-the-field options of the BS in DS program. CDS welcomes the opportunity to discuss ideas for new courses with faculty members interested in pursuing this opportunity.
Questions and Contacts
Any member of the BU community with questions about this program is encouraged to reach out to Azer Bestavros (best@bu.edu), Associate Provost for CDS, or Chris DeVits (cdevits@bu.edu), Director of Administration for CDS.