CRA-W Promotion & Tenure

Dilma Da Silva, Chair Texas A&M

Kathryn S McKinley, Microsoft Research

The next hour of your life

• A bit about me• 15 minutes on tenure• A bit about Dilma• 15 minutes on promotion in research labs• 15 minutes partner exercise• 10 Q&A

Kathryn McKinleyPrincipal Researcher, Microsoft

Endowed Professor, UT AustinTenured at UMassACM Fellow, IEEE Fellow18 PhD studentsTestified to Congress

Uncertain<T> programming with estimatesImmix Garbage CollectionDaCapo BenchmarksCross system boundariesSoftware for Heterogeneous Hardware

Better systemsProgrammable, correct, fast, secure, energy efficient

Energy

+

The Academic “Ladder”

Postdoc 1-2 yearsAssistant Professor ~6 years

Associate ProfessorProfessor

Chaired Professor Department Head Associate Dean

Dean . . .

tenure

Tenure Criteria

Research

Teaching

Service

Quality and quantity is institution specific

Read tenure CV of successful faculty

Learn the influential faculty (chair, etc.)

Ask them for feedback every year

Tenure Process

Yearly department evaluationsMid-tenure review

CVResearch, teaching, & service statementsTeaching evaluations External letters

Tenure packetCVResearch, teaching, & service statementsTeaching evaluations External letters (typically 8-12)

Research

Move the needle

Work on important problem(s)

create or borrow a theme: self managing home, private web,

accurate search, energy efficiency, programmable, etc.

Enough funding & students to do it

industry funding demonstrates near term important

test out students before committing

Collaborate when the solution requires technical skills you want

write at least one paper before applying for joint funding

Publish in top venues – quality over quantity

Be “a goto person” in your theme – research leadership

publish, PCs, organize a workshop, tutorial, attend, questions, give talks

Research RelationshipsResearch is a social process

Students

build your own group culture

training great students

vs doing great work

Collaborators

multiply your research, learn new skills

Community

develop relationships and improve your community

Teaching

Teaching – hard work & rewarding Enjoy it – immediate feedbackTeaching plan – what, when, how NEGOTIONATION

• Match your expertise & needs to the department’s needs

Before tenure• Limit number of different courses, so you can teach well• No one cares how many times you taught course X, just that

you did it well when you did teach it• Take available teaching release, e.g., maternity leave, new

faculty, mini-sabbatical

Teaching – hard work & rewarding Execution for good student evaluations

• Prepared for every class: topic, learn, extra, how it fits in• On time, end on time; course structure; stay on schedule• Quizzes, structuring of assignments, tests, drop deadline• Peer tutoring matching to help top & bottom of class

Teaching gives back • Technical material you want at your finger tips• Attracting, evaluating, and training graduate students• Inspire the next generation

But in R1 institutions, teaching alone wont get you tenure

Service

Service

Department & UniversityWhat matters to you, important to department, strategicBuild relationships with your colleagues, harder to fire you if they like youUnderstand department values

DisciplineBefore tenure, only do research enhancing serviceSay YES to

program committees of top venues, your area specific venue, NSF grant reviewing, research visioning activities

Say NO to treasurer, local arrangements, poster chair, etc.

Quality and reliability are more important than quantity

Dilma Da Silva Department Chair, Texas A&M

Find a partner

What’s the weakest part of your tenure case?

What should you about it?

Partner Exercise

Questions?

Next Steps

CRA-W wants to change the face of computing

What does CRA-W do?Individual & Group Research Mentoring

Undergrads Undergraduate Research Experiences

Undergrads Distinguished lecture role models

Grad Cohort group mentoring of graduate students

Grad Students Discipline Specific Research workshops

PhD Researchers group mentoring early & mid career @ CMW, CAPP, Grace Hopper & Tapia

Graduate StudentsUndergraduates

Academic careers

Industry/government labs

600+ students & PhDs a year

22

Does it work?

Compares program participants to non-participants

✔Yes!

Private Foundation

University Departments

www.cra-w.org www.cdc.org

Thank you & thanks to our sponsors