The academic job market is highly competitive, with many candidates having similar qualifications like strong publication records and relevant teaching experience. But tenure-track hopefuls at the Whiting School can get the edge they need to stand out by taking a popular seminar-style course offered by the Department of Computer Science.
Created and taught by John C. Malone Associate Professor Mathias Unberath, Future Faculty: Preparing a New Generation of PIs for the Academic Job Search is designed to equip PhD and postdoctoral students in computer science and robotics with the knowledge they need to pursue a full-time career in academia.
The course dives into the benefits and challenges of the academic career path, the finer details of the application and interview processes, and universities’ expectations of their junior faculty. Students who finish the class will be ready to tackle phone and on-campus interviews and will have a complete first draft of their faculty application package.
Yaoyao Liu
“I particularly enjoyed Professor Unberath’s insights and personal experiences with the job market, which provided valuable context beyond the formal application process,” says Yaoyao Liu, who took the course as a postdoctoral researcher. “I also found the collaborative discussion and presentation sessions extremely helpful, as they allowed us to refine our CVs, research statements, and other materials through constructive feedback.”
Students also appreciated Unberath’s use of real application materials, suggestions about offer negotiations, strategies for selecting recommenders, and advice on balancing research, service, and grants as a junior faculty member.
Zongwei Zhou
“What I enjoyed most about the course was the collaborative environment it fostered; it was incredibly valuable to share my experiences with peers who were also navigating the faculty application process,” adds Zongwei Zhou, a former postdoctoral researcher, now an assistant research scientist in the department. “Hearing about their challenges and strategies not only broadened my perspective, but also helped me refine my own approach on making my application stand out and effectively highlighting my unique strengths.”
Course alums who went on to apply for faculty positions report that the course helped them prepare for perhaps the most exciting—and intense—part of the application process: giving seminar talks around the country while meeting numerous professors in a single day.
Lianrui Zuo
“Having prior insight into meeting multiple faculty members in only one or two packed days—while also delivering a seminar—helped me prepare my presentation around a high-level vision rather than as a mini PhD defense,” says course alum Lianrui Zuo, Engr ’18 (MSE), ’24 (PhD), a postdoctoral scholar at Vanderbilt University’s Medical-Image Analysis and Statistical Interpretation Lab.
Zuo decided on pursuing postdoctoral research to maximize his opportunities for external grant opportunities and gain specialized training beyond his PhD, while Zhou opted to continue working with the Johns Hopkins Computational Cognition, Vision, and Learning research group to develop novel methodologies to support clinical decision-making and advance precision medicine. They credit the preparation they did as part of the Future Faculty course in helping them secure these positions.
Meanwhile, Liu is now an assistant professor of information sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, working on computer vision and machine learning. “I would highly recommend this course to all PhD students and postdocs at Hopkins who are considering faculty positions,” he says. “It provides essential guidance and practical strategies that significantly enhance your preparation for the academic job market.”
Peirong Liu
“I really did not know much about the faculty job search process before taking this course—it was extremely helpful,” adds fellow course alum Peirong Liu, who will be joining Johns Hopkins’ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering as an assistant professor this fall. “I highly recommend the course to students who are thinking of pursuing faculty positions—or to anyone who’s even just curious about the process.”
Shedding light on the faculty job search is exactly why Unberath developed the course in the first place: “I’m glad to see that people find this course useful and hope it’ll make a difference for our students’ career prospects!” says Unberath.
Learn more about the class and register for the Fall 2025 section here.