Adjunct Faculty, MS in Applied Artificial Intelligence

5545

The University of San Diego, an engaged and contemporary Catholic institution, was founded by the Diocese of San Diego and the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1949. Governed by an independent board of trustees since 1972, USD remains committed to a liberal arts education grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition and the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty. Inspired by this centuries old tradition of Catholic higher education, the University welcomes people of all faith traditions and any, or no, religious background. The future success of USD relies on the contributions of those who seek to foster the development of engaged global citizens and an earnest confrontation of humanity’s urgent challenges.

The Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering at the University of San Diego (USD) invites applications for adjunct positions in the Master of Science in Applied Artificial Intelligence (MS-AAI) program, with an appointment beginning in Fall 2026. This is an on-campus position requiring the selected candidate to reside in the San Diego area. The MS-AAI program is delivered in accelerated 7-week course blocks, and all instruction occurs in person at USD. Courses in the MS-AAI program are centrally designed and maintained; adjunct faculty are expected to deliver and facilitate the provided curriculum rather than develop new course content.

USD is a designated Changemaker campus committed to academic excellence, student success, ethical responsibility, and community engagement.

The MS-AAI program is one of the few graduate programs in the nation that emphasizes applied, real-world artificial intelligence, integrating technical depth with ethics, moral responsibility, and AI for social good. Candidates with experience across all areas of artificial intelligence and machine learning will be considered. Preference will be given to candidates with the ability to teach courses in statistics, AI ethics, deep learning, computer vision, large language models (LLMs), and agentic AI systems. Applicants with strong industry experience, applied research experience, or prior teaching experience in higher education are especially encouraged to apply.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Demonstrate a strong commitment to teaching excellence in an applied graduate program.
• Deliver engaging instruction in 7-week, in-person course formats.
• Provide timely, constructive feedback and meaningful engagement with graduate students.
• Integrate industry experience, real-world case studies, and emerging AI practices into the teaching curriculum.
• Mentor and advise graduate students on academic progress, career planning, and capstone project development.
• Uphold USD’s Vision, Mission, and Core Values, including academic excellence, community, ethical conduct, and compassionate service.
• Maintain high standards of academic integrity and student performance.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or higher in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Electrical and Computer Engineering, or a closely related quantitative field.
• Demonstrated industry experience related to AI or applied research experience in artificial intelligence or machine learning.
• Strong foundations in machine learning principles, probability, statistics, and linear algebra relevant to deep learning and large language models.
• Strong interpersonal, collaborative, and professional communication skills.
• Commitment to inclusion, student engagement, and inclusive teaching practices.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior university-level teaching experience, ideally in in-person, project-based, or experiential learning environments.
• Industrial experience in AI engineering, ML engineering, deep learning, generative AI, LLM development, computer vision, or MLOps/model deployment.
• Proficiency in developing and deploying modern AI/ML systems. This includes expertise in core languages (e.g., Python) and frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, Scikit-learn, LangChain, AWS SageMaker, and vector databases.
• Ability to integrate ethical frameworks, responsible AI principles, and real-world case studies into teaching.
• Experience mentoring graduate students or supervising capstone projects.
• Teaching responsibilities include lecturing, assessing assignments and projects, grading, providing feedback, and supporting students academically and professionally.

Background check:  Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.

Degree Verification Requirement: Persons offered employment in this position will be required to provide official education transcripts for degree verification purposes.

$2,325 - $2,425 per unit

The salary range provided in this posting reflects what we reasonably expect to pay for this position.  Actual compensation offered or earned is dependent on experience, education and other factors including departmental budget

For full consideration, applicants must submit the following:

1. Cover Letter describing interest in the position, commitment to teaching, and how academic, research, and industry experience align with the MS-AAI program.
2. Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Resume, including teaching experience, courses taught, and relevant industry or research background.

Click the 'Apply Now' button to complete our online application and, for full consideration, please upload a resume to your application profile for the hiring managers’ review. 
 
Contact: Paula Schmid, [email protected] 
 
If you have any technical difficulties please contact the Employment Services Team at [email protected].
 

Additional Information
This is a part-time position. All teaching is conducted in person at the USD campus. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.

The University of San Diego is a smoking and tobacco-free campus. For more information, visit www.sandiego.edu/smokefree.