assistant professor

American  

noun

1. a teacher in a college or university who ranks above an instructor and below an associate professor.

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assistant professor British  

noun

1. a university teacher lower in rank than an associate professor

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Other Word Forms

• assistant professorship
  noun

Etymology

Origin of assistant professor

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55

Example Sentences

It’s not necessarily the case that the tank would explode at 101 degrees, said Elias Picazo, assistant professor of chemistry at USC.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026

"The common link is the rock," says study co-author Oliver Warr, an assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at University of Ottawa.

From Science Daily • May 20, 2026

Jiaming Cui, assistant professor of computer science at Virginia Tech who authored the study, suggested more cases can’t be ruled out.

From MarketWatch • May 14, 2026

"It's extremely worrying," said Dr Beatriz Kira, an assistant professor from the University of Sussex law school.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

Ifemelu had met him a few times, an assistant professor of history who had lived in Congo as a child.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie