associate professor

American  

noun

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

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associate professor British  

noun

1. (in the US and Canada) a university teacher lower in rank than a full professor but higher than an assistant professor

2. (in New Zealand) a senior lecturer holding the rank below professor

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Other Word Forms

• associate professorship
  noun

Etymology

Origin of associate professor

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

Dr Charlotte Galpin, associate professor in German and European politics at the University of Birmingham, said abuse of politicians had intensified since the Brexit vote in 2016.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

Thalia R. Goldstein, associate professor and director of applied developmental psychology at George Mason University, said storytelling could be a healthy way to introduce kids to painful truths.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

"There are numerous facilities that generate environmental impacts in a vulnerable area," Caroline Stamm, an associate professor at the Institute of Urban and Territorial Studies at the Catholic University of Santiago, told AFP.

From Barron's • May 13, 2026

"The findings also suggest that concentrations of methylsiloxane in the atmosphere are much higher than expected," says Rupert Holzinger, associate professor at Utrecht University who co-supervised the study.

From Science Daily • May 13, 2026

The second was Yale’s complacent refusal to accommodate its sought-after assistant professor’s request for a promotion to associate professor.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik