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

“There are multiple reasons why our fitness or our ability to exercise at a higher level declines,” said Amanda Paluch, an associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

From Barron's • May 23, 2026

The new war museum will likely become a major destination for university and school visits in Pyongyang, according to Chris Monday, an associate professor at South Korea’s Dongseo University who studies Russia and North Korea.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Lansbury is an associate professor at the University of Queensland who's been working in Tennant Creek, 500km from Alice, on public health research and housing.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

However, Smita Das, MD, PhD, clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford Medicine, said there is still no broad medical agreement that cannabis effectively treats these conditions.

From Science Daily • May 15, 2026

Helmholtz was an associate professor at the Prussian University of Konigsberg and one of the leading scientists of his day.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel