associate professor

American  

noun

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

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

• associate professorship
  noun

Etymology

Origin of associate professor

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

associate professor

“Passionate sports fans are not as price sensitive,” said Arianna Uhalde, an associate professor of clinical marketing at USC’s Marshall School of Business.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Dr Amy Grubb, associate professor of forensic psychology at the University, said posting comments online creates the "perfect storm" for abuse as the "digital environments reduce normal social restraints".

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

It is the first time someone has used generative AI to redesign a virus, said Kevin Esvelt, an associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Dr. Amy Zeidan, an emergency medicine doctor and associate professor at Emory University who studies immigrant detainee health outcomes, said the VA data show detained immigrants require significant medical care.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 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