Rice University – Professor of the Practice of Sports Analytics
Location: Houston, Texas
Description
The Department of Sports Management at Rice University in Houston, Texas, is seeking candidates for a full-time (9-month) professor of practice position to further expand the department’s Sports Analytics major. This non-tenure track position has a start date of July 1, 2026.
The primary focus of this position will be in the area of sports analytics – both the performance side and the business side. Candidates must be proficient in statistics and data science, including modeling, statistical learning, and statistical computing such as R, Python, Tableau, SQL, Excel, or other similar computing and data scraping platforms. The Professor of Practice will teach three courses each semester.
Rice University is a private, comprehensive research university in the heart of Houston’s dynamic museum district. It offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees at eight schools and has a student body of approximately 4,800 undergraduates and 4,100 graduate students. Since 1988, Rice has been ranked among the top 20 national universities every year (U.S. News & World Report). For the past seven years, the Department of Sports Management has been ranked #1 in the “Best Colleges for Sports Management in America” by Niche. Visit www.sport.rice.edu for information about the Department of Sport Management and the Sport Analytics major.
Houston offers plenty of opportunities to interact with our numerous sports organizations, including seven professional teams (NBA, MLB, NFL, NWSL, MLS, LOVB, UFL). Houston is also home to the PGA’s Houston Open, LPGA’s Chevron Championship, the Insperity Invitational, the US Clay Court Championships, the Texas Bowl, Rodeo Houston and the Houston Marathon. Since 2004, Houston has hosted the Super Bowl twice and the NCAA Final Four three times, Copa América Centenario, the Gold Cup, the MLB All-Star Game, the NBA All-Star Game, the World Series and the 2024 College Football Playoff Championship Game. Seven matches of the 2026 World Cup will be played in Houston.
Qualification:
Applicants must have at least a master’s degree in statistics, mathematics, computer science, data science, sports management, economics or other related field by the date of employment.
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Application instructions:
Candidates must submit their applications through Interfolio, the recruitment system for Rice University.
In addition to the application, the following documents are required: (1) cover letter, (2) curriculum vitae, (3) unofficial transcripts, (4) statement of teaching philosophy, (5) contact information for at least three references (the references will be contacted and asked to provide a letter of recommendation only after the applicant has advanced beyond the initial screening by the search committee).
We welcome the fullness of diversity at Rice. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. We also seek to attract greater representation of women, scientists of color, people with disabilities, veterans and others who have been historically underrepresented in our candidate pools; attracting students from a wide range of countries and backgrounds; accelerate progress in building a faculty and staff of diverse background and thought; and maintain an environment that promotes interaction and understanding within our community.
The search committee will begin reviewing applications on January 12, 2026 and will continue until the position is filled.
Apply
To apply, please follow this link.
The content of this post was created and provided solely by Rice University.
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