Graduate Student Instructor - SIADS 644 Winter 2026

Apply Now

How to Apply

Please indicate your interest by submitting a cover letter and resume electronically using the umjobs.org website. Below are some instructions to help you through this application process.

• Go to
• Click on "Login" (upper right corner). Use your umich uniqname and password.
• Click on "U-M Graduate Student on the Ann Arbor campus", identifying yourself as a UM Graduate Student (fourth option)
• Click in the "Search for Jobs" box at the top of the page
• Enter the Job Opening ID #270927
• You are now in the standard application. Answer all questions and proceed through the application process as prompted. Upload your application as one document (preferably a Word or PDF document), including your cover letter with information on availability, your resume, and any teaching evaluations*
• Click "Submit" when you are finished.
• Having trouble uploading your document?

The most common cause of upload and display issues can be attributed to an unsupported operating system or internet browser. Internet Explorer is the browser of choice when using the site, however, if one browser doesn't seem to be working properly, switch to a different browser and/or clear your cache and cookies.

Double check your document type. The system accepts resumes/cover letters created in a .DOC, .DOCX, .PDF, .TXT .HTML or .RTF. Uploading your resume/cover letter as a Microsoft Word document is the recommended format. File names are limited to 35 characters or less and cannot contain punctuation marks or special characters.

The University will not discriminate against any applicant for employment because of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, marital status, familial status, parental status or pregnancy status, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, height, weight, disability, citizenship status, veteran status, HIV antibody status, political belief, membership in any social or political organization, participation in a grievance or complaint whether formal or informal, or any other factor where the item in question will not interfere with job performance and where the employee is otherwise qualified. The University of Michigan agrees to abide by the protections afforded employees with disabilities as outlined in the rules and regulations which implement Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Unsuccessful applications will be retained for consideration in the event that there are last minute openings for available positions. Upon request, any applicant denied employment will receive, within fourteen (14) calendar days, a written explanation of the reasons for denial of employment, and/or an in-person interview with the hiring agent(s) to be scheduled at a mutually agreed upon time. In the event an Employee does not receive his or her preferred assignment, he or she can request a written explanation or an in-person interview with the hiring agent(s) to be scheduled at a mutually agreed upon time.

Standard Practice Guide 601.38, Required Disclosure of Felony Charges and/or Felony Convictions applies to all Graduate Student Assistants (GSAs). SPG 601.38 may be accessed online at and its relation to your employment can be found in MOU X of your employment contract.

This position, as posted, is subject to a collective bargaining agreement between the Regents of the University of Michigan and the Graduate Employees? Organization, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO 3550.

The Office of Institutional Equity can be reached by phone at 734-763-0235 (V) or 734-647-1388 (TTY) or by emailing [email protected]. The Ombudsman?s Office can be reached by phone at 734-763-3545 or by emailing [email protected].

Job Summary

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SCHOOL OF INFORMATION (UMSI)

WINTER 2026 GRADUATE STUDENT INSTRUCTOR POSITION(S) AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE JOB POSTING: FOR MASTER?S STUDENT

COURSE: SIADS 644 - Reinforcement Learning Algorithms

COURSE SCHEDULE: April 1, 2026 - April 28, 2026

Number Of Available GSI Positions

1 position at .25 fraction, pending enrollment

Number of positions reserved for PhD Students as part of funding package

24 applications received in the previous year?s posting

0 positions reserved as part of funding package

A .25 fraction GSI position offers a monthly stipend, tuition waiver, and health insurance. The expected work commitment is roughly 10 hours per week. This is an in-person GSI assignment as all discussion sections and labs are scheduled to be in-person for the Winter 2026 term. This appointment runs from January 1 through April 30, 2026 (from an employment/health benefit perspective). The course takes place from 4/1/2026 - 4/28/2026. There will be work before and after the course dates. There could be prep time before the employment start date and all work for this course will be completed 72 hours after the last day of the term. The expected work commitment is roughly 20 hours per week during this time period (roughly 8 weeks). This workload effort is condensed into the described time period mentioned above but your salary is spread across the entire term. Thus, you will receive a stipend at the end of each month during the semester (January - April). All of the work hour details will be spelled out in the fraction calculation form for the person hired for this position. At the time of application, please include your availability for teaching all currently scheduled sections so that all GSI assignments can be made with everyone?s availability in hand. This information can be included in your cover letter.

Course Description

Reinforcement Learning Algorithms --- This course covers the basic principles of reinforcement learning and popular modern reinforcement learning algorithms. Students will develop familiarity with both model-based and model-free reinforcement learning algorithms, including Q-learning, Actor-Critic algorithms, and multi-armed bandit algorithms.

More information about this course can be found on U-M?s Course Catalog via Wolverine Access.

Responsibilities*

• Assisting in course planning and the delivery of UMSI courses on Coursera
• Grading student assignments and exams;
• Conducting office hours and open lab times to meet with students;
• Attending weekly staff meetings,
• Managing autograders,
• Assisting students as they work on assignments
• Facilitating small group online discussions and student conversations.
• Demonstrating respect for students as individuals and fostering a respectful atmosphere in the online learning environment.
• Working collaboratively with lead instructors and other instructional team members

Required Qualifications*

• UM Graduate student in good standing;
• Must meet eligibility criteria as defined in the GEO contract;
• Must be lawfully able to be employed in the United States, sponsorship to obtain such status is not available at this time;
• Programming: proficiency in Python; Jupyter Notebooks; PyTorch, OpenAI.Gym
• Mathematics: linear algebra, probability and statistics, dynamic programming, reinforcement learning theory and deep reinforcement learning algorithms .
• Experiment Design: Familiar with implementation of deep reinforcement learning algorithms, including DQN, DDQN, DDPG, SAC. Familiar with the OpenAI.Gym environment.

Desired Qualifications*

• Experience or interest in teaching;
• Strong communication and analytical skills;
• Experience teaching programming and technology skills to beginning students.

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

Background Screening

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Contact Information

Please do not contact the faculty member who is teaching the course. Any questions should be directed to [email protected].

Decision Making Process

The application due date is Tuesday, December 9, 2025. All applications will be submitted for review to the faculty member teaching the course. After review of applications and possible interviews, decisions will be made by the faculty member teaching the course. It is anticipated that decisions will be made by early December.

Selection Process

Selection Criteria Will Include

• Relevant academic preparation for teaching the course material;
• Extent of prior instructional/work experience;
• Relevance to graduate training;
• Student evaluations, if applicable;
• Availability for course time requirements;
• All GSI appointments are subject to administrative approval.

GEO Contract Information

The University will not discriminate against any applicant for employment because of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, genetic information, marital status, familial status, parental status or pregnancy status, sex, gender identity or expression (whether actual or perceived), sexual orientation, age, height, weight, disability, citizenship status, veteran status, HIV antibody status, political belief, membership in any social or political organization, participation in a grievance or complaint whether formal or informal, medical conditions including those related to pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, arrest record, or any other factor where the item in question will not interfere with job performance and where the employee is otherwise qualified. The University of Michigan agrees to abide by the protections afforded employees with disabilities as outlined in the rules and regulations which implement Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Information for the Office for Institutional Equity may be found at and for the University Ombuds at

Unsuccessful applications will be retained for consideration in the event that there are last minute openings for available positions. In the event that an employee does not receive their preferred assignment, they can request a written explanation or an in-person interview with the hiring agents(s) to be scheduled at a mutually agreed upon time.

This position, as posted, is subject to a collective bargaining agreement between the Regents of the University of Michigan and the Graduate Employees' Organization, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO 3550.

Standard Practice Guide 601.38, Required Disclosure of Felony Charges and/or Felony Convictions applies to all Graduate Student Assistants (GSAs). SPG 601.38 may be accessed online at , and its relation to your employment can be found in MOU 10 of your employment contract.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.

Job Opening ID

270927

Working Title

Graduate Student Instructor - SIADS 644 Winter 2026

Job Title

GRAD STU INSTR

Work Location

Ann Arbor Campus

Ann Arbor, MI

Modes of Work

Hybrid

Full/Part Time

Part-Time

Regular/Temporary

Regular

FLSA Status

Exempt

Organizational Group

School Information

Department

School of Information

Posting Begin/End Date

11/25/2025 - 12/09/2025

Career Interest

Graduate Students

Graduate Student Instructors (GEO)