What You'll Do

  • Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers.
  • Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as quantum mechanics, particle physics, and optics.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  • Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
  • Supervise students' laboratory work.
  • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
  • Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
  • Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
  • Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
  • Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.

Essential Skills

Instructing 4.25/5
Reading Comprehension 4.12/5
Speaking 4.12/5
Science 4.12/5
Active Listening 4.0/5
Writing 4.0/5
Critical Thinking 4.0/5
Active Learning 4.0/5
Learning Strategies 4.0/5
Judgment and Decision Making 3.75/5
Mathematics 3.62/5
Monitoring 3.62/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to understand the kind of profile this role rewards. It helps you judge whether this career looks like a stronger match than your current role, a nearby move worth exploring, or a broader path to compare more seriously.

Top passions

  • Helper: Supporting people and making a difference matters to you.
  • Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.
  • Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.

Common styles

Intellectual Curiosity, Dependability, Achievement Orientation, Integrity, Innovation

Want a personal read on fit? Take the free assessment and compare this career to your current role, nearby alternatives, and broader stronger-fit options.

Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Oral Expression 4.38/5
Oral Comprehension 4.0/5
Written Comprehension 4.0/5
Written Expression 4.0/5
Problem Sensitivity 3.88/5
Deductive Reasoning 3.88/5
Inductive Reasoning 3.88/5
Mathematical Reasoning 3.88/5

Technologies & Tools

Autodesk AutoCAD Blackboard Learn C C++ Calendar and scheduling software Collaborative editing software Computer aided design CAD software Course management system software Desire2Learn LMS software DOC Cop Edmodo Email software FFTPACK FFTW Formula translation/translator FORTRAN Geant4 GIPSY-OASIS GNU Octave Gnuplot Google Docs

Work Environment & Strengths

Common Strengths for This Career

  • Intellectual Curiosity (High importance: 4.81/5)
  • Dependability (High importance: 4.55/5)
  • Achievement Orientation (High importance: 4.43/5)
  • Integrity (High importance: 4.4/5)
  • Innovation (High importance: 4.37/5)

Want to see how YOUR strengths align with this career?

Take Free 15-Min Assessment →

How to Become One

This career requires extensive preparation, typically including a graduate degree (Master's or Doctoral) and several years of experience. Most professionals in this field have invested significant time in education and training.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Acoustics Teacher Adjunct Instructor Adjunct Physics Instructor Adjunct Professor Aerodynamics Professor Aerodynamics Teacher Assistant Professor Associate Professor Astrophysics Professor Astrophysics Teacher Atomic Physics Professor Atomic Physics Teacher Ballistics Professor Ballistics Teacher College Faculty Member College Professor Geospatial Analysis Instructor Hydrodynamics Professor Hydrodynamics Teacher Instructor Lecturer MCAT Physics Instructor (Medical College Admission Test Physics Instructor) Medical Physics Professor Medical Physics Teacher Nuclear Instructor Nuclear Physics Professor Nuclear Physics Teacher Physical Optics Teacher Physical Science Professor Physics Adjunct Instructor Physics Adjunct Professor Physics Faculty Member Physics Instructor Physics Lecturer Physics Professor Professor Science Instructor Science Professor Teacher Theoretical Physics Teacher Thermodynamics Professor Thermodynamics Teacher University Faculty Member

Career Fit FAQs

Is this career a good fit for me

This page shows the role itself. To see personal fit, use the assessment to compare your interests, motivations, and strengths against this career and against the role you are in now.

Can this help if I want to stay in my field

Yes. Many people use career pages like this to compare nearby roles in the same field and see whether they need a full switch or a better-fit version of the work they already know.

What should I compare first

Start with the daily tasks, the preparation level, and the work-style signals on this page. Then use the assessment to see whether this role looks like a stronger fit than your current role or just a different title.