Global Change Ecology Position

San Francisco State University, Department of Biology invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Global Change Ecology to begin August 2023. We seek applicants conducting research in Global Change Ecology, broadly defined (e.g., climate change, biodiversity loss, land use change, invasive species).

We welcome scientists developing an externally funded research program towards a comprehensive and holistic understanding of the effects and consequences of global change on ecological systems, biosphere-atmosphere interactions, and coupled natural-human systems across temporal and spatial scales. Research foci may include nature-based adaptation solutions to reduce the causes and impacts of global change (e.g., sea level rise, carbon emissions, fire, ocean acidification, nutrient pollution, hypoxia, etc.). We are open to all research approaches, including experimental field-based research, computational or mathematical modeling, and/or machine learning within the context of natural communities or at the urban/natural ecosystem interface. The successful candidate may also address how social justice and incorporating traditional ecological knowledge fits into understanding and addressing global change through research or outreach. We are especially interested in qualified candidates who can contribute to the excellence and diversity of the SFSU academic community by working on important and relevant research areas, whose teaching and research engages our diverse student body and improves their academic success, and whose service is meaningful to our institution as well as the broader community.

 

The Department of Biology at San Francisco State University is home to over 1800 undergraduates, 200 master’s students, and 40 tenure/tenure-track faculty. The department places strong emphasis on actively engaging students from diverse backgrounds in the process of scientific discovery. For more information about our department, please visit https://biology.sfsu.edu. Applicants must be committed to undergraduate and master’s-level training through teaching, mentorship of student research, and student advising.

 

San Francisco State University has numerous facilities and resources that are available to all faculty and students to support their teaching and research programs. The Sierra Nevada Field Station is a full- service field station located in the northern Sierra Nevada mountains that is available for education and research involving biological diversity. The Estuary & Ocean Science Center (EOS, in Tiburon, CA) is a marine and estuarine science center with a focus on environmental problem-solving along shores and with coastal communities. The university has multiple core facilities in support of research and training in genomics and imaging: a Cell and Molecular Imaging Center (CMIC), a Genomics and Transcriptomics Analysis Core (GTAC), and an Electron Microscopy facility. In support of improving our educational success we have a resource center that supports development and training in novel approaches to teaching (SEPAL), our Health & Equity Research laboratory supports community-engaged, transdisciplinary research within and outside of the department, and a new Climate Change certificate program was recently launched. Many of our undergraduate and graduate students are supported by externally-funded training grants through our Student Enrichment Opportunities (SEO) office. Students in our department benefit from data science and coding training through the PINC (Promoting Inclusivity in Computing), GOLD (Graduate Opportunities for Learning Data Science), and SCIP (Science Coding Immersion Program) programs. Additionally, San Francisco State University is partnered with the California Academy of Sciences, a premier natural history collection and research institute located in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.

 

The mission of San Francisco State University is to create and maintain an environment for learning that promotes respect for and appreciation of scholarship, freedom, human diversity, and the cultural mosaic of the City of San Francisco and the Bay Area; to promote excellence in

instruction and intellectual accomplishment; and to provide broadly accessible higher education for residents of the region and state, as well as the nation and global community. To fulfill this mission, the University is committed to the following goals:

  • Attracting, retaining, and graduating a highly diverse student body;
  • Providing disciplinary and interdisciplinary liberal arts and professional education that is academically rigorous, intellectually challenging, and benefits society;
  • Providing curricula that reflect all dimensions of human diversity, and that encourage critical thinking and a commitment to social justice;
  • Recruiting, retaining and supporting a diverse faculty whose teaching demonstrates an active engagement with their individual fields of study and whose creative and scholarly work is an extension of the classroom and laboratory;
  • Employing a staff and administration reflecting the diversity of our student community and the values of the campus;
  • Fostering a collegial and cooperative intellectual environment that includes recognition and appreciation of differing viewpoints and promotes academic freedom within the University community; and
  • Serving the communities with which its students and faculty are engaged.

Responsibilities

The position requires both graduate and undergraduate teaching in biology. Curricular contributions could include Introductory Biology, Climate change, Evolution, Ecology, Research Design and Data Analysis, and specialty courses in the candidate’s area of research focus at the undergraduate and graduate level. In addition, the successful candidate will be required to engage, mentor and advise undergraduate and master’s students in directed research. The successful candidate is also expected to continue an active, externally-funded research program in their area of expertise, and to participate in committee and service assignments at the department and university level, and to their professional community.

 

Qualifications

Required

  • Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree and post-doctoral experience in a biology or biology-related field are required.
  • Record of scientific and mentorship accomplishments in biology and global change ecology
  • Evidence of working and communicating effectively with colleagues and students

Preferred

As our department is committed to broadening access to STEM careers, a goal that aligns with the department, college, and university missions for equity and inclusion, we seek candidates with the following qualifications:

  • Demonstrated ability to teach courses in Biology and a disciplinary specialty
  • Because San Francisco State University has one of the most diverse student bodies in the U.S., we seek candidates with experience in teaching and mentoring of PEERs (Persons Excluded because of their Ethnicity or Race) students and students from historically under-represented communities
  • Demonstrated record of research related to their specialty area and evidence of external support or the potential for external funding of these activities.
  • Demonstrated record of incorporating or plan to incorporate diversity, inclusion, and social justice in their courses and scholarship/creative works.
  • Demonstrated record of contributing to supportive and collaborative work environments

Rank and salary

This position will be filled at the Assistant Professor level, tenure track. Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience. The California State University (CSU) provides generous health, retirement, and other benefits, and San Francisco State University offers a wide range of faculty training programs in advance of the university’s mission (for more information, visit https://facaffairs.sfsu.edu).

 

 

Application Procedure
A complete online application must be submitted through PageUp to receive consideration.

To apply, please visit PageUp (https://careers.pageuppeople.com/873/sf/en-us/job/517800/assistant-professor-biology-global-change-ecology) and upload the following materials:

1) a letter of intent relating your experience to the required qualifications,
2) a current CV (please feel free to address the impact of COVID-19 on your productivity),
3) a statement of teaching experience and philosophy (1 – 3 pages),
4) a statement of current research and future research plans (up to 4 pages),
5) a statement of equity, inclusion, and diversity (1 - 3 pages) that describes your experience and
plans to address diversity through teaching, research and service in support of SF State’s diverse
student and community populations, including how you would create an affirming and anti-racist
environment for all students.
6) Representative sample of 3-5 published papers
7) names and contact information of three references willing to provide letters of recommendation
upon request.

Submit all materials online to PageUp by October 15, 2022. Review of applications will commence on October 16, 2022, and will continue until the position is filled. Please direct all questions about the position to: the chair of the Global Change Ecology Committee, Dr. Andrea Swei, aswei@sfsu.edu