Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, Climate Science – Davidson College
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The Environmental Studies (ENV) department at Davidson College seeks to hire a tenure-track faculty member in the area of Climate Science at the Assistant Professor level beginning July 1, 2023. Scientists from any discipline who specialize in climate change are encouraged to apply; applicants must have a Ph.D. in a relevant field before the start of the appointment. Qualified candidates will be climate scientists whose research examines climate using scientific approaches and who can effectively contextualize that science within the context of global environmental justice issues. Specifically, candidates who can deepen our students’ understanding of human-environment interactions as they relate to Davidson’s dedication to justice, equality, and community are preferred.
Commitment to inclusively teaching a diverse undergraduate population is a must. As a department and a college, we are committed to diversity and inclusion, and current members of the department actively participate in initiatives that enrich teaching and mentoring of our diverse student body, including FIRST (Fostering Inclusivity and Respect in Science Together), inclusive pedagogy training, and the Consortium for Faculty Diversity. Professional development, mentoring, and support networks available to faculty include the Faculty of Color Caucus, Junior Faculty Network, and the LGBTQA Caucus. We especially welcome candidates that have benefited from, contributed to, or created programs directed toward diversity and inclusion.
All ENV majors complete a mandatory capstone project, and we additionally seek a colleague with a strong desire to mentor undergraduate research. The successful candidate will be expected to develop an active research program that produces peer-reviewed publications and has the potential to attract external funding. The position includes start-up funds, a research lab in a state of the art interdisciplinary science building, and a variety of faculty funding opportunities.
Davidson is a liberal arts college and teaching excellence is the primary criterion for tenure. Teaching responsibilities in the annual five-course teaching load (four courses in the first year; lab courses count as two courses) include the required introductory lab course in interdisciplinary Environmental Science, a GIS methodology course, and elective courses in Climate Science at a variety of levels.
How To Apply
Davidson College collects all faculty job applications electronically. Email and paper applications will not be considered. The portal where you will submit your application can be found at https://employment.davidson.edu. To ensure full consideration, please apply by October 15, 2022.
The initial screening of candidates will be based on an evaluation of the candidates’ experience with diversity and inclusivity, as provided in the cover letter, teaching statement, and research statement. In each of these documents, we encourage candidates to provide a variety of examples, approaches, and experiences, rather than repeat the same information verbatim in all three documents.
A complete application includes these four documents:
I. Cover Letter
Please address the letter to Professor Annie Merrill, Search Committee Chair. Your cover letter should be no more than two pages and should address: (1) your specific interest in the position of Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Davidson College, (2) your educational and professional preparation for the position, and (3) your experience with and knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. For (3), please discuss (a) your familiarity with how different populations and topics have been historically excluded from colleges and universities, (b) your knowledge of issues in contemporary higher ed related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and (c) if applicable, any coursework, workshops, self-education, or other forms of explicit training in DEI.
II. Curriculum Vitae – including names and contact information for three references, who will be contacted later in the search process to provide letters of recommendation.
III. Teaching Statement
The teaching statement should be no more than two pages and should address (1) your teaching experience, and how your past experiences will inform future teaching practices, (2) your teaching philosophy, and how it will guide your teaching practices, (3) how you have demonstrated your commitment to diversity and inclusion in the classroom, and what plans you have for fostering diversity and inclusivity in your future teaching, (4) your experience with or ability to teach GIS and an introductory course in interdisciplinary environmental science; and (5) courses you would be excited to teach, either newly developed or existing in the ENV curriculum.
IV. Research Statement
The research statement should be no more than two pages and should address (1) your research plans in the area of climate science, including human-environment interactions, (2) how you will incorporate undergraduate students in your research, including plans or philosophies surrounding the mentorships of students with no prior research experience or from groups that are underrepresented in STEM, and (3) how your research addresses, if at all, questions of justice, equity, and/or inclusion, as well as how you will foster diversity and inclusivity in your research program. Your application will be reviewed by scientists and non-scientists, so please include a general overview in addition to specific details.
In the interest of conducting an equitable hiring process, we will neither review any additional materials nor read beyond the page maximums listed for each document. Please also consult this document for more information about the application process, Davidson College, and the support and resources available to new tenure-track faculty.
Davidson College is a highly selective, residential, four-year liberal arts college, located 20 miles from Charlotte, NC that is consistently ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Davidson places emphasis on excellence in teaching, features outstanding facilities, and provides institutional funding for research, travel, and sabbatical leaves. Davidson faculty and students benefit from small class sizes at all levels. A collegial, respectful atmosphere honors academic achievement and integrity, upholds educational excellence, encourages student-faculty collaborative research, and prioritizes inclusive pedagogy.
At Davidson College, we believe the college grows stronger by recruiting and retaining a diverse faculty and staff committed to building an inclusive community. In order to achieve and sustain educational excellence, we seek to hire talented faculty and staff across the intersections of diverse races, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages, socio-economic backgrounds, political perspectives, abilities, cultures, and national origins.
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