General Information:
The Sam Houston State University Department of Biological Sciences seeks
applicants for a Visiting Faculty position at the rank of Assistant
Professor that combines teaching experience with an opportunity for
research. Contingent on available funding, this is a full-time appointment
that will run from September 1, 2013 through May 31, 2015. Salary is
competitive and includes full benefits.
The position is ideally suited for a candidate who is seeking a post-
doctoral position with expanded teaching responsibilities, while still
maintaining an active research program. The fellow will teach classes at the
introductory and advanced levels, will have the opportunity to move doctoral
work to publication, and acquire additional skills through the initiation of
new research projects in collaboration with current faculty members. During
the term of the position the candidate will be a member of a department that
emphasizes excellence in teaching and research, will be able to co-mentor
passionate graduate and undergraduate student researchers and will have an
opportunity to see how faculty members operate successfully at a
comprehensive academic institution.
Research Interests:
We strongly prefer an individual with research interests that build on
existing faculty expertise, although other areas may be entertained if
appropriate and supportable by a faculty mentor. It will be the applicants
responsibility to identify and contact the faculty member(s) they would
potentially choose to pair with, and the faculty member(s) prerogative to
allow the applicant access to their lab for collaborative research. The
successful applicant will have access to funds to support research and
travel and will be encouraged to explore external grant opportunities.
Teaching:
Because SHSU is primarily an undergraduate teaching institution, the
visiting faculty member will fill a standard 9 semester credit hour teaching
load each semester. The teaching schedule will be defined by departmental
needs, but will include freshman lecture courses and/or upper division
courses as needed in the applicants area of expertise that are in the
departments current course rotation.
You can read more about the Biological Sciences undergraduate and graduate
curricula and find additional information on the courses our faculty members
teach and the research they do by going to their respective homepages.
Applications:
Materials candidates will need to submit include the following:
A brief cover letter expressing your interest in the position and
briefly summarizing your training in your specific research area(s), who you
would select as a faculty mentor at SHSU and why you want to work with them,
and your teaching experience.
Curriculum vitae.
Research and teaching statements. Both statements should be brief --
on the order of two or three pages.
The research statement should concisely explain your doctoral
research program and expected future direction(s) and how your goals are
consistent with work in a current SHSU mentors lab.
The teaching statement should explain the basis for your interest in
teaching at the undergraduate level, briefly summarize your previous
teaching experience and why you are qualified to teach the courses mentioned
above. You should also briefly explain how you believe this opportunity
might help your professional goals. Please do not send us a statement of
your "teaching philosophy."
Copies of undergraduate and graduate transcripts. These are used to
help us assess an applicant's training. Unofficial copies are acceptable
with the application, but the Dean's Office requires an official copy before
hire.
List the contact information (name, address, telephone number and
email address) for three references and your relationship to these referees.
Review of applications: Begins June 1, 2013 and continues until position is
filled.
Members of the Search Committee (Please address inquiries to the Chair):
Chair: Dr. Monte L. Thies
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: (936) 294-3746
Members: Dr. Patrick Lewis and Dr. Jeff Wozniak
General Information on the University and Department:
About the University: Named for Sam Houston, Texas greatest hero, SHSU
continually strives to honor its historical roots through academic
excellence that includes exceptional teaching from faculty members who care
as much about their students success as they do about furthering the
knowledge of their fields. SHSU offers over 80 bachelor's degree programs,
more than 50 masters degree programs, and six doctoral programs, including
nationally-recognized programs in Business, Fine Arts, Education,
Mathematics and Criminal Justice. SHSU is classified as a Doctoral Research
University by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education and was recently
recognized by U.S. News and World Report for being among the best in the
country for online graduate programs. In addition, the Carnegie Commission
on Higher Education classified SHSU as a "Community Engaged" university.
This honor was awarded in 2010 to only sixty-one public institutions
nationwide and acknowledges the university's significant commitment to
serving the community.
About the Department:
The Department of Biological Sciences is dedicated to the pursuit and
dissemination of knowledge and scientific discovery in the life sciences
through innovative teaching and research. Our Department strives to instill
in its students the philosophy of lifelong scholarship, producing
scientifically literate members of society who have the knowledge to
contribute and compete in a rapidly changing world.
Facilities:
The Department occupies modern teaching and research facilities with large-
scale computing capabilities, scintillation counter, cell sorter, animal
rearing facility, acid rain monitoring station, 250 acre field research
station, SHSU Natural History Collections and the Warner Herbarium, and
modern equipment to support research in cell biology, molecular biology, and
systematics. The successful applicant will also have the opportunity to
affiliate with the SHSU Texas Research Institute of Environmental Studies.
