Tenure-track Faculty Position in Microbiology
Assistant Professor
The College of New Jersey
To enrich education through diversity, TCNJ is an Equal Opportunity Employer. TCNJ has a strong commitment to inclusive excellence and is working to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and racial justice among our faculty, staff, and students. We strongly encourage a host of diverse, intersectional populations and cultures to apply including, but not limited to, identities based on race, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, and veteran status.
The Department of Biology at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) invites applications for a 10-month, tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Microbiology to join our community starting in August 2025.
Position Summary:
We welcome applicants who are broadly trained in microbiology, who have the potential to establish a highly productive microbiology research program involving undergraduate students, and who will be passionate about teaching at a primarily undergraduate, residential, liberal arts-centered institution. Our new colleague will join an active department of faculty deeply engaged in research programs ranging from microbes to ecosystems who make use of state-of-the-art tools and techniques while publishing with undergraduate collaborators. We are particularly interested in candidates whose research involves microbes (BSL1 or BSL2), including bacteria, viruses, archaea, fungi, and/or protists. Research interests could include, but are not limited to, microbial cell and structural biology, microbial biochemistry and metabolism, microbial communities and interactions, microbiomes, environmental microbiology, microbial ecology, food microbiology, microbial evolution, and microbial genomics.
The successful candidate will teach Microbiology with opportunities to offer courses at other levels of the curriculum including an upper level-course in the candidate’s area of expertise. Significant support for lab prep for microbiology courses is provided by department staff. Particular value will be placed on offering courses that complement the existing curriculum. Candidates should be committed to inclusive excellence in higher education, demonstrated through, for example, culturally responsive pedagogy and equity-minded student engagement.
The successful applicant will receive a start-up package, have a dedicated research space, and can access department-maintained facilities that include a spinning disk confocal microscope with microfluidic temperature control; field emission SEM with cryopreparation unit and cryostage; quantitative PCR machines, Tecan plate reader and additional core molecular biology equipment; autoclaves, ultra-low temp freezers, biosafety and laminar flow hoods; a Scientific Computing Center with high performance computing cluster maintained by a dedicated staff member; animal facility, and greenhouse. We are interested in candidates whose research and teaching will connect and integrate with other disciplines and who have the potential to collaboratively contribute to interdisciplinary curricular and scholarly efforts.
TCNJ has a strong commitment to inclusive excellence in our community and to supporting a healthy work-life balance for our faculty of teacher-scholars. Teaching and research/scholarship/creative expression are mutually supportive activities at TCNJ. Candidates should be strongly committed to the teacher-scholar model, to maintaining both high quality teaching and an active and productive program of scholarship. Faculty members are encouraged and supported in seeking external funding consistent with this mission. They also serve as academic advisors and have service responsibilities within their department, school, and the college. TCNJ supports its community of teacher-scholars through a progressive faculty workload model, generous internal grant and sabbatical programs, professional travel, engaging professional development programs, and other mechanisms.
Qualifications:
Applicants should:
● Have a PhD in Microbiology, or a closely related field. ABDs will be considered only if the degree will be completed prior to the start date.
● Present either evidence or promise of excellence in undergraduate teaching and mentoring.
● Articulate a vision for a productive, non-clinical research program in microbiology that includes undergraduates in a meaningful way.
● Demonstrate an ability to communicate science effectively in oral and written formats and to varied audiences.
● Demonstrate cultural competency and ability to foster inclusive learning environments, mutual respect for students and colleagues, and the potential to effectively mentor minoritized students.
Preferred qualifications
● Post-doctoral research experience.
● Classroom and laboratory teaching experience, preferably with undergraduates, as instructor of record, and in microbiology or a closely related field.
To Apply:
Candidates should submit (a) a letter of application highlighting their interest and qualifications, (b) a curriculum vitae, (c) a statement of teaching philosophy/approach (no longer than 2 pages), (d) a description of research interests and goals (no longer than 3 pages), (e) a statement of commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (no longer than 2 pages), (f) unofficial transcripts (graduate and undergraduate), and (g) names and contact information for at least three professional references.
Applications should be submitted electronically. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. For full consideration, applications should be received by September 6, 2024.
Final offer of employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background investigation.
About the Department:
Our new colleague will join a department of 17 full-time faculty, who are deeply engaged across the discipline of biology. The Biology Department is housed in a dedicated building and is home to approximately 500 undergraduate majors, while providing learning opportunities in biology for students across campus. Our faculty members make use of state-of-the-art tools and techniques in classroom and research spaces, often attending regional and national conferences and/or publishing with undergraduate collaborators. Our faculty frequently participate in the TCNJ Mentored Undergraduate Summer Experience, an 8-week summer undergraduate research program. Many faculty are successful at obtaining grants from federal and private funding agencies with the support of a dedicated grant writer in the TCNJ School of Science. Our curriculum has recently undergone extensive revision as part of our HHMI Inclusive Excellence award resulting in the use of scientific teaching and inclusive pedagogy throughout our curriculum. The Biology community hosts a regular colloquium series as well as many community-building events throughout the academic year.
About The College of New Jersey:
Founded in 1855, TCNJ is a selective public institution that has earned national recognition for its commitment to excellence. TCNJ enrolls approximately 7,400 students, including 6,790 undergraduates and 610 graduate students, 30% of whom are self-described as members of groups traditionally underrepresented in academe. Strong curricular and co-curricular programming have helped foster a first-year to sophomore retention rate of 93%, a 4-year graduation rate of 75% (8th highest in the U.S. for public institutions), and a 6-year graduation rate of 87% (among the highest in the country). Five signature experiences are the hallmark of a TCNJ education: a personalized, collaborative, and rigorous education; undergraduate research, mentored internships, and field experiences; community engaged learning; global engagement; and leadership development. TCNJ has also received national recognition for the adoption and promotion of the teacher-scholar model for our faculty. A strong liberal arts core forms the foundation for programs offered through TCNJ’s seven academic schools—Arts and Communication; Business; Education; Engineering; Humanities and Social Sciences; Nursing and Health Sciences; and Science. TCNJ has a strong Phi Beta Kappa chapter—an honor shared by less than 10 percent of colleges and universities nationally. Among other initiatives, a series of faculty/staff-based affinity groups (e.g., Minority Executive Council, Women’s Professional Network, Parent and Family Network, TCNJ PRIDE) supports a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive environment at TCNJ.
TCNJ is located within an hour of New York City and Philadelphia. The College’s campus is set on 289 tree-lined acres in suburban Ewing Township and is known for its natural beauty. In addition to its growing racial and ethnic diversity, the region offers excellent public schools, prestigious medical centers, restaurants, art and entertainment, as well as numerous cultural and recreational activities.
For more information about the college, please visit: http://www.tcnj.edu/.