College of the Atlantic https://www.coa.edu/ and George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History https://www.coa.edu/dorr-museum/
College of the Atlantic seeks TWO full-time permanent faculty members trained in ecology, evolutionary biology, field ecology, and/or natural history, or allied fields including taxon-specific disciplines such as mammalogy, ichthyology, invertebrate zoology, herpetology, ornithology, mycology, etc. To complement our existing strengths in biology and field science, we seek colleagues with expertise in the biology of animals, fungi, and/or microorganisms, one of whom will have a terrestrial focus, the other marine. In addition, one of these positions will engage in a leadership role in the college’s Dorr Museum of Natural History.
Both positions must demonstrate excellence in teaching and an interest in further developing courses, including the annual foundational biology sequence and intermediate/advanced courses in their area of specialty, as well as guiding independent student work. Field-based, place-based, and transdisciplinary approaches are important to the pedagogical approach of the College. The successful candidates will develop courses, projects, and field experiences for students that utilize local resources, such as Acadia National Park, the college’s two island field stations in the Gulf of Maine, our small fleet of vessels, the college’s two organic farms, our 100-acre forest preserve on Mt. Desert Island and our outpost in the north woods, and the museum and collections facilities on campus. Essential for both positions is a fascination with the natural world and a passion for sharing their scholarship with diverse, self-directed undergraduate students.
Submit all materials as a single PDF to biosearch2024@coa.edu. Submissions received before midnight Jan. 2, 2024 are guaranteed full consideration, and thereafter on a rolling basis. We expect to conduct phone interviews in January 2024 and bring candidates to campus in February.
Job responsibilities
Faculty members at COA teach five courses per year over three ten-week terms, advise independent studies and senior projects, serve as academic advisors, and serve on college committees. There is no contractual research/publication expectation for COA faculty, but these positions do have dedicated professional development funds, and most faculty in biology continue to conduct research.
Between the two hires, at least one of these two positions should:
- Play a leadership role in the Dorr Museum
- Teach courses in foundational biology in rotation with other faculty members
- Teach courses and guide student research in vertebrate zoology
- Teach an introductory class in marine biology
- Teach evolution
- Teach courses in molecular biology/genetics and be willing to act as a liaison with researchers at Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory and Jackson Laboratory
- Have a strong background in statistics, ecological sampling methods, and research design, and enthusiasm to teach courses that meet the college’s Quantitative Reasoning requirement
- Contribute to the human ecology core course and other writing or history classes
- Develop off-campus expeditionary courses
- Engage students and local stakeholders in community work connected to climate change, invasive/endangered species, and/or policy therein
- Make use of our interdisciplinary GIS laboratory in their teaching and scholarship
- Work with the on-campus collections facilities
- Use, develop, and maintain laboratory facilities for their teaching and scholarship
- Use and maintain our field station facilities and associated equipment
About College of the Atlantic
COA is an interdisciplinary college of approximately 350 students and 35 faculty. Each student designs their own major in Human Ecology: the transdisciplinary study of the relationships between humans and our natural, built, and social environment, and how to improve these relationships. The average class size is 13. 24% of our students are international. Of our US students, roughly one in six are first-generation college students and about 40% are low-income (eligible for the federal Pell grant).
Faculty at COA are not organized into departments. Because of our transdisciplinary program, we are particularly interested in colleagues whose work contributes depth within a discipline but also links to other disciplines in creative ways, potentially through links to the arts or to policy; e.g., teaching a photography class focused on documenting biological interactions, or collaborating with the local fishing community and/or offshore wind developers to inform management decisions. We seek scholars with curiosity and flexibility who are both grounded within their disciplines and excited about transcending disciplinary boundaries.
Faculty positions are unranked, and COA does not have a tenure system; instead, all faculty members are reviewed on a fixed schedule to assess their contributions to teaching and service, with positive reviews leading to continued appointments.
College of the Atlantic is committed to increasing diversity, fostering inclusion, and working towards equity and justice. We encourage applications from candidates who demonstrate how their teaching, service, and research would contribute to making the college more inclusive, equitable, and diverse. We are particularly interested in candidates’ experiences working with students, colleagues, and communities who identify with groups historically excluded, underrepresented, or marginalized in higher education. Both positions should demonstrate skills and interest in what it means to be an ecologist on unceded territories and to learn how to work with communities who have a fundamentally different relation to the land than (most) Western scientists.
Expected qualifications
Each position requires the minimum qualification of a PhD in ecology/evolutionary biology, organismal biology, or an allied field by the time of hire (September 1, 2024), and evidence of strong teaching skills, with preference to those who can demonstrate success instructing within the context of a small liberal arts college environment and particularly in field-based courses. Successful candidates for both positions should, in addition, have a strong record of academic scholarship, and should display a willingness to mentor and involve students in research, especially within a field-based context.
Application materials
Candidates should submit the following materials:
- Cover letter explaining your qualifications and interest in the position, including a brief explanation of which of the bullet points in “job expectations” you fit and why
- CV with contact information for at least three references
- Statement of teaching philosophy that also highlights your approach to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in the classroom
- Course descriptions for at least three potential courses, including both introductory and advanced classes. Examples of COA course descriptions can be found here.
- Examples of research that includes students, and/or a research statement that illustrates how you foster student scholarship