ABOUT WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY:

Willamette University, founded in 1842, is a nationally-renowned private university enrolling 2800 students across five colleges. Our historic campus, adjacent to the Oregon State Capitol, hosts a distinguished undergraduate liberal arts college in Salem, Oregon. Our downtown Portland campus is home to the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA). We offer a wide range of professional graduate programs, including Oregon’s top-ranked MBA program, the Northwest’s oldest law school, as well as MA/MFA programs at PNCA and master’s degrees in data science and computer science.

Willamette University provides a high-value and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our Benefits Summary includes options for health, dental, life insurance, retirement, substantial paid time off, tuition and more. If you need assistance applying for a job or have any questions on recruitment at Willamette, please contact our HR Department, hr@willamette.edu or call us at 503-370-6210.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Department of Environmental Science at Willamette University invites applications for a tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor beginning Fall 2026. We seek an environmental scientist with expertise in energy, water, and/or natural resources as they relate to global environmental challenges. Candidates whose research engages lab- or field-based approaches and strengthens our program’s quantitative capacities are especially encouraged to apply. A PhD is required by the start of the Fall 2026 semester; postdoctoral experience is welcome, but not required.

We are seeking an environmental scientist who is building a career as a scholar and a teacher. Our curriculum engages systems thinking and includes research-based upper-division courses in both the natural and social sciences. The Environmental Science major is typically one of the five largest majors in our university, and our alumni enter careers in a diversity of fields, including research science, education, policymaking, environmental law, natural resource management, and public health. Faculty in the Department of Environmental Science have active research programs ranging from fire ecology in Oregon to geoarchaeology in Greece, and span the social and natural sciences. Willamette has a teacher-scholar model for its faculty: tenure-track faculty teach 5–6 undergraduate courses per year, advise students, publish in their field, and engage in service to the department, college, and university.

Teaching responsibilities will include contributing to our introductory Earth System Science course and upper division courses in the candidate's area of expertise. All professors at Willamette are expected to teach non-majors as well as majors and to contribute to the College’s General Education curriculum. The Department and College are committed to mentoring and career development for junior faculty. The successful applicant will be strongly committed to growing an excellent program integrating teaching, research, and mentoring at the undergraduate level.

Willamette is a small, highly selective private university of 2500 students, 1500 of whom are enrolled in the undergraduate College of Arts & Sciences, which is committed to providing students with a well-rounded liberal arts education. The residential campus is located across from the capitol in Salem (population 177,000) and is roughly an hour's drive from Portland, Eugene, the Pacific Coast, and the Cascade Mountains. The university recently adopted three university-level strategic pillars focused on climate change, strengthening democratic institutions, and big data. Willamette believes that a diverse, inclusive community is essential to achieving academic excellence; accordingly, we seek candidates who not only have the potential to become outstanding teachers and scholars, but whose work also furthers equity and inclusion, and who will bring to campus varied experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds. The College of Arts & Sciences is proud to enroll a substantial number of low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students of color. Over the past four years, 24% of our students were first-generation; 24% were Pell-eligible; and 33% identified as African American, Hispanic/LatinX, Native American/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, or multiracial.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Teach 5–6 undergraduate courses per year
Advise and mentor students
Maintain a scholarly research agenda, marked by peer-reviewed publication
Engage in rotating service to department, college, and university

Minimum Qualifications:

PhD or scheduled dissertation defense
Experience with college-level teaching

Salary: Faculty of Arts & Sciences are paid on a step system. The 2025-26 salary for a Step 1 Assistant Professor is $70,301.

You will need to upload the following documents as part of your application materials in the "My Experience" section labeled “Resume:”

(1) a letter of application describing your interest in and qualifications for the position;

(2) a curriculum vitae;

(3) a statement of teaching philosophy that includes a description of your pedagogical goals and strategies you use to promote inclusive student learning;

(4) a research statement that includes your research plans at an undergraduate institution.

All application materials should address your ability to work with a diverse student population. Letters of recommendation will be requested following phone/Zoom interviews.

Applications should be received by October 20, 2025 for best consideration. The position will remain open until filled.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Questions may be directed to Professor Scott Pike, spike@willamette.edu.

BACKGROUND CHECK REQUIREMENT:
All University positions require that candidates submit to a criminal conviction record check prior to hire. Conviction does not automatically preclude candidates from being hired. Nature of conviction will be considered relative to the duties of the position.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS STATEMENT:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICANTS:

Please read the following carefully before beginning the online application process. To be considered for employment at Willamette University, please complete our online employment application. Your application and all required attachments -- listed at the bottom of the page -- must be submitted for each individual job post that you are interested in applying. Once you submit your application you will not be able to edit your application.

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Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Environmental Science