The Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture (COLSA) at University of New Hampshire invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Coastal Microbial and Ecosystem Ecology. This position will enhance UNH’s excellence in research, teaching, and scholarship in marine, estuarine, and freshwater ecosystems. We seek candidates with a strong background in microbial community structure of coastal watersheds, and demonstrated leadership in engaged scholarship, outreach, and education. The candidate will utilize a combination of field campaigns, mesocosms, and controlled laboratory experimentation to perform functional ecosystem measurements including but not limited to greenhouse gas fluxes and nutrient cycling. Desired candidates will demonstrate expertise in areas such as microbial contribution to ecosystem function and resilience under changing environmental conditions and will show ability to work collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team to understand interactions among microbial processes, biogeochemical cycles, and ecosystem function in response to environmental change. Applicants with lived experiences and/or professional service informed by worldviews and/or perspectives about minority group status including race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, and disability and who are committed to work in and foster a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment at UNH are those we desire most. The new faculty member will teach upper-level and graduate courses in estuarine microbial ecology and a non-majors introductory course. The successful candidate will develop and maintain a high-impact externally-funded research program, train graduate students, mentor undergraduates, perform impactful departmental service, and contribute to UNH’s broader research enterprise. To apply, visit https://jobs.usnh.edu/postings/62850 where you will submit a cover letter; CV; a statement on diversity, equity, and inclusion; statements of research interests and teaching philosophy; and contact information for three references. Closing date for receipt of applications is 1 October 2024.

The faculty member is expected to strive to broaden participation among members of under-represented groups and demonstrate through research, teaching, and/or public engagement the richness of diversity in the learning experience and integrate multicultural approaches and perspectives into instructional methods and research tools. The successful applicant will be expected to develop a nationally known extramurally funded research program that will leverage UNH’s state-of-the art research infrastructure, including the University Instrumentation Center, the Hubbard Center for Genome Studies, the Research Computing Center, three coastal research centers, and develop projects relevant to the mission of the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station (NHAES). Additionally, the successful candidate is expected to develop new opportunities for exchange with other research institutions, domestic or abroad, to strengthen UNH’s national and international profile as a leader in coastal research.

A Ph.D. in a relevant field is required. Candidates must have a strong publication record, demonstrated grantsmanship skills, and a record of instructional experience and curriculum development that can fulfill the academic needs of the Department of Biological Sciences. Candidates must show evidence of the ability to establish cross-disciplinary research partnerships with UNH faculty in other departments, NHAES, and local, state, and federal agencies. Finally, the candidate must show evidence of the potential to secure competitive grants and awards in support of their research and that of students (graduate and undergraduate).

Preferred applicants will explore microbial community impacts on ecosystem processes utilizing methods that include molecular (e.g., nucleic acid sequencing, metagenomics, bioinformatics) and stable isotopes as a tool to measure nitrogen and carbon cycling in conjunction with the microbial community. The scholarly program is expected to elaborate how microbial communities affect overall ecosystem health within the context of ecological restoration and/or climate resilience, especially in response to human activities, such as land-use, nutrient, enrichment, sea level, rise, and emerging contaminants.

Salary is complemented by a comprehensive benefits package which includes medical, dental, retirement, tuition, and paid time off.

The University of New Hampshire is an R1 Carnegie classification research institution providing comprehensive, high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs of distinction. UNH is located in Durham on a 188-acre campus, 60 miles north of Boston and 8 miles from the Atlantic coast and is convenient to New Hampshire’s lakes and mountains. There is a student enrollment of 13,000 students, with a full-time faculty of over 600, offering 90 undergraduate and more than 70 graduate programs. The University actively promotes a dynamic learning environment in which qualified individuals of differing perspectives, life experiences, and cultural backgrounds pursue academic goals with mutual respect and shared inquiry. The UNH Diversity Resource Guide with information and programming available in the seacoast area, New Hampshire, and the region can be found here: https://www.unh.edu/hr/diversity-resource-guide.