Assistant Professor, Cluster Hires in Biology: Integrative Biology

A PhD in Biology or related field with postdoctoral experience.

The Department of Biology at Appalachian State University is excited to announce a cluster hiring to enhance our research and teaching in the Integrative Biology concentration. We invite applications for two tenure-track positions at the rank of Assistant Professor to begin in Fall 2027.

We seek applicants who take an integrative approach to investigating interactions between organisms and their changing environments in the following areas:

Research that employs integrative techniques to address evolutionary or ecological questions related to host-pathogen/symbiont interactions, disease ecology, quantifying the impact of climate change on species interactions, or quantifying differing responses to change across organismal lineages. We intend to hire one applicant who addresses one or more of these questions in plants and one in animals. We are particularly interested in candidates who complement the current departmental strengths. Teaching responsibilities could include: Evolution, Ecology, Global Change Ecology, Plant Physiology, and rotate into the first-year biology sequence. The successful candidates will have the opportunity to develop integrative courses in their area of specialty.

None Required.

The Department of Biology at Appalachian State University is a community of 44 faculty who are active in teaching and research, along with a support staff of 6 technicians and 3 administrators. We strive to maintain a faculty with diverse research interests, ranging from molecules to organisms to landscapes. The department currently has approximately 950 Biology majors and 70 graduate students. We provide instruction in biology through classroom and laboratory interactions, undergraduate and graduate laboratory research experiences, seminars, professional development programs, and career advising through courses and faculty interactions. Faculty typically teach 3 courses per semester (mixture of lectures and labs). Departmental and university service includes, but is not limited to, undergraduate advising, curriculum development, and assessment.

The Department of Biology manages and provides access to a research greenhouse, a 67 acre nature preserve on campus, an off campus 250 acre field site, I.W. Carpenter Jr. Herbarium, and App State Zoological Collections. The institution and department have facilities to support the use of cutting-edge molecular techniques, including instrumentation for flow cytometry, gel imaging, cell culture, and Illumina sequencing. The Rankin Science Building is home to the William and Ruth Dewel Microscopy Facility, which provides infrastructure for epifluorescence, confocal, scanning electron, and transmission electron microscopy, as well as sample preparation. The department and university support new faculty through a comprehensive Faculty Mentoring Program and Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Student Success. The mechanisms include peer writing circles, pedagogical workshops, and faculty mentoring.

Appalachian State University, in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The transformational Appalachian experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and embrace diversity and difference. As one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina system, Appalachian State enrolls over 21,000 students, and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors.

Teaching responsibilities will include required and elective courses in the candidate's area of expertise, and participation in the Introductory Biology sequence for majors.

The successful candidates are expected to develop a research program that is competitive for external funding and involves undergraduate and master's students.

Applicants must be able to teach face-to-face and online with students in large lecture and small discussion formats, and teach in laboratory settings with individual students and small student groups.

Faculty will also be expected to meet with students, and advisees to provide guidance regarding their academic progress.

Faculty are additionally expected to meet with colleagues to provide discussion and insight regarding academics and/or the function, maintenance and future of the Department, College and University.

Meetings with students and/or colleagues may occur in face-to-face or online, either in small or large group settings.

Typical physical demands of a professional position at the university.

ABD with reduction in rank and salary: ABD will be considered for this position. Evidence of successful defense of the dissertation must be received by July 31 for a fall hire or November 30 for a spring hire. If confirmation of defense is not provided by the deadline, the candidate will receive a new one-year fixed-term contract and be hired at the rank of Instructor. The candidate's salary will also be reduced to a lower rate commensurate with other full-time instructors in the same department. However, if degree verification is provided before the end of the one-year fixed-term contract, the candidate will be returned to the rank of assistant professor with commensurate compensation beginning July 1 of the following academic year.

No ABD consideration: Only candidates with an earned doctorate or terminal degree from an accredited institution will be considered for the position. Since ABD will not meet the minimum requirements, ABD will not be considered.

Applications must include (i) a cover letter that includes information on how the applicant's research and teaching interests will complement and/or synergize with current departmental offerings (2 pages max), (ii) a curriculum vitae, (iii) a research statement that highlights short-term and long-term goals and the involvement of undergraduate and master's student researchers (3 pages max), (iv) a teaching statement that includes philosophy, specific interests and experience, strategies for managing a 3-3 teaching load, and mentorship strategies (3 pages max), and (v) the contact information for 3 references (name, address, telephone, email).

The continued employment of a special faculty member during the term appointment may be made expressly contingent on items such as the continued availability of funding from any source, on enrollment levels, or any other contingency established by the institution.