Assistant Professor of Biology (Organismal)

The Department of Biology at Xavier University of Louisiana invites applicants for a tenure track position in biology at the assistant professor level beginning August 2022. The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D. in biological sciences. Postdoctoral experience is strongly preferred.

The department seeks candidates whose area of concentration is Organismal Biology. Candidates with academic interest and training in Molecular Ecology, Evolutionary Genetics, Biosphere Analysis, Ecophysiology, Entomology, Aquatic Biology, and Conservation Biology are encouraged to apply. Active research in one of the areas listed above is strongly preferred. Qualified candidates should possess a promising record of scholarship, a strong research agenda, and be able to support our growing department of HBCU students through advising as well as mentorship. The department is particularly interested in candidates who have experience working with students from diverse backgrounds, minimizing barriers, and increasing equity and completion rates between members of different demographic groups.

Duties

• Teach 12 credit hours per semester
• Develop and maintain an active research program
• Mentor undergraduate students in research projects
• Advise Biology majors
• Develop and sustain independent and externally funded research, and
• Participate in service activities for the Department, the University, their discipline, and the community.

About our Department

The Department of Biology is the largest in the College of Arts & Sciences at Xavier with a total of 750-800 majors each year. There are 24 full-time faculty members ready to serve all students, including three former XU-Biology graduates. Faculty members in the department are research active and continue to provide opportunities for our students to receive research experience. The department has taken the lead on redesigning and revising our pre-med curriculum so that our students will excel on the redesigned Medical College Admissions Test and to address the growing and urgent national problem of declining numbers of African American professionals in the field of medicine.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Ph. D. in the biological sciences with an emphasis in organismal biology
• Strong commitment to teaching twelve semester hours per semester;
• Ability to develop and teach face-to-face as well as online classes;
• Demonstrated a strong potential for excellence in teaching and mentoring undergraduate students;
• Commitment to developing an active research program within the area of the applicant’s expertise, including seeking external funding and submitting scholarly articles;
• Established record of research productivity, proportional to experience, in an area mentioned above;
• Commitment to academic advising for majors within the department; and
• Demonstrated commitment to working successfully with a diverse student population.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced training beyond the Ph.D., e.g. Post-doc, industry, etc.
• Successful experience teaching undergraduate courses in biological sciences.
• Established track record of meaningful mentorship of undergraduate students.
• Successful experience teaching biological sciences to a diverse student body and knowledge of effective strategies (e.g. culturally responsive or inclusive pedagogy, awareness of issues that may affect the success of minoritized students) supporting underrepresented groups in STEM.
• Awareness of pedagogical best practices and ongoing commitment to developing and maintaining knowledge in this area.
• An established research project.
• Experience recruiting undergraduate students.