Research and teaching postdoc (USA)

Research and Teaching Postdoc at Sam Houston State University
Department of Biological Sciences

General Information
The Sam Houston State University Department of Biological Sciences seeks applicants for a Visiting Faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor that combines teaching experience with an opportunity for research. Contingent on available funding, this is a full-time appointment that will run from September 1, 2015 through May 30, 2017. Salary is competitive and includes full benefits.

The position is ideally suited for a candidate who is seeking a post-
doctoral position with expanded teaching responsibilities, while still
maintaining an active research program. The fellow will teach classes at
the introductory and advanced levels, will have the opportunity to move
doctoral work to publication, and acquire additional skills through the
initiation of new research projects in collaboration with current faculty
members. During the term of the fellowship the candidate  will be a member
of a department that emphasizes excellence in teaching and research, will
be able to recruit and co-mentor passionate graduate and undergraduate
student researchers, and will have an opportunity to see how faculty
members operate successfully at a comprehensive academic institution.

Research Interests
We strongly prefer an individual with research interests that build on
existing faculty expertise, although other areas may be entertained if
appropriate and supportable by a faculty mentor. It will be the applicant’s
responsibility to identify and contact the faculty member(s) they would
potentially choose to pair with, and the faculty member(s) prerogative to
allow the applicant access to their lab for collaborative research. Fellows
will have access to funds to support research and travel and will be
encouraged to explore external grant opportunities.  Annual departmental
research funding will help support research-related activities.

Teaching
Because SHSU is primarily an undergraduate teaching institution, the fellow
will occupy a standard 9 semester credit hour teaching load each semester.
This typically translates into one lower division lecture course and one
upper division course with lab in each semester. The teaching schedule will
be defined by departmental needs but will include a freshman lecture course
in one of the following: Contemporary Biology, Environmental Science,
Foundations of Science, General Botany, and/or General Zoology. Upper
division courses will include one or more courses in the applicant’s area
of expertise that are in the department’s current course rotation.
You can read more about the Biological Sciences undergraduate and graduate
curricula and find additional information on the courses our faculty
members teach and the research they do by going to their respective
homepages.

Applications
Materials candidates will need to submit include the following:

1. A brief cover letter expressing your interest in the position and
briefly summarizing your training in your specific research area(s), who
you would select as a faculty mentor at SHSU and why you want to work with
them, and your teaching experience.

2. Curriculum vitae.

3. Research and teaching statements. Both statements should be brief -- on
the order of two or three pages.

The research statement should concisely explain your doctoral research
program and expected future direction(s) and how your goals are consistent
with work in a current SHSU mentor’s lab.

The teaching statement should explain the basis for your interest in
teaching at the undergraduate level, briefly summarize your previous
teaching experience and why you are qualified to teach the courses
mentioned above. You should also briefly explain how you believe this
opportunity might help your professional goals. Please do not send us a
statement of your "teaching philosophy."

4. Copies of undergraduate and graduate transcripts. These are used to help
us assess an applicant's training. Unofficial copies are acceptable with
the application, but the Dean's Office requires an official copy before
hire.

5. List the contact information (name, address, telephone number and email
address) for three references and your relationship to these referees.

All Documents should be sent via email as a single (merged) PDF document to:
        1. Search Committee Chair:  Dr. James Harper; jmharper@shsu.edu, and
        2. Department Chair: Dr. Chad Hargrave; cwhargrave@shsu.edu

Review of Applicants will begin 11 June and end when the position is
filled.

Address Inquiries to the Committee Chair: Dr. James Harper,
jmharper@shsu.edu, 936-294-1543

General Information About the University: Named for Sam Houston, Texas’
greatest hero, SHSU continually strives to honor its historical roots
through academic excellence that includes exceptional teaching from faculty
members who care as much about their students’ success as they do about
furthering the knowledge of their fields. SHSU offers over 80 bachelor's
degree programs, more than 50 master’s degree programs, and six doctoral
programs, including nationally-recognized programs in Business, Fine Arts,
Education, Mathematics and Criminal Justice. SHSU is classified as
a “Doctoral Research University” by the Carnegie Commission on Higher
Education and was recently recognized by U.S. News and World Report for
being among the best in the country for online graduate programs. In
addition, the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education classified SHSU as
a "Community Engaged" university. This honor was awarded in 2010 to only
sixty-one public institutions nationwide and acknowledges the university's
significant commitment to serving the community.

General Information About the Department: The Department of Biological
Sciences is dedicated to the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge and
scientific discovery in the life sciences through innovative teaching and
research. Our Department strives to instill in its students the philosophy
of lifelong scholarship, producing scientifically literate members of
society who have the knowledge to contribute and compete in a rapidly
changing world.

Facilities: The Department occupies modern teaching and research facilities
with large-scale computing capabilities, scintillation counter, cell
sorter, animal rearing facility, acid rain monitoring station, 250 acre
field research station, SHSU Natural History Collections and the Warner
Herbarium, and modern equipment to support research in cell biology,
molecular biology, and systematics.  The successful applicant will also
have the opportunity to affiliate with the SHSU Texas Research Institute of
Environmental Studies.