Assistant Professor Positions in Science and Societyy

The LBC Science and Society Group is a lively and interdisciplinary group of teacher-scholars from across the arts, humanities, and social sciences. The college boasts a dynamic community of students, staff, and faculty who make LBC an exceptional place to learn and work. Most LBC faculty members in the tenure system have a joint appointment in a disciplinary department or program to support their scholarship and professional development.  

The successful candidates will each teach three courses each academic year within the LBC Science and Society group and one course in the joint unit. Science and Society offers a range of undergraduate courses including a first-year writing intensive Introduction to Science and Society course, 300-level special topics courses, and a 400-level Senior Seminar course that explores in depth an area within Science in Society. The successful candidates will each teach across the full range of course levels.  

  Minimum qualifications 

• Candidates must have a PhD, or a PhD conferred before the position start date, in the Social Sciences and/or Humanities with expertise in Science and Society. 

Desired qualifications 

We are seeking candidates who: 

• Centralize social justice, marginalized populations, and diversity in research and teaching. Some examples of areas may include, but are not limited to, Environmental, Racial, and/or Disability Justice; Science and Social Justice; Transnational/Global perspectives on Science and Society.  

• Have an interest in interdisciplinary teaching and can provide evidence of offering innovative and inclusive pedagogies. 

• Can offer breadth in teaching courses ranging from introductory to senior seminars in Science and Society. 

• Have interest/experience and/or professional development in teaching college-level writing courses. 

• Demonstrate diverse, inclusive, and/or innovative methodological training. 

• Have a strong record of, or potential for, sustained publication in peer-reviewed journals and/or books in university presses (commensurate with experience). 

• Have the potential for, or prior experience with, attaining external grant funding (as disciplinarily appropriate).  

• Are excited to advance the work of the Science and Society program and LBC through service and offer evidence of previous engagement with departmental, university, professional service, and/or community initiatives (commensurate with experience). 

• Are interested in leveraging the strengths of working in a residential college such as small-size classrooms, working with undergraduate students on research, and interdisciplinary collaborations across fields of inquiry represented by LBC faculty. 

To ensure a holistic assessment of candidates, we request that applications include: 

(1)     a CV, including education background/qualifications, a list of publications, conference presentations, grants, teaching and mentoring roles, leadership positions, contributions to the academic community; 

(2)     a 2­-page research statement highlighting past research experiences and future research interests; 

(3)     an article or chapter-length writing sample; 

(4)     a 2-page teaching statement describing the applicant’s educational priorities (including teaching and mentoring) and plans to address them; this statement should highlight the applicant's efforts to foster inclusive learning spaces and innovative pedagogies; 

(5)     a sample syllabus for a Science and Society course that may be taught in LBC; 

(6)     a cover letter that frames the application in the context of this position in MSU’s Lyman Briggs College and joint unit the applicant desires to be considered for. The cover letter should highlight the candidate’s current and planned contributions to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in higher education. 

(7)     Contact information for three references. While letters will not be solicited for the initial evaluation of candidates, references should be prepared to submit written letters that focus on the candidate’s research impact on the field, the candidate’s experience with mentoring and collaborating, inclusive teaching, and efforts to broaden representation in the academy. 

The selection process will begin on October 1, 2024, and review of applications will continue until the positions are filled. Questions may be directed to the Search Chair, Robyn Bluhm ([email protected]).  

MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer and is committed to achieving excellence through diversity.