Assistant Professor of Philosophy (EXPIRED)

The George Mason University Department of Philosophy invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor position in philosophy of science with a research and teaching specialty in philosophy of the life sciences (e.g., biology, ecology) or earth and atmospheric sciences that includes some focus on how values impact the development or normative implications of the science. Teaching competence in one or more of the following is desirable: environmental philosophy; Darwin; symbolic logic. The Department is eager to see new courses in such areas as the history and philosophy of science, science and values, science and epistemology, or science and policy. Teaching Load: 2:2. The appointment will begin in August 2020.

George Mason University has a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff, and strongly encourages candidates to apply who will enrich Mason’s academic and culturally inclusive environment.

Information about the University and Department:

George Mason University is located in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, and is the largest public university in the state of Virginia, with a diverse student body. The Philosophy Department at Mason is committed to teaching and research in both analytic and continental traditions, as well as in ethics and the history of philosophy, and collaborates with many other departments and units including African and African American Studies, Cultural Studies, Economics, Global Affairs, Women & Gender Studies, and the Schar School of Policy and Government as well as the Center for Climate Change Communication and the Institute for a Sustainable Earth. The Department is home to the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy (IPPP), which works on pressing issues in public policy including climate change, environmental sustainability, security, international criminal law, and bioethics and emerging technologies.

Responsibilities:

The successful candidate will:

• Sustain an active program of scholarly research in their area of expertise, produce peer-reviewed publications, engage in multidisciplinary collaborations, and participate in professional organizations and societies.
• Contribute to interdisciplinary research and teaching synergies within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, for example across the environmental humanities, and with other areas of the University such as the College of Science, Schar School of Policy and Government, College of Health and Human Services, Center for Climate Change Communication, Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies, or Institute for a Sustainable Earth.
• Teach courses in the Department’s graduate and undergraduate philosophy programs, with a particular emphasis on philosophy of science and its normative dimensions. Some of these courses will contribute to the BA concentration in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE), including our upper level course in Philosophy of Natural Science.
• Mentor students and supervise student research projects at undergraduate and MA levels; contribute to the Department’s commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive academic community.
• Develop new courses that will contribute to the Philosophy BA and MA, including the MA concentration in Ethics and Public Affairs, and that will draw students from other programs across the Humanities and Social Sciences as well as in areas such as Biology, Earth Science, Environmental Science and Policy, Environmental and Sustainability Studies, or Public and Global Health.
  
  

Required Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Philosophy with evidence of completion by August 2020.
• Area of specialization: philosophy of science with a research and teaching specialty in philosophy of the life sciences (e.g., biology, ecology) or earth and atmospheric sciences that includes some focus on how values impact the development or normative implications of the science.
• Ability to teach an upper level undergraduate course in Philosophy of Natural Science.
• Demonstrable potential for excellence in scholarship, and in graduate and undergraduate teaching.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Area of teaching competence in one or more of the following: environmental philosophy; Darwin; symbolic logic.
• Ability to develop new courses in such areas as the history and philosophy of science, science and values, science and epistemology, or science and policy.
• Scholarly expertise that complements the existing strengths of the Department and the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy (IPPP) and increases the potential for research that shapes science or environmental policy.
• An interest in public philosophy that reaches beyond the classroom to the wider community.