Pacific University: Tenure Track Positions in (1) Animal Physiology and (2) Evolution

Posted on August 31, 2022

The biology department of Pacific University invites applications for two tenure track, full-time positions beginning the 2023-24 academic year.

The Positions and the Institution

Both positions: We invite applications for tenure track positions in the Biology Department at Pacific University. We seek new colleagues who bring promise for excellence in both teaching and mentorship of undergraduate researchers.

Animal Physiology: We seek a biologist with expertise to teach an upper division comparative animal physiology course (not human-focused), and to develop a physiology research program with undergraduates (note that we do not have facilities to house mammals on campus). We are particularly interested in research programs that include both lab and field components, are interdisciplinary or collaborative, and/or work across levels of biological organization. Apply through this link.

Evolution: We are open to many specializations within evolution that provide expertise to teach a broad intermediate course in Evolution and Biodiversity, and an upper division organismal or field course in an area of expertise. The focus and study system of an evolutionary research program is open, as we seek a colleague who will add to our teaching and research opportunities through either synergy or complementarity to existing expertise. We are particularly interested in research programs that include both field and lab components, address conservation issues, and/or are interdisciplinary or collaborative. Apply through this link.

Appointment: The full time position (FTE 1.0) will begin in August, 2023. Our 9-month contract begins mid-August. We anticipate the appointment will be at the Assistant Professor level, but Associate Professor rank may be considered.

Teaching expectations: We seek candidates who have potential for excellence in teaching, which is a critical focus of our faculty. We seek new colleagues who can contribute to creating engaging and inclusive learning environments for our diverse student body: more than 20% of our students are first-generation college students, and we are designated as an Asian American Native American and Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI). As a department, we explore and support innovative pedagogical approaches that will help us meet those goals.

Specific teaching responsibilities include both core departmental courses and upper division specialized courses, taught on a rotating basis (courses listed here). Each instructor teaches only some of these courses (e.g., not all intermediate courses). Core departmental courses include:

  1. The Introductory Biology sequence (BIOL 200 and BIOL 201), which focus on the Flow of Energy and Information, respectively. Both courses include data interpretation in lecture and lab; in labs, students also design and carry out a multi-week experiment. BIOL 200 emphasizes the flow of energy in biological systems integrated across all levels of biological organization and includes topics of macromolecules, thermodynamics, cellular respiration, physiology, ecology, and ecosystem dynamics. BIOL 201 explores the flow of information in biological systems, integrating across all levels of biological organization, and includes topics such as animal behavior, endocrine and nervous systems, signal transduction, transcription/translation, evolution, and processes necessary for storing and transmitting biological information.
  2. Intermediate core departmental lecture-only courses (BIOL 313: Molecular Biology of the Cell, BIOL 315: Evolution and Biodiversity, BIOL 317: Genetics) and a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) in the lab course B BIOL 314: Molecular Genetics, which uses Tetrahymena as the focal system.
  3. upper division BIOL 489: Advanced Research Methods, a CURE in the instructor’s research area. Faculty pick a general topic in their area of expertise and guide students through carrying out a specific research project (in small groups) in that area. Most students use the results from these studies for their capstone. Since 2018 (when this class was first fully implemented), these student projects have provided pilot data for grant proposals, summer research projects, and collaborations among biology faculty.
  4. non-majors courses in areas of interest and expertise

Pacific has two full semesters, and a short intensive winter term in January. Our regular teaching load is 20 credits. A typical schedule includes 3-4 lectures per year, and 2-3 labs, with some courses taught annually (such as intro bio or an intermediate core course) and some taught every other year (such as some upper division electives). Faculty rotate through teaching a subset of core courses (for example, one intro course, one intermediate course, and Biol 489). Most lectures receive 4 teaching credits, upper division labs receive 2 teaching credits, and intro labs receive 1 teaching credit. The faculty hired into these positions will also teach 1-2 upper division electives with labs that include an organismal component. Upper division labs are typically capped at 16, with one or rarely two lab sections per lecture. Our largest classes are introductory biology, with caps of around 48 in lecture and 20 in lab.

We expect the teaching assignments for the Animal Physiologist will include Biol 470: Comparative Animal Physiology every year; the assignments for the Evolutionary Biologist will include Biol 315: Evolution and Biodiversity and an upper division elective most years.

Research expectations: We seek a collegial scholar-teacher whose research interests supplement or complement existing expertise in the department (faculty list here). We expect our new colleague to establish an active research program with undergraduates that leads to peer-review products (successful external grants, scientific publications). The expectation for tenure is a minimum of one peer-reviewed publication. We expect presentations at meetings with students as co-authors. Our gold-standard for scholarship is students as co-authors on peer-review publications, though we recognize that this standard may not be accomplished in the pre-tenure years. The research program must be successful and feasible in our liberal arts college setting (which does not have facilities to house mammals); it should also be attractive to our student body, which includes many preparing for professional school in the health professions (e.g., optometry, physical therapy, pharmacy, etc.) as well as some pursuing teaching, environmental biology, and other professional work in the life sciences. Start-up funds are provided, which include summer stipends for mentoring students. We also encourage course-based undergraduate research experiences. Pacific will provide resources for developing skills in grant writing, mentoring students in research, or other areas to support the establishment of a sustainable research program.

Service expectation: Service at Pacific occurs at many different levels (department, school, college, and university). We expect service at the college or university level prior to tenure, and pre-tenure faculty will be eligible for appointment or election to committees starting in their second year. Biology faculty also provide academic advising to 15-30 students each semester, starting in the second year. Service to the profession is also valued in faculty reviews.

Qualifications: A PhD in biology or related field with teaching experience is required by the start date. The “Detailed Application Instructions” section below elaborates on the experience, knowledge, and skills we seek. We welcome applications from people from all identities and backgrounds, and strive to create a work environment where everyone feels valued and welcomed.

Applicants must be a U.S. worker, including U.S. citizens and nationals, permanent residents, refugees and asylees, and foreign nationals granted temporary residence under one of the 1986 legalization programs.

Who we are: Pacific University is an independent, comprehensive university in Forest Grove, Oregon (about 25 miles west of Portland). The Biology department is part of the College of Arts and Sciences (ca. 1600 students), a liberal arts undergraduate college where faculty and staff are committed to an intimate, personalized education. The University also includes a College of Health Professions (including Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physician Assistant Studies, Pharmacy, Dental Science and Professional Psychology), a College of Optometry, a College of Education, and a College of Business.

The Biology Department currently has 9 permanent faculty members (increasing to 10 with these hires) and 2 laboratory support staff. We are committed to learning through discovery in both the laboratory and the classroom. We graduate 45-55 majors each year. Many of our graduates pursue graduate or professional study in the health sciences or careers in teaching, biology research, or environmental biology.

Interdisciplinary opportunities: Pacific has many programs that intersect with the Biology Department for teaching and research, including Environmental Science, Bioinformatics, Public Health, and Data Science. Faculty in the School of Natural Sciences have also collaborated on research with faculty in the School of Pharmacy and the College of Education, as well as colleagues within our school, in other schools within the College of Arts and Sciences, and at other institutions.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion. Pacific University is committed to improving practices and university structures to foster equity, diversity, and inclusion. The University’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (OEDI) provides leadership and facilitates forming partnerships to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive campus for all to prosper. The primary role of the OEDI is to lead and manage an institution-wide effort to support and further develop a diverse community of faculty, students, and staff at Pacific University through development and programming that fosters equity and inclusion in the broadest sense possible.

Support and Resources

Mentoring and institutional support: Untenured faculty are mentored, both formally and informally, by senior faculty in the department and the college with respect to teaching, scholarship, and service. Pacific University provides institutional support for scholarly research through the Office of Scholarship and Sponsored Projects. Annual conference travel funds are available through the College of Arts and Sciences. Pacific University’s Center for Educational Technology and Curricular Innovation provides resources for faculty, staff, and students to help them best integrate technology into their teaching and learning.

Research facilities: To facilitate community and collaboration, most research space in biology is shared, with exclusive bench spaces allocated within large shared labs. Our new hires will have an exclusive bench allocated within either (1) the molecular research lab (with 5 lab benches, fume hood, a sterile hood, several thermocyclers, an RT PCR machine, a gel doc station, centrifuges, and other standard molecular equipment), with an adjacent microscope room (including a fluorescence microscope) or (2) the organismal research lab (with 2 benches, sets of movable tables, marine tank, microbalance, and fume hood). Shared spaces also include: 1) an instrumentation room that includes major equipment such as growth chambers and -80°C freezer as well as some bench space; 2) two chemical preparation and storage rooms; 3) a large greenhouse with supplemental lights for research involving plants; and 4) summer use of a teaching lab with fume hood.

Sabbaticals, course releases, leaves, and benefits: This position is eligible for full benefits (information at our HR website). Every 7 years, tenured faculty are eligible for sabbatical. Faculty can take a half-year sabbatical for their full yearly salary or a full year sabbatical and receive half their annual salary. Faculty may take up to two years of unpaid leave (e.g., with salary paid through other sources). Faculty are also eligible (and encouraged to take) family leave for life events such as the birth or adoption of a child or care of a sick family member.

The Forest Grove area: Pacific University is located in Forest, Grove, OR, a town of around 25,000. The town is home to some of the state’s oldest and most respected wineries, but you’ll also be able to find an abundance of local beer, kombucha, sake, artisan sourdough bread, and local farm-fresh produce. May through October there is a Wednesday farmer’s market in the small but vibrant downtown area. Forest Grove is within the TriMet district and is served by a public bus line which operates 7 days per week. Forest Grove is home to Fernhill Wetlands Park, a 240 acre nature preserve that serves as both a critical wildlife habitat and part of the local water treatment system. Pacific University has been the most distinctive aspect of the town throughout its history, and Old College Hall on campus is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Forest Grove is within a 30-minute or less driving distance of downtowns for Portland, Beaverton, and Hillsboro. Forest Grove also provides easy access to many exceptional natural areas for a variety of outdoor activities (hiking, biking, surfing, climbing, etc.), including the Cascade and Coastal Mountain Ranges, volcanos, rivers, lakes, high deserts, and the Oregon Coast.

Detailed Application Instructions

Please submit all application materials through PayCom—use this link for Animal Physiology and this link for Evolution. The details below are intended to help you prepare your best application. Candidates should submit materials by October 3 to guarantee a full review; review will continue until the positions are filled. To ensure equity in the review process, material beyond page limits will not be reviewed.

To facilitate our review, please combine all application materials into a single file (.doc or .pdf), in the order listed below, and give the file a name following this pattern:

  • Last Name, First Name, Animal Physiology 2022 or
  • Last Name, First Name, Evolution 2022.

The application materials include:

  1. a cover letter (maximum 2 pages) that makes a case for your candidacy. In your cover letter, please address the following questions/topics (in any order), including details about how your training, experience, knowledge, or skills will help you succeed at Pacific.
    1. Which position or positions at Pacific are you applying for (Animal Physiology, Evolution, or both)? If you apply to both, please be sure to submit twice, once through each link above.
    2. How would a Biology faculty position at Pacific (a liberal arts college serving undergraduates) fit into your career trajectory?
    3. What is your approach to mentoring undergraduate researchers?
    4. For the Animal Physiology position, describe your ability or potential to teach an upper division Comparative Animal Physiology (Biol 470) course with lab. This course explores the study of physiological function (molecular, cellular, and organ systems) in animals. Topics include water and solute regulation, gas exchange and transport, temperature regulation and tolerance, circulation, digestion, metabolism, excretion, neural control and integration, and locomotion. The labs are designed by the instructor.
    5. For the Evolution position, describe your ability or potential to teach an intermediate course in Evolution and Biodiversity (Biol 315). This course explores both taxonomic diversity across kingdoms and phyla, evolutionary history of life on Earth, and central topics in evolution such as population genetics, natural selection, and sexual selection.
    6. For both positions, identify one or two possible upper division electives with labs that you would be interested in teaching. These can be courses already in our catalog, or new ones you would develop.
  1. a CV (no page limit). Summarize your educational and professional experiences and accomplishments, including student mentorship and grant applications (funded and unfunded).
  1. a brief teaching statement (maximum 2 pages) that addresses your approach(es) to teaching, including strategies you use to engage undergraduates with learning and to create an inclusive learning environment. We are interested in details about teaching you have done (especially any examples where you were in charge of designing activities, modules, or classes), as well as ideas you have from pedagogical training (e.g., workshops, Future Faculty-style courses, etc.). Descriptions of activities, assignments, examples of teaching practices, or pedagogical trainings should include explanations for how they enhance student learning and inclusion. While teaching experience of some kind is required, we are also interested in the promise of excellence in teaching at Pacific. Thus, you may discuss both approaches you have used (successful or not) and ones you would like to try. To help us understand how your expertise and teaching interests will fit into our department, at the end of your teaching statement please name (no justification required) which core departmental courses you think you would be be interested and prepared to teach from this list:
    1. Biol 200: Intro Bio Flow of Energy (lecture and lab)
    2. Biol 201: Intro Bio Flow of Information (lecture and lab)
    3. Biol 313: Molecular Biology of the Cell (lecture only—currently taught with flipped structure)
    4. Biol 314: Molecular Genetics Lab (lab-workshop course)
    5. Biol 315: Evolution and Biodiversity (lecture only)
    6. Biol 317: Genetics (lecture only)
  1. a research statement (maximum 2 pages) that describes a plan for your research program at Pacific, at least for the pre-tenure years. Specifically, address the following (in any order/format):
    1. What question(s) will you address, and why are they significant?
    2. How are you prepared to address them?
    3. What approach(es) will you use?
    4. What resources at Pacific will you need to carry out this program?
    5. How will undergraduates be involved in your research, over the summer or during the academic year?
  1. an equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) statement (maximum 2 pages) about how you will approach teaching, mentoring, and advising our diverse student body. Describe how your preparation and experiences will help you:
    1. identify barriers that might limit opportunities or sense of belonging in STEM fields for some students;
    2. participate in removing those barriers through your teaching, mentorship, or service while at Pacific.

Preparation and experiences may include (but are not limited to) formal or informal education, teaching or mentoring experiences, community or outreach activities, service positions or activities, or lived experiences. Please note that you need not share your personal identities, nor disclose past hardship or trauma. Instead, we are specifically interested in the perspectives/philosophies, training, experiences, and approaches you would bring to help support our diverse community at Pacific.

  1. unofficial graduate transcripts. These may be a separate file, if needed.
  1. names and contact information for three references who can address your teaching experience and potential, and (or) your potential for establishing a successful research program with undergraduates at a liberal arts college.

Review process: Each search committee will include several Biology faculty, one non-biology science faculty, one faculty from outside the sciences, two Pacific students, and a non-voting administrator who is responsible for ensuring equity in the review process. All applications will be initially reviewed using a rubric that includes teaching experience, ability or potential to teach specific courses for each position, research experience, experience or promise in mentoring undergraduates in research, potential for success of research program at Pacific, responses to EDI prompts above, and commitment to service or community engagement. Contact Department Chair Dr. Paige Baugher (paige.baugher@pacificu.edu) with questions.

Review timeline: Reviews will begin immediately after the deadline for receipt of materials. We expect to conduct preliminary interviews with top candidates by phone or Zoom in October or November, and then invite a short list of candidates to campus in November or December. Campus visits are typically 1-2 days in length, and include meetings with biology faculty, lab support staff, human resources, the School of Natural Sciences director, students, and the Dean of the College. We will provide more details about campus visits to invited candidates.

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