Assistant Professors - Climate Adaptation
Position Overview
Organization: Environmental and Forest Sciences
Title: Assistant Professors - Climate Adaptation
Position Details
Position Description
The School of Environmental and Forest Sciences (SEFS) at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle, Washington invites applications for three full-time tenure-track Assistant Professors (100% FTE, 9-month appointments) working in the area of climate adaptation. The positions are anticipated to start in September 2022; negotiable within reasonable bounds. We seek to form a diverse and inclusive faculty cohort that will advance and transform the research, teaching, and community engagement within SEFS and across the allied disciplines and scholars within the College of the Environment, the UW, and the multiple communities that we serve.
Climate adaptation science is rapidly evolving. The field spans natural and social science disciplines and is focused on identifying historical, contemporary, and future approaches to guiding natural and human systems to adapt to ongoing and projected climate impacts. Designing effective, socially just, and equitable climate adaptation strategies requires a deep understanding of physical, ecological, social, and biological implications of climate change, and the inequities it creates. Cultural and social priorities must be considered within adaptive strategies to enhance the sustainability and resilience of the lands in which people live, work and play. These positions will work on creative, sustainable, and adaptive solutions to the multi-dimensional challenges of climate change through collaborative and convergent research, teaching, and service in alignment with the SEFS mission, vision and commitment to Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI). In partnership with all SEFS faculty, staff and students, they will fully support and advance our commitments to equity, inclusion, and access work, including diversification of our curricula, faculty expertise, and School-wide programming,and perform research that incorporates transdisciplinary approaches, Indigenous perspectives, engagement with stakeholders and underrepresented communities, and social justice and equity implications. Scholars who do not see themselves historically represented in academia are especially encouraged to apply.
These positions will pursue high-quality, impactful, and inclusive research, teaching, and engagement on social, natural, and/or engineered systems, in environments and communities ranging across a gradient of human population density and development. They may specialize in one or more of the following themes (listed in alphabetical order):
Chemical Engineering: Chemical Engineers who develop processes utilizing bio-based resources, such as waste biomass, and biomass used for ecosystem services and/or for restoration purposes, to produce valuable, environmentally responsible products, that provide multiple societal benefits for climate adaptation such as infrastructure growth in economically impoverished areas and living wage employment opportunities.
Data Science and Discovery: Data scientists who ask novel questions within the fields of physical/biological/social/economic sciences and integrate big datasets (e.g., remote sensing, crowd-sourced, field observations including forest inventory) to pioneer data exploration, visualization, data-driven decision making, and modeling to develop innovative solutions to climate adaptation challenges.
Ecological Restoration and Management: Scholars engaged in ecological restoration, management, and/or social science who develop innovative methods for effectively, efficiently and equitably designing and managing terrestrial ecosystems (e.g. forest, urban) that are diverse, resilient, and adaptive to climate change while mitigating its impacts on human and natural systems.
Ecosystem Science and Management: Ecosystem scientists who apply modelling, field-based investigations, laboratory and/or greenhouse experimentation to identify mechanisms and controls of ecosystem function, dynamics and drivers of change, resilience, and adaptation to climate impacts.
Environmental Governance: Scholars who examine interactions among societal actors and institutions (within and across public and private sectors, civil society, and the citizenry) aimed at securing collective interests surrounding climate change and adaptation, or who explore how new environmental governance arrangements may be directed towards climate change and adaptation across local to global scales.
Environmental Social Science: Scholars trained in indigenous studies, sociology, anthropology, ethnic studies, geography, or other related disciplines who examine the anthropogenic influences driving climate change and climate adaptation, or who investigate how people, including Indigenous communities, engage with the political and cultural conditions that influence ideas and tensions about land, geography, and nature.
Responsibilities: All UW faculty engage in teaching, research, and service. Selected scholars will be expected to establish and/or maintain an active agenda of scholarly pursuits including, but not limited to, externally supported research and creative and/or professionally-associated practice. The selected scholars will teach departmental and interdepartmental courses, with the potential to teach at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Assigned classes may include lectures, seminars, and studios, and the opportunity to teach new and innovative courses related to climate adaptation. Additional responsibilities include student mentoring of both undergraduate and graduate students, and departmental or College level service.
Qualifications
Applicants must hold a Ph.D. or foreign equivalent in a field related to climate change adaptation research, including but not limited to: Chemical Engineering, Data Sciences, Ecology, Environmental Sciences, Forest Resources, Social Sciences, or other relevant fields. Applicants must demonstrate potential for an academic career at a national/international level with an active program of research and teaching, and a record of work related to issues of social justice and DEI.
Instructions
Applications must be submitted electronically via Interfolio. Priority review due date is December 1, 2021, but submissions will be thoughtfully reviewed and considered until the positions are filled. Applicants should submit the following information:
- A comprehensive CV. Please highlight up to three representative scholarly contributions (e.g., peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, patents, commissioned scientific reports, outreach materials, and conference proceeding papers).
- A 600-word summary statement that integrates your research, teaching, and engagement experiences related to climate adaptation and that promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (please see the weblinks for more information). This 600-word synopsis will be the primary information used by the search committee in place of a cover letter in the first screening of applications.
- A research statement of no more than 1000 words describing your interests, scholarly accomplishments, and future plans in one or more of the six climate adaptation research themes identified above.
- A teaching statement of no more than 500 words describing your teaching philosophy.
- A diversity statement of no more than 500 words describing your commitments to DEI and justice, and access as they relate to your research, teaching, service, and mentoring
- Contact information only for three (3) references. No letters are requested at this time.
Questions regarding the application process or any potential disability accommodations during the application and interview process can be directed to sefsjobs@uw.edu. Inquiries about the positions can be address to the Search Committee Co-Chairs: Prof. Soo-Hyung Kim soohkim@uw.edu +1 206 616-4971 or Prof. L. Monika Moskal lmmoskal@uw.edu +1 206 225-1510.
The UW (Seattle campus) is one of the world's premiere research universities and a leader in undergraduate and graduate education. UW offers rigorous academic programs, outstanding faculty, and diverse cultural and social opportunities in a stimulating and collegial intellectual environment. The College of the Environment, including its six Schools and Departments and multiple programs, institutes, and centers, connects educators, researchers, students and the public, cultivating communities who work with and learn from each other while tackling critical environmental and social challenges. The new faculty will join the SEFS community, which is dedicated to generating and disseminating pioneering knowledge for the stewardship of natural and managed environments and the sustainable use of their products, services and functions through teaching, research, and engagement. SEFS currently serves approximately 400 undergraduates and 100 graduate students in our degree programs.
The UW is located in the greater Seattle metropolitan area, with a dynamic, multicultural community of 4 million people and a range of ecosystems from mountains to ocean. The UW serves a diverse population of 80,000 students, faculty and staff, including 25% first-generation college students, over 25% Pell Grant students, and faculty from over 70 countries. The UW is a recipient of a National Science Foundation ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Award to increase the advancement of women faculty in science, engineering, and math (see http://advance.washington.edu/).
Benefits: The UW offers a generous benefits package to its faculty, including medical and dental insurance, paid sick leave, multiple retirement plans, life insurance, employee assistance programs, and more. Please see the description of available benefits here: https://hr.uw.edu/benefits/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/02/benefits-faculty-9-to-12-mos- 20210208.pdf.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, gender identity or expression, age, disability, or protected veteran status.
Commitment to Diversity
The University of Washington is committed to building diversity among its faculty, librarian, staff, and student communities, and articulates that commitment in the UW Diversity Blueprint (http://www.washington.edu/diversity/diversity-blueprint/). Additionally, the University’s Faculty Code recognizes faculty efforts in research, teaching and/or service that address diversity and equal opportunity as important contributions to a faculty member’s academic profile and responsibilities (https://www.washington.edu/admin/rules/policies/FCG/FCCH24.html#2432).
Privacy Notice
Review the University of Washington Privacy Notice for Demographic Data of Job Applicants and University Personnel to learn how your demographic data are protected, when the data may be used, and your rights.
Disability Services
To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 or dso@uw.edu.
COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements and Information
Under Washington State Governor Inslee’s Proclamation 21-14.1, University of Washington (UW) workers must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof thereof, or receive a UW-approved medical or religious exemption. This requirement will be a condition of any offer associated with this recruitment. For more information, please visit https://www.washington.edu/coronavirus/vaccination-requirement/.