Assistant Professor, Department of Health, Exercise, and Sport Studies (HESS)

Denison University
Assistant Professor, Department of Health, Exercise, and Sport Studies (HESS)

The Department of Health, Exercise, and Sport Studies (HESS) at Denison University invites applications from qualified exercise scientists with a specialization in motor development, motor learning, or motor control to fill a tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor starting in fall 2021. Candidates must have completed a PhD in exercise science, kinesiology, exercise physiology, or a related field by the start date (in August 2021) as a requirement for this position.

We are seeking candidates who are enthusiastic about teaching at the undergraduate level and committed to continually refining and growing their pedagogy. The successful candidate will be expected to teach undergraduate courses in Applied Anatomy with lab, Foundations of Health and Exercise Science, and Kinesiology, as well as other courses currently offered or that the candidate will develop over time to augment our curriculum. Teaching load is five courses per year. A successful candidate will also demonstrate the potential to run a successful research program at our institution, and to actively contribute to activities outside of the classroom and laboratory at the level of the department, institution, and larger community. In keeping with Denison University’s tradition as a leading national liberal-arts college, the preferred candidate will help drive leading edge conversations in the classroom, campus, and research field.

A strong potential for excellence in teaching and for a productive research program is essential. The HESS Department values the engagement of undergraduate students in research. Departmental and institutional support is available for teaching and research. Support includes dedicated research space, competitive start-up research funds, an annual professional development account, eligibility for Denison University Research Foundation grant applications, stipends for choosing to supervise summer-research students, and a one-semester pre-tenure leave contingent upon performance. Please note, the research program may involve human subjects or animal models, but only non-mammalian and non-avian species can be housed on campus. Additionally, we have numerous professional development opportunities, including early career mentoring programs and the Center for Learning and Teaching.

The Department of Health, Exercise, and Sport Studies, a thriving and vibrant program with 30-40 graduates per year, strives to be an academic community in which students receive ongoing professional mentorship and engagement throughout the undergraduate experience. Our objective is to facilitate an intellectual environment between faculty representing the three prongs of health science, exercise science, and sports studies. The department values aspirational professional thoughts and collaboration among our students and faculty, as well as other disciplines on campus, such as Neuroscience, Biology, or Data Analytics.

Denison University is a selective and nationally ranked, residential liberal arts college located in Granville, OH, 25 miles east of the Columbus metropolitan area (population 1.8 mil, home of The Ohio State University). Granville also offers an excellent public school system and easy access to outdoor activities. The HESS department is tied closely to the Athletics division with access to the state-of-the-art Mitchell Center, which includes Olympic pool, exceptional fitness center, indoor tracks and courts for use by athletes and community members. Classrooms and lab space are embedded within the facility.

To achieve our mission as a liberal arts college, we continually strive to foster an academically and culturally diverse campus community, which recognizes the value of all persons regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or socio-economic background. For additional information and resources, please see our Diversity Contact List at denison.edu/forms/diversity-guide. Denison University is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. Our commitment to being an antiracist and diverse learning and working community is essential to our educational mission. For more information on ways we are committing to be a campus community dedicated to antiracism please see President Adam Weinberg’s statement denison.edu/campus/president/speeches/135388.

Applicants should submit electronic application materials on-line at employment.denison.edu including: a cover letter addressing the candidate’s motivation and potential that will enable them to successfully contribute to the high standards of teaching, scholarship, and service that are expected of Denison faculty; separate statements addressing the candidate’s: 1) teaching philosophy including the ability to contribute to our curriculum, 2) research interests and plans for research at Denison, and 3) potential to foster and support diversity among our students, faculty, and community; curriculum vitae; copies of transcripts (graduate and undergraduate); three letters of recommendation (submitted by recommenders). Applications that are completed by October 25, 2020 will receive full consideration, with review continuing until the position is filled.