Assistant Professor - Astronomy/Physics

The Department of Physics, Astronomy, Geosciences, and Engineering Technology in the College of Science and Mathematics seeks applicants for a tenure track faculty position in Astronomy beginning August 1, 2021. The selected candidate will be responsible for teaching courses in the candidate's area of expertise, maintaining scholarly productivity, and participating in service at the department, college, and university levels.  While all areas of Astronomy will be considered, we seek candidates who show an enthusiasm for working with undergraduate students in teaching and research environments and who can teach courses in both Astronomy and Physics.

Valdosta State University is proud to have a highly diverse student body, and we are seeking to recruit and retain outstanding candidates who exhibit a clear commitment to diversity and inclusion and who will enhance the diversity of our faculty and staff. 

For more information contact Dr. Paul Vincent by phone (229.333.5752) or mail pvincent@valdosta.edu.  

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The successful candidate will be expected to teach courses in introductory and upper-level Astronomy and supporting courses in Physics at the undergraduate level; establish an active research program in their area of expertise that includes undergraduate student participation; assist in coordinating VSU’s public outreach which utilizes the campus planetarium and observatory; maintain scholarship; and participate in service at the department, college, and university level.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ph.D. in Astronomy, Physics, or a closely-related field;
• Demonstrated commitment to excellence in teaching and learning, as well as scholarship;
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• A record of effective teaching appropriate to the applicant’s career stage;
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative setting;
• A record of mentoring students of diverse backgrounds.

The department is home to the only B.S. Degree of Astronomy offered by the University System of Georgia. Astronomical facilities include a 47-seat planetarium equipped with a Digitalis Digitarium-Kappa a 16-inch DFM telescope projector and a rooftop observing deck equipped with a number of small portable telescopes. VSU is a charter member of the Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy, which operates remote telescopes at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, and at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the island of La Palma. For more information about the department, please visit https://www.valdosta.edu/phy. 

Valdosta State University, founded in 1906, is a comprehensive university with a student enrollment of approximately 12,500. The city of Valdosta is located just north of the Florida state line on Interstate 75, is served by a regional airport, and is within a two-hour drive of Jacksonville and Tallahassee, Florida. For more information visit https://www.valdosta.edu and for more information about the community visit https://www.valdostachamber.com.  

Online application is required and should be submitted by January 6, 2021, at https://www.valdosta.edu/administration/finance-admin/human-resources/employment-opportunities.php. 

Valdosta State University is an Equal Opportunity educational institution and has a strong institutional commitment to diversity. In that spirit, we are particularly interested in receiving applications from a broad spectrum of people, including, but not limited to, minorities, and individuals with disabilities. Valdosta State University has a non-discrimination policy that includes sex, race, color, sexual orientation, religion, age, marital status, national origin, disability, and veteran status.