Assistant Professor of Physical Chemistry

Assistant Professor of Physical Chemistry

Description

The Department of Chemistry at St. Olaf College invites applications for a full-time, tenure track position in Physical Chemistry at the Assistant Professor level to begin August 2025. Chemistry faculty at St. Olaf regularly teach in the first-year chemistry program as well as in their disciplinary area of expertise. Candidates must communicate their commitment to liberal arts education and explicitly describe how their proposed scholarly activity will establish a vibrant laboratory research program involving undergraduates. We are particularly interested in applicants who will contribute to the department's commitment to increasing access and opportunities for populations of students that are currently underrepresented in the sciences.

Qualifications
Applicants should have a Ph.D. in Chemistry or expect completion of such by start of fall semester. Postdoctoral experience is preferred.

About the Department
Over the last ten years, an average of forty-five chemistry majors per year have graduated from St. Olaf College which puts us in the top three undergraduate institutions based on the number of chemistry majors graduating each year. These graduates, supported by eleven tenured or tenure track faculty and several adjunct, special appointment or visiting faculty, go on to careers in health-related fields (medical, dental, pharmacy, etc.), industry, teaching and numerous additional fields. Recently, St. Olaf reduced the teaching load to allow faculty additional time and energy to advise and mentor students as well as support the first-year experience. In addition to teaching and advising our majors, faculty use our well-equipped laboratory spaces to engage students in creative, meaningful and sophisticated research projects spanning the breadth of chemistry in both disciplinary and interdisciplinary ways. Research in the department is supported during the academic year through several different course offerings to students and during a ten-week summer research experience funded by the college and generous endowments from alumni donors.

For more information about the department, visit wp.stolaf.edu/chemistry/.

Diversity
At St. Olaf, we are committed to equity and inclusion. We strive to be a campus of welcome where students, faculty, and staff thrive by bringing their full humanity—gender identity, sexuality, race, ethnicity, national origin, socioeconomic class, disability, religion, spirituality, and age—to the Hill each day. Our goal is to generate conversations and processes that over time create greater clarity, transparency, trust, cooperation, consensus, respect, and measurable outcomes. Practices that support this goal include listening, cultivating a growth mindset, respecting those with different views, being informed by data, and understanding that the work is ongoing, collaborative, organic, and ever evolving. We encourage applicants to familiarize themselves with our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion website to learn more about our commitment and to identify how you might contribute to these efforts.

How to Apply

A complete application includes the following:

References: Provide contact information for three professional references who can speak to your abilities in teaching and scholarship.

Supporting Documents and URLS:

1. Cover letter outlining your qualifications and why you are interested in this particular position
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Diversity statement (500 word limit): Describe how you would contribute to the development of a diverse and inclusive learning community at our college through your teaching, research, and/or service. Include examples of your contributions when possible.
4. Graduate transcripts (unofficial)
5. Undergraduate transcript (unofficial)
6. Teaching Statement: Include your goals, ideas about pedagogical approaches, reflections on teaching or mentoring experience you have had and a discussion of how you would shape and sustain a Chemistry curriculum that reflects the current and growing diversity of St. Olaf's student body (about 2 pages).
7. Professional Statement (approximately 3-5 pages plus references): Provide a detailed description of research interests and plans emphasizing the suitability of the research for undergraduate researchers and potential funding opportunities.
8. List of courses you feel qualified to teach including courses currently listed at https://catalog.stolaf.edu/academic-programs/chemistry/. The department also welcomes a list of courses that you could envision teaching but are not currently being taught at St. Olaf.

Review of applications will begin on September 11, 2024, and will continue until the position is filled. Applications received by that date will receive fullest consideration. Finalist interviews are expected in November. Questions about the position, department, or College may be directed to Jeff Schwinefus, Search Committee Chair, at tt2025chem@stolaf.edu.









About Us

Who We Are:

Founded in 1874, St. Olaf College is a residential, coeducational liberal arts college with approximately 3,000 students and 800 faculty and staff. The college is located on a picturesque 300-acre campus in Northfield, Minnesota, a vibrant, historic river town of 20,000 located 45 minutes south of culturally rich and diverse Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The college offers an academically rigorous, nationally ranked liberal arts education that fosters the development of the whole person in mind, body, and spirit and emphasizes learning in an inclusive and globally engaged community. We encourage applications from candidates committed to multicultural understanding and the enrichment of our diverse community.

The college offers a comprehensive benefits package, including a 9% retirement match, monthly contributions to a retirement healthcare account, contributions to eligible employees' health savings accounts, a significant tuition discount (up to an 80% reduction) at ACM and ELCA colleges and universities for employees' children, and generous paid time off. For a full review of the college's benefits, please see the summary of our benefits here: https://wp.stolaf.edu/hr/benefits/

To provide a safe and secure educational environment, St. Olaf College verifies the accuracy of all credentials presented by applicants and conducts a criminal background check on every new hire.

A summary of the Flexible Work Policy for staff: https://wp.stolaf.edu/hr/flexible-work-policy/

A link to our DEI page: https://wp.stolaf.edu/equity-inclusion/

A virtual campus tour: https://www.stolaf.edu/multimedia/play/?p=483

An overview of Northfield: https://wp.stolaf.edu/admissions/visit/northfield/

An overview of the Twin Cities: https://wp.stolaf.edu/admissions/visit/twincities/

The college strongly recommends that incoming students and new employees complete the primary COVID vaccine series before beginning their studies or work on campus, and that all members of our campus community remain up to date with COVID vaccines, per CDC guidance.
For Staff Application Assistance:
employment@stolaf.edu
507-786-3068
For Faculty Application Assistance:
facultysearch@stolaf.edu
507-786-3356
Nondiscrimination Policy St. Olaf College does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, creed, national origin, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, marital status, veteran status, or status with regard to public assistance. St. Olaf College prohibits discrimination and harassment based upon these and any other legally protected status in any education program or activity that it operates, including in admissions and employment.
Inquiries about this nondiscrimination policy may be referred to St. Olaf College's Director of Equal Opportunity, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights or both. St. Olaf's Director of Equal Opportunity (who serves as the College's Title IX, Title VI, and Section 504 Coordinator) is Pamela McDowell, Tomson Hall, mcdowell@stolaf.edu, (507) 786-3465.


To apply, visit https://fa-ewur-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_3/job/934/?mode=location





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