Assistant Professor - Chemistry Education

About the University:

California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) opened in 2002 as the newest campus in the California State University with 629 transfer students and welcomed its first freshman class in fall 2003. Since that time, the University has grown and developed into one of the premier public universities not only in the Cal State system but also in the nation. Indeed, in its 2021 edition of Best Colleges ranking, U.S. News & World Report listed CSUCI 20th among “Top Public Schools”. Moreover, CSUCI was ranked 20th of over 1,449 schools in CollegeNET’s Social Mobility Index (2020) and the 15th “Most Transformative College” (2020) in the nation by Money Magazine.

CSUCI is a public comprehensive university that engages students in critical inquiry and is dedicated to educating leaders for a global society. CSUCI is located in Ventura County and home to more than 6,900 undergraduate and 239 graduate students. We are proud to note that our campus is designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution with 55% of our undergraduate students as Latinx, 25% as White, 2% as Black/African American, 5.5% as Asian/Asian American, and 4% are multiracial. In 2019, CSUCI attained the inaugural Seal of Excelencia, granted by the Washington, D.C.-based organization, Excelencia in Education, for facilitating the success of Latinx students. CSUCI is committed to diversifying our faculty to address the needs of our students in the 21st Century. We seek applicants who are dedicated to serving CSUCI's growing diverse student body.

CSUCI is taking steps to confront racism and advocate for justice and fairness for all people. We encourage applicants who are motivated to contribute and serve as colleagues to our tenure-track body that consists of 20.73% Latinx faculty, 2.44% Black/African American faculty, 8.54% Asian/Asian American faculty, and 62.2% White faculty.

Diversity Statement:

CSUCI is committed to recruiting individuals who are dedicated to furthering inclusive excellence in our campus community. We seek to enhance our diverse University population, welcoming people from all backgrounds, to sustain an environment in which all can thrive, create, work and learn.

CSUCI Mission Statement:

Placing students at the center of the educational experience, California State University Channel Islands provides undergraduate and graduate education that facilitates learning within and across disciplines through integrative approaches, emphasizes experiential and service learning, and graduates students with multicultural and international perspectives.

CSUCI’s Commitment to You:

CSUCI is committed to helping newly hired faculty develop a sense of belonging in a collaborative and supportive community dedicated to providing resources and opportunities for establishing and sustaining a research agenda and engaging in continuous improvement in equitable teaching and learning.

About the Program:

The Chemistry Department at CI is seeking applicants in the field of Chemistry Education.
At ~150 students, the Chemistry Department is a mid-size major for our campus, and we offer students several degrees: the BS in Chemistry and BS - Biochemistry Option, the BA in Chemistry, the Chemistry Minor, and the Chemistry Certificate. The Department also serves STEM disciplines with our General and Organic Chemistry Series, and the wider university through unique general education courses. Engagement in a self-reflective teaching practice defines Chemistry faculty.

We work to create active, experiential learning environments beginning in our introductory curriculum. We focus on helping students learn to see themselves as scientists and on supporting their development into professionals by creating faculty-guided, student-driven research experiences in both classroom settings and faculty research groups at all levels of student preparation.

We are also working to develop a strong internship program with local industry and government. The department is working to shape faculty and students into a collaborative community of learners, and we partner with an active chemistry student organization to provide a space for social interaction and engagement.

The Chemistry Department values experience with students from diverse racial, ethnic, gender, sexual, social class and socioeconomic, and neurodiverse populations, as well as with nontraditional and working students.

About the Position: 

The CI Chemistry Department is seeking an Assistant Professor in the area of Chemistry Education. Applicants demonstrate a commitment to, potential for, or a record of development of a research agenda aimed at exploring best practices in teaching and learning chemistry in the introductory curriculum and/or developing standard and new tools for measuring teaching effectiveness and student knowledge acquisition in Chemistry. Likewise, candidates will have the opportunity to develop research projects aligned with a traditional Chemistry subdiscipline, if any. We are seeking candidates who can address all these topics in the context of a minoritized student population in the classroom, as well as in instructional and research laboratory settings. A successful candidate will mentor and supervise undergraduate students of diverse, multicultural backgrounds in their research.

As introductory and general chemistry courses are considered the most important for creating student engagement and developing student persistence, we are seeking candidates who will teach and develop those classes. The faculty member will have the opportunity to directly shape departmental pedagogical practices. Additionally, successful applicants will articulate how their teaching and research engage with community- and/or place-based science, as well as a familiarity with the role and pace of research at a primarily undergraduate institution.

Minimum Degree Requirements:

Applicants will have a Ph.D. in Chemistry Education or a closely related field. ABD candidates will be considered but must have completed their Ph.D. by August 17, 2022.

Required Qualifications:

The successful candidate will demonstrate a commitment to, potential for, or a record of:

• Teaching courses in introductory, general, or related courses.
• Developing Chemistry curriculum using active learning, other high impact and inclusive instructional tools.
• Developing a scholarship agenda that explores and/or develops evidence-based, high-impact practices in Chemistry Education, is aimed at improving and assessing pedagogy in the introductory and core Chemistry curriculum, and includes undergraduate researchers. 
• Candidates will have the opportunity to develop research projects aligned with their traditional Chemistry subdiscipline, if any.
• Development of projects involving service learning, community and/or place-based science that engage with local and regional communities.
• Demonstrate a commitment to, potential for, or a record of university building.
• Advise and mentor students of diverse, multicultural backgrounds on major requirements and career pathways;
• Collaborate with colleagues to develop and assess the curriculum;
• Engage in Departmental, University, and community service and collaboration.
• Applicants should demonstrate the commitment to effectively work with and engage a diverse student population and evidence of how they would successfully mentor minoritized students with special focus on Latinx, Black/African American, American Indian, and Asian/Asian American/Pacific Islander students.

Preferred Qualifications:

The successful candidate will demonstrate a commitment to, potential for, or a record of:

• Working with Latinx, Black, Native American/Indigenous, other racially minoritized, and/or historically underrepresented students in classroom and/or research settings;
• Working familiarity with how exclusion of these groups is a result of historical patterns of exclusion in Chemistry and STEM disciplines. Such work is not restricted to academic preparation but may include volunteer and community service work that can inform work within the discipline of Chemistry;
• Experience with culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies, mentorship of racially diverse undergraduates, as well as with service and/or experiential learning, curriculum design and development, and/or assessment of student learning outcomes;
• Familiarity with measurement and mitigation of equity gaps in courses and classrooms.
• A research agenda with potential for publication and extramural funding.
• Some training in ethnic studies that informs teaching and/or scholarship.

Responsibilities:

 Applicants will be expected to:

• Teach a range of introductory courses, including but not limited to introductory and general chemistry;
• Teach other courses according to the needs of the department, including both lower division core curriculum as well as advanced electives in their field;
• Create and maintain an active research agenda aimed at exploring and/or developing evidence-based, high-impact practices in Chemistry Education and is focused on improving and assessing pedagogy in the introductory and core Chemistry curriculum.
• Candidates will also have the opportunity to develop research projects aligned with their traditional Chemistry subdiscipline, if any.;
• Advise and mentor students of diverse, multicultural backgrounds on major requirements and career pathways;
• Collaborate with colleagues to develop and assess the curriculum, particularly in the area of introductory and general chemistry;
• Engage in Departmental, University, and community service and collaboration.

Application Deadline:

Screening of applications will begin 10/31/2021. Priority will be given to applicants who meet the screening deadline; however, the position will remain open until filled.

Applicants must submit the following materials:

1. A letter of application briefly describing how the applicant is a match for the position;
2. A curriculum vita;
3. Names and contact information for 3-5 references, which must include professional and/or academic contacts, but may also include student, support staff, and community members;
4. A research proposal including undergraduate projects and required equipment (more explicitly linked to above criteria);
5. A personal statement that clearly connects the applicant’s personal and professional experiences to their pedagogical approach to teaching and research. The applicant should explain how their background has informed the strategies they will employ to develop student persistence and help removing barriers to student develop student persistence and help removing barriers to success that perpetuate historical patterns of exclusion;
6. A statement describing your experience mentoring and/or working with minoritized students with a special focus on Latinx, Black/African American, Asian/Asian American/Pacific Islander and American Indian students, and 
7. A teaching philosophy describing how you plan to engage and interact with students, with a special focus on Latinx, Black/African American, Asian/Asian American/Pacific Islander, and American Indian students.

In later phases of the search process, applicants may be requested to provide verification of terminal degrees, licenses and certificates.

Submit all required materials to the CSUCI Careers application web address below:

https://jobs.csuci.edu/.

Pay, Benefits & Work Schedule:

Salary is commensurate with knowledge, skills, and experience. The University offers excellent fringe benefits.

General Information:

Evidence of degree(s) required at time of hire.

At time of appointment, the successful candidate, if not a U.S. citizen, must have authorization from the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services to work in the United States.

The person holding this position may be considered a 'mandated reporter' under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with the CSU. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current CSU employees who apply for the position.

CSUCI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, and disability. Our nondiscrimination policy is set forth in CSU Executive Order 1096.  

Reasonable accommodations will be provided for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose by contacting Faculty Affairs at academicpersonnel@csuci.edu.