Assistant Professor in Physics in Gravitational Wave Astronomy or Radio Astronomy or Astrophysics

Assistant Professor in Physics in Gravitational Wave Astronomy or Radio Astronomy or Astrophysics

Job Class Code: 10031
FLSA: Exempt
Posting Number: FRGV1221
Location: Rio Grande Valley
Division/Organization: Provost - Academic Affairs
Appointment Period for Non-Tenure Position:
Tenure Status: Tenure Track
FTE: 1.0

Scope of Job:
We seek applicants who are dedicated to serving The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's diverse student body as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Physics beginning in the 2022-2023 academic year. This hiring initiative focuses on the area(s) of Gravitational Wave Astronomy, Radio Astronomy, or Astrophysics. Candidates for this position are expected to strengthen and complement ongoing research on these areas. The selected finalist will establish an independent research program that can successfully attract extramural funding, actively contribute to departmental development, and engage in innovative teaching at both undergraduate and graduate levels. The position offers excellent start-up funds, salary, shared laboratory space, and computational facilities locally and via the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), in a dynamic and highly interactive research environment.
About UTRGV:It is UTRGV's Vision “To be one of the nation's leaders in higher education, its premier Hispanic-serving institution, and a highly engaged bilingual university, with exceptional educational, research, and creative opportunities that serve as catalysts for transformation in the Rio Grande Valley and beyond.” As such, UTRGV is committed to building a diverse faculty and staff that can contribute to an enriching learning environment that strives for more equitable outcomes for student success. UTRGV is a distributed campus, one university spanning four counties and multiple locations. Our purpose is to be a university for the entire Rio Grande Valley and beyond. Over 91% of the students enrolled at UTRGV identify as Hispanic, making UTRGV one of the top 3 universities with the highest percentage of Hispanic students. Thanks to a steadfast commitment to safety and success, UTRGV yielded record-breaking outcomes in enrollment and student success in the fall semester. For additional information, please visit our website.
Department Background

The Department of Physics and Astronomy is in the lower Rio Grande valley, at the UTRGV Brownsville and Edinburg campuses. We offer a BS in Physics, two master's degrees, MS in Physics and MSIS, and a recently approved Ph.D. in Physics. Our department has 22 full-time tenured and tenure track faculty, 1 tenured faculty shared with the School of Earth Environmental and Marine Sciences, several lecturers, and 6 full time staff. Our research areas of interest are in Gravitational Wave Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Technology, Material Science, Condensed Matter Theory, Optics, Biophysics, Nuclear and High Energy Physics, and Physics Education. We have two research centers located in the Brownsville campus: The Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy (CGWA) and the Center for Radio Astronomy (CARA). Astrophysics faculty have ongoing collaborations using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (Swift), the transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), the Chandra X-ray Observatory (Chandra), the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, and NOIRLab facilities, such as the Gemini Observatory. Our GW faculty are founding members of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) facility and have collaborations with other institutions and telescopes within the US and abroad. We have excellent experimental facilities at both campuses, which include optics, lasers, and spectroscopy equipment, as well as access to computational facilities locally at UTRGV and at TACC. Our faculty publish in high impact journals and are successful in securing external funding to support their research.


Minimum Qualifications:
A Ph.D. in Physics, Astrophysics or a closely related field and postdoctoral experience are required.



Discipline Specific Required Qualifications:
Applicants should provide evidence of or strong potential for significant productivity in research. Externally funded research and teaching experience are considered a plus. Successful candidates will demonstrate potential for forming collaborations with existing faculty within the Department of Physics and Astronomy, as well as other collaborations within UTRGV, nationally, and abroad, the ability to involve both undergraduate and graduate students in research activities, and a commitment to educate a diverse body of students in a Hispanic Serving Institution.

Preferred Qualification:
This hiring initiative focuses on the areas of Gravitational Wave Astronomy or Radio Astronomy or Astrophysics. Candidates for this position are expected to strengthen and complement our current research program in any of the above areas. Diversity and inclusion are part of our core values and as such we encourage applications from women and members of underrepresented groups in the sciences. It is our commitment to elevate the lives and economic well-being of the Valley community by offering first-rate education in the STEM fields. We value applicants who can understand and have overcome race, gender-based, and ability-based barriers, and who can bring with them the wealth of worldview, perspective, and experience that is critical to an innovative and accessible educational environment. As a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution with a student population that is over 90% Hispanic, UTRGV is committed to preparing its students to succeed, contribute and excel in an increasingly diverse, global, and interconnected world. Applicants who identify with this mission are strongly encouraged to apply.



Salary: Commensurate with Qualifications and Experience
License or Certification Required?: No
Number of Vacancies: 1
Desired Start Date: 09/01/2022

EEO Statement:
EEO Statement
It is the policy of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to promote and ensure equal employment opportunities for all individuals without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information or protected veteran status. In accordance with the requirements of Title VII of the civil rights act of 1964, the title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, our University is committed to comply with all government requirements and ensures non-discrimination in its education programs and activities, including employment. We encourage women, minorities and differently abled persons to apply for employment positions of interest.
Diversity Statement
UTRGV is a Hispanic-serving Institution dedicated to student success and building a diverse faculty committed to working in a multicultural environment. UTRGV has an NSF ADVANCE grant to increase the representation of women in STEM fields and to promote a positive, family friendly workplace for all faculty. We strongly encourage applications from women and minorities.

Open Date: 09/28/2021

Special Instructions to Applicants:
Dear Applicant, Human Resources will not be held responsible for redacting any confidential information from the documents you attach with your application. The confidential information includes the following: *Date of Birth *Social Security Number *Gender *Ethnicity/Race Please make sure that you omit this information prior to submission. We are advising that Human Resources will be forwarding your application to the department as per your submission.
Security sensitive; All UTRGV employees are required to have a criminal background check (CBC). CBCs will be conducted for all candidates invited for an on-campus interview.

Additional Information:
UTRGV is a distributed institution. As such and as assigned, the position may require presence at multiple locations throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Work is performed primarily in a general office environment. This position is security sensitive and thereby subject to the provisions of the Texas Education Code §51.215. The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

The expected starting date of the position is September 1, 2022. Applicants should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, a statement of teaching philosophy, and the names & contact information of at least three references. In addition, applicants should submit a detailed research plan. Letters of references will be requested from short-listed candidates. Complete applications should be submitted online at http://careers.utrgv.edu. Electronic inquiries may be directed to teviet.creighton@utrgv.edu. Evaluations of the applicants will begin on January 24, 2022 and continue until the position is filled.

Please Note:
Please Note Texas law requires faculty members whose primary language is not English to demonstrate proficiency in English as determined by a satisfactory paper-based test score of 500 (computer-based of 173 or internet-based of 61) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or a satisfactory test score of 6.0 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Incomplete applications will not be considered. All positions are subject to budget approval.

To apply, visit https://careers.utrgv.edu/postings/31373

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