Faculty Rank: Collegiate Assistant Professor
Posting Number: TR0180199
About Virginia Tech:
Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.
Position Summary:
The Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation at Virginia Tech seeks to fill a collegiate faculty position in wildlife conservation and collections curation at the assistant professor level. This is an academic year (9-month) non-tenure-track position that offers a clear promotion path through assistant, associate, and professor levels with associated three, five, and seven-year renewable appointments, respectively. Collegiate faculty are full members of the department, and are expected to participate in service to the department, college and university, and outreach to stakeholders. Collegiate faculty members have a primary commitment to the instructional mission of the department, including undergraduate and potentially graduate teaching, curricular and program development, and the design and integration of innovative and inclusive pedagogy, including experiential learning opportunities. Successful candidates should give evidence of potential to take a lead role in promoting teaching excellence and enhancing curricula. The appointment is in the College of Natural Resources and Environment and reports directly to the head of the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation. Anticipated start is August 2019.
The successful candidate will organize and coordinate team-teaching of our introductory course, Principles of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, teach Wildlife Field Biology and a course in Biodiversity Conservation as part of our new Pathways minor in Biodiversity Conservation, assist with Wildlife Field Techniques, teach First Year Experience Classes, manage and curate the departments biological specimens collection, and develop undergraduate courses in their area of expertise. The area of research expertise within wildlife conservation is open, but preference will be given to candidates who have experience with modern field equipment and techniques, collection curation, and an interest in utilizing biological collections in their research. This appointment is 80% effort in teaching and 20% research.
About Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech, founded in 1872 as a land-grant institution, is currently ranked as a Top 25 Public University by US News & World Report and a Top 25 Public Research University by the National Science Foundation. Through a combination of its three missions of learning, discovery, and engagement, Virginia Tech continually strives to accomplish the charge of its motto: Ut Prosim (That I May Serve). As the Commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech serves a diverse population of 30,000+ students and 8000+ faculty and staff from over 100 countries, and is engaged in research around the world.
Virginia Tech’s main campus is located in the New River Valley, nestled in the heart of the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. Blacksburg offers the charm of a small town combined with the modern conveniences of a metropolitan area, and is a short driving distance from abundant public land, including the Monongahela, George Washington, and Jefferson National Forests and the Shenandoah National Park.
About the College of Natural Resources and Environment
The College of Natural Resources and Environment, one of nine college units at Virginia Tech, was established in 1992. The college is composed of four academic departments (Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Geography, and Sustainable Biomaterials) serving more than 1,000 undergraduate students. The college has about 180 faculty and staff, including 75 tenure-track faculty. More than 300 graduate students are enrolled in our programs, which include both an online master of natural resources degree and a cohort-based executive degree in the National Capital Region. The college’s Advising Center, with dedicated professional academic advisors assigned to each department, works in partnership with faculty mentors focused on student success. The college hosts an annual career fair that attracts a wide range of external partners, working in partnership with the college’s director of employer relations. Faculty research awards total $15-20 million annually in the college’s research-intensive, student-centered environment. Two of our departments are among the top 10 academic departments at Virginia Tech in average research dollars awarded annually, and the college ranks second among colleges at Virginia Tech in research expenditures per FTE. The college hosts several NSF centers as well as numerous other research and outreach centers engaged with state and federal agencies and the private sector. The college manages a nearly 1,300-acre forest located close to campus that is utilized on a weekly basis for student learning and research, as well as a forestry research site in Critz, Virginia. College Factual has ranked the college as No. 1 for the study of natural resources and conservation for four consecutive years. The forestry degree program is ranked No. 1 by College Factual for the second consecutive year, and the packaging systems and design degree program is ranked No. 7 among the top 20 programs nationally by Value Colleges.
About Fish and Wildlife Conservation
The Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation at Virginia Tech is recognized widely as one of the premier programs in North America addressing fish and wildlife issues of state, national and global concern. The faculty, students and staff of the department are passionate about natural resource conservation and management and about making a difference in how society values sustainable natural resources. Through a commitment to excellence in research, teaching, and engagement the department is training the next generation of leaders in natural resource conservation and management and influencing decisions and policy in Virginia, the nation, and the world.
The department consists of 24 faculty members, approximately 18 post docs and research scientists, 20 support staff, and is home to the U.S.G.S. Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, as well as scientists from the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The department typically enrolls 250 undergraduates and 60 graduate students. As one of the top departments in the university in research spending, department faculty are conducting cutting-edge research regionally, nationally, and internationally.
Faculty in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation collaborate with personnel from a variety of units, programs, and institutes, both on and off campus. Potential areas for collaboration include the U.S.D.A. Forest Service Southern Research Station, the U.S.G.S. Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, the U.S.G.S. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Center, the Conservation Management Institute, the Fralin Life Science Institute, the Global Change Center, the Center for Geospatial Information Technology, the Center for Natural Resources Assessment and Decision Support, and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Faculty and graduate students participate in interdisciplinary programs, including the Interfaces of Global Change Interdisciplinary Education, Geospatial and Environmental Analysis Doctoral program, and Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology. The College of Natural Resources and Environment presently houses the CNRE Leadership Institute, which prepares students in policy and decision-making, and for future positions of leadership within agencies and organizations.
Required Qualifications:
1. Ph.D. in wildlife biology, management, conservation or ecology, or a related field by the time of appointment.
2. Demonstrated ability and interest in developing and teaching highly effective courses in fish and wildlife conservation and management and related content areas.
3. Demonstrated interest in biological collections management, construction, and maintenance.
4. Demonstrated commitment to the principles and practices of nurturing a diverse and inclusive community.
Preferred Qualifications:
1. Demonstrated teaching effectiveness at the university level.
2. Research experience and a record of publication in peer-reviewed journals.
3. Experience advising and directing the research of undergraduate and possibly graduate students.
4. Research competencies that complement existing program strengths.
5. Record of attracting funding to support curriculum development and/or biological collections infrastructure and curation.
6. Preference will be given to individuals with a record of engagement with state and local community groups through outreach.
7. Experience managing biological collections or natural history museum collections for research and/or teaching.
Employment Conditions: Must have an acceptable and safe driving record, Must have a driver's license check, Alternate work schedule - If other than M-F, 8-5 please describe below
Must have a conviction check? Yes
Describe Other:
Alternate work times may be needed
Employment Comments:
How to Apply for this Job:
Application materials should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, transcripts, and the names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of three professional references.
The applicant also should prepare three-page written statement that reflects the individual’s philosophy of how s/he will integrate teaching, student-focused research, outreach, and diversity/inclusion.
All application materials must be submitted electronically, using the online system at www.jobs.vt.edu, referring to posting No.
TR0180199. An official transcript must be provided as a condition of employment. Review of candidate files will begin on 12 February 2019, and continue until a suitable candidate is identified.
Nominations and Inquiries:
Dr. Sarah Karpanty, Chair
Search Committee: Wildlife Conservation and Collection Curation
Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation
College of Natural Resources, Virginia Tech, 100 Cheatham Hall (0321)
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Phone: 540-231-4586 or email karpanty@vt.edu
Employee Category: Instructional/Research Faculty
Appointment Type: Regular
If restricted or temporary, enter end date:
FLSA Status: Exempt: Not eligible for overtime
Tenure Status: Non-Tenure Track
Academic Year or Calendar Year? Standard Academic Year
Percent Employment: Full-time
If part time, enter Percent Time:
Pay Range: Commensurate with Experience
Department: Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Work Location: Blacksburg
Location, if not Blacksburg:
Location Zip Code: 24061
Job Posting Date: 12/14/2018
Review Begin Date: 02/12/2019
Job Close Date: (if applicable)
Restricted to university employees only?
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Statement:
Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.
Reasonable Accommodation Statement:
If you are an individual with a disability and desire accommodation please contact the hiring department.
Quick Link: http://listings.jobs.vt.edu/postings/92687
