New Faculty Position Available:  Ecology

Job Advertisement:

The Department of Biology at The University of Akron invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in ECOLOGY at the rank of assistant professor, to begin August 23 2005. We seek a field-oriented ecologist with research and teaching interests in ecological processes at the community or ecosystem scale, who can contribute to and work at a 404-acre field station 20 miles from campus. The station offers many opportunities for ecological research in a variety of aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Significant startup funds are available.  The candidate will be expected to develop an externally-funded research program in his/her area of expertise, and teach undergraduate and graduate courses. Candidates must hold a Ph.D. degree and have post-doctoral experience.  The University of Akron is a State University, and the Department of Biology has an interactive 19 member faculty emphasizing integrative biology. Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, a summary of teaching interests, a research statement, copies of up to three recent publications, and three letters of recommendation to Dr. Randall J. Mitchell, Chair, Ecologist search committee, Department of Biology, The University of Akron, Akron OH 44325-3908. Review of applications will begin October 1, 2004.
The University of Akron is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Qualified women, minorities, Vietnam-era veterans, disabled veterans, and the disabled are encouraged to apply.

Note: Please do not submit application or supporting materials electronically. No such material will be considered.


Further information

The Department of Biology is currently expanding and improving research efforts and abilities, and we have made substantial progress. During the last 10 years we have hired 10 new faculty, and in the last two years our faculty have published over 38 peer-reviewed papers. We expect all new faculty to compete for external funding at the national level. Faculty receive considerable University support for the development of research programs. New faculty are provided with startup support that is ample for development of  nationally competitive research programs. As evidence of this, our 19 faculty currently hold a total of 33 grants from NIH, NSF, EPA, and AHA; most of these have gone to our newer faculty. Furthermore, substantial internal funding opportunities are available (more than $100,000 in internal grants for research and teaching were awarded to department members in 2003). Departmental teaching load policy reflects a strong support for research, with faculty with one or more national-level grants teaching one course per semester. 


Research: Candidates in any area of community or ecosystem-level ecology are encouraged to apply, as long as they maintain a strong field component in their work. We specifically desire candidates who will actively participate in research at our new field station. The 404 acre  Bath Nature Preserve and Field Station is operated as a partnership between the University of Akron and Bath Township. Six of our faculty have ongoing research in this mixed habitat reserve which is conveniently located only 20 minutes from campus. Since the agreement with Bath Township was formalized in 2002, the University of Akron has made the development of this resource a priority. An important step in this process was the recent acquisition of a 4,000 square foot field station building on the preserve. We furnished and began to use that building for classes and research in Summer 2004. Long term plans include hiring a preserve manager, and a funding campaign to build a new field station complex with six separate research labs, a large conference room a greenhouse, a common garden facility and artificial ponds. The station has a good sampling of the habitats in Northeastern Ohio (for more details, see the Field Station Web Page), and provides especially strong opportunities for research in wetlands, ponds, streams, grasslands, and woods. The station is only a few miles from the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Through the cooperation of the National Park Service, Summit County Metroparks, and the Holden Arboretum, department faculty have access to many additional habitats for ecological research. Our field station, and Northeast Ohio in general, provide an excellent platform for research on the ecology of the interfaces between rural, suburban, and urban areas.

 

Facilities: Our state-of-the-art animal care facility (Biology Resource Center or BRC) has 23 animal rooms, a surgical suite (with recovery and preparatory rooms), and 9 research rooms. The animal rooms have user-controlled temperature and light cycle capabilities. There is also an animal observation suite for undisturbed monitoring of behavior. The BRC currently houses rats, mice, freshwater fish, sharks, fence lizards, freshwater shrimp, snakes, iguanas, toads, and tortoises. The on-campus greenhouse (constructed 1996) offers 1,700 square feet for teaching and research use; we also have several walk-in and cabinet growth chambers.

 

Teaching: Our undergraduate program is home to approximately 700-800 majors, producing about 18,000 to 20,000 credit hours/year.  We also have a vigorous M.S.-granting graduate program (~30 students) and are actively seeking to establish a Ph.D. program.  Teaching load depends upon research productivity; most of our junior faculty teach two courses during the academic year, with one of those courses including a lab. Unfunded researchers teach more. The successful candidate will be expected to teach courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, including General Ecology (sophomore level, required for all Biology majors) once a year. The remainder of the candidates course offerings will be self-determined. Examples of possible courses include Community/Ecosystem Ecology, Wetland Ecology, Urban Ecology, Integrative Biology, Principles of Biology, graduate seminars, and courses in area of specialty. We strongly encourage use of the field station in coursework. 

 

The Area: The University of Akron is located near downtown Akron, a mid-sized city of around 215,000 residents. Akron is about 30 miles south of Cleveland Ohio, and the shores of Lake Erie. The Akron area is a pleasant place to live, with many cultural and recreational activities in the region, including the Blossom music center (summer home of the internationally renowned Cleveland Symphony Orchestra). Akron itself is home to the Ohio Ballet and the Akron Symphony Orchestra. Akron also is at the southern edge of the 33,000 acre Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which provides abundant opportunities for hiking, biking, skiing, and other activities.

 

The University of Akron information:

 

Local information:

 Last updated07/19/2004

For more information, contact: Randy Mitchell