The successful candidate should:

• show potential for excellence in teaching within a liberal arts setting, developing a research program amenable to participation by undergraduate students, and with promise of attracting external funding.
• have a strong and demonstrated commitment to promoting the equitable inclusion of students and colleagues of all backgrounds in all aspects of college life.
• have the ability to teach at all levels in the undergraduate biology and environmental studies curricula, including integrative courses.

Postdoctoral research, industry, non-profit or government experience, and/or prior teaching experience are desirable additional qualifications. We are particularly interested in candidates who can develop courses that serve/connect both departments.

The departments are particularly interested in applicants who can and will advance the college’s goals for diversity, equity and inclusion. We request that in the letter of application, candidates address their potential to contribute to the St. Olaf community that maintains a diversity of people and perspectives as one of its core values. We strongly encourage applications from Black, Indigenous, and people of color and members of other underrepresented groups in accordance with our equity goals.

The normal teaching load is six courses per year divided evenly between the two departments, including opportunities for interdisciplinary teaching. (Note, a typical entry level course with three lab sections can count as 3 courses towards that total.)  Regular teaching responsibilities include teaching core courses at all levels in the biology and environmental studies majors. These core courses typically include Bio 261 (Ecological Principles), Envst 137 (Intro to Environmental Studies), and developing a course in your area of interest.

Duties also involve advising, committee service, departmental and institutional obligations such as attending faculty meetings. The school is mindful that serving two departments requires special care, and both departments are committed to developing a reasonable workload that avoids overload of service to the two departments.

Applicants must submit materials online at https://stolaf.hiretouch.com/faculty-postings. A complete application includes:

• Cover letter
• Curriculum vitae
• Graduate transcripts (official or unofficial)
• A statement of teaching philosophy that describes your teaching experience, interests, and ideas about effective pedagogical approaches including active learning with examples of teaching approaches in Biology or Environmental Studies (about 500 words).
• A statement describing the research you propose to carry out at St. Olaf (about 750 to 1250 words). Discuss specifically how you would include undergraduates in your research program. You should assume the possibility of startup funds in the first two years sufficient to enable the development of a project with the potential to attract external funding.
• The contact information for three professional references who can speak to your abilities in teaching and scholarship (St. Olaf solicits letters directly after an initial round of screening.)

Review of applications will begin on September 10, 2021, and will continue until the position is filled. Finalist interviews are expected in December. Questions about the position, departments, or college may be directed to Kathy Shea, Search Committee Chair, at tt2022bioes@stolaf.edu. Applicants who need assistance with the online application process should call 507-786-3356.

St. Olaf offers a strong and modern biology curriculum rooted in the liberal arts. Students not only develop a broad foundation in biology through core courses, but also achieve depth in specific biological interests through elective courses and independent study. We emphasize interdisciplinary training, encouraging students to solve problems using tools from other fields. Our Environmental Studies department cultivates an integral understanding of the relationships between humans and their surroundings. Courses attend to a rich array of places, organisms, human experiences and histories, institutions, wisdom traditions, ideas and practices of justice, and the interconnectivity of systems. 

Founded in 1874, St. Olaf College is a residential, coeducational liberal arts college with approximately 3,000 students and 800 faculty and staff employees. It is located in Northfield, Minnesota, about 45 minutes from Minneapolis and St. Paul with their rich and diverse cultural resources. 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.

St. Olaf College is proud to be:

• Included in multiple editions of Colleges that Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College
• An institutional member of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity
• Ranked #1 among baccalaureate colleges in the number of students who study abroad
• One of the top producers of Fulbright U.S. students among liberal arts colleges
• Ranked #20 for best undergraduate teaching by U.S. News & World Report, 2018
• Ranked #6 by the Princeton Review for our science lab facility
• Home of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (CIR), a national exemplar of quality, collaborative, data-focused undergraduate research

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.