Assistant Professor of Biology - Plant/Micro Biology

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BACKGROUND

Trinity University is a secular, independent, private institution, founded in 1869. Trinity offers high-quality science, liberal arts, and pre-professional programs as represented by the four schools (STEM, Arts & Humanities, Social Science and Civic Engagement, and Business) to approximately 2,500 undergraduate students from the U.S. and more than 45 countries. The attractive campus overlooks downtown San Antonio, a city rich in heritage and ethnic diversity. Additional information can be found on the Resource Guide to Trinity & San Antonio.

The Department of Biology is one of eight departments in the D. R. Semmes School of Science that was recently endowed with a gift of $26 million that in part supports student research and faculty development. The D. R. Semmes School of Science is housed in the Center for the Sciences and Innovation, an innovative and collaborative hub for interdisciplinary research and teaching.

The Department of Biology serves our majors as well as a wide range of other majors across the university, to include Neurobiology, Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, Environmental Studies and a large population of pre-health professional students. We are unified in our commitment to a teacher-scholar model and provide high quality education and active undergraduate research and mentorship programs. Tenured and tenure-track faculty in the Department regularly secure competitive externally funded grants and maintain research agendas with national and international visibility. Our laboratories and facilities are stocked with state-of-the art instrumentation and we maintain close ties/user agreements with local universities and research institutions for equipment not housed in the department. In addition, the University and School are committed to supporting faculty in their aspirations to maintain and expand their research interests and agendas. Further information about our department, its faculty and our facilities is available at https://www.trinity.edu/academics/departments/biology.

Both the Department of Biology and the University as a whole value and safeguard academic freedom for faculty members in their teaching and scholarship. Trinity is guided by a set of core values and is committed to implementing practices in pursuit of an inclusive campus for all students, faculty, and staff to feel welcomed and engaged in a community of learning.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Teaching

Successful candidates are expected to teach 9 credit hours of courses per semester. This consists of any and all combinations of lecture and laboratory, where each is valued at 3 credit hours. These courses include, but are not limited to, introductory biology ("integrative biology"), plant biology, microbiology, ecology, (ecological)physiology, or other biology courses relevant to the candidate's subdiscipline. Faculty are also encouraged to develop non-majors' courses as well as other courses related to broader University initiatives, to include the First Year Experience and study abroad.

Research

Successful candidates are expected to develop a sustainable and vigorous research program involving and publishing with undergraduate students. Interdisciplinary research is welcome.

Service

Successful candidates are expected to advise departmental majors and engage in Department, University, and professional service activities.

APPOINTMENT DETAILS

This is a 9-month appointment (9 or 12-month salary disbursement) starting August 2026, with a standard pre-tenure probationary period, as outlined in the Faculty Handbook.

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

Required: Ph.D. in a biology-related field pertinent to the position.

EXPERIENCE

Preferred: Post-doctoral experience or equivalent

ATTENDANCE

Maintaining and satisfying on-site, in-person attendance (classroom, research, office hours, meetings, and service) is essential to the performance of this position. All employees in this position are required to satisfy this requirement.

HOW TO APPLY

For internal applicants, please apply through Workday using the 'Jobs Hub' application, see instructions provided here.

For external applicants, when starting the application, select "Apply Manually." Only complete fields with a red asterisk, which are required. Please create your Workday application account using a personal email address, as you will need to maintain access to this account throughout the pre-hire process, if selected.

For all applicants, you do not need to complete the "(Work) Experience," "Education," "Certifications," or "Languages" fields - these details will be provided in your curriculum vitae.

In the "Application Documents" field, please upload the following, each as a separate pdf file [note: a maximum of five (5) files can be uploaded]:

File 1: Cover Letter (brief, <1 page) and Curriculum Vitae, including the names and contact information of three references. Note that letters from references will not be requested unless the candidate advances further in the process.

File 2: Teaching Philosophy Statement (1 - 3 pages). Describe your motivation, experience, and approaches to teaching at a primarily undergraduate institution like Trinity University. In your teaching statement please describe strategies and approaches you will employ to create an inclusive and welcoming teaching environment such that the material you present would be accessible to a wide range of backgrounds and preparations. The incorporation of examples from any prior teaching experiences and specific examples regarding how you would approach teaching in your discipline is highly encouraged.

File 3: Research Accomplishments and Future Research Plans (4 - 6 pages). Describe your scientific accomplishments to date. In addition, describe your goals and vision for a sustainable research program with undergraduates, to include at least one example of a potential summer undergraduate research project.

File 4: Intentional inclusion statement. Intentional Inclusion is a core value at Trinity University. Please provide a brief (1-2 page) reflection on the ways that you might contribute to cultivating an environment where people feel welcomed, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential. Provide examples of how that relates to your teaching, research/scholarship and other professional activities.

The Department of Biology will begin to screen applicants on October 31, 2025. Candidates advancing to the second stage of consideration will be asked to submit letters of support.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Biology Search Committee - photosynthesis.search.biology@trinity.edu

Please ensure that all required documents are uploaded prior to submitting an application. If you have revisions needed to an application already submitted or need help submitting an application, please contact Human Resources at 210-999-7507 or email humanresources@trinity.edu.