Assistant Professor of Biology - Neurobiology

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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.

Teaching excellence is promoted through the Collaborative for Learning and Teaching, which provides pedagogical and professional development opportunities to all disciplines. Research excellence is supported by a generous startup package, equipment often found at an R1 institution, such as a confocal imaging center, a pre-tenure one semester leave (provided three years teaching and successful reappointment) and eager and capable undergraduate students. While many students work in the lab during the semester, there is a robust, 10-week undergraduate summer research program employing over 200 undergraduates across campus.

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 Neuroscience, Biochemistry/Molecular Biology (BCMB, ASBMB-accredited), Chemistry/Biochemistry (ACS-certified), 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.

In particular, this position will contribute to the Neuroscience Program. The faculty of the Neuroscience Program, an interdisciplinary committee with members from Biology, Psychology, Chemistry, Physics, and Engineering Sciences, have active research programs with undergraduate students. Further information can be found at https://www.trinity.edu/academics/departments/neuroscience-bs

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 will be expected to teach 3 lecture and/or laboratory courses per semester. These courses will include Neurobiology, other upper and lower division electives, and other courses related to broader University initiatives. Additionally, the successful candidate will be expected to teach in the core curriculum.

Research

Successful candidates will be expected to develop a sustainable research program involving undergraduate students in any field of neurobiology or neuroscience, a highly interdisciplinary science, though in vivo vertebrate species can not be accommodated.

Service

Successful candidates will be expected to advise departmental majors and engage in other departmental service. The candidate will also become an active member of the Neuroscience steering committee, contributing to curricular discussions, advising majors, and engaging in service to the major. Other service opportunities to the University and the profession is expected as the candidate approaches tenure.

APPOINTMENT DETAILS

This position will be a 9-month appointment (9 or 12 month disbursement) starting August 2026, with a standard pre-tenure probationary period.

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

Required: Ph.D. or similar terminal degree in Neuroscience, Neurobiology, or Biology with a Neuroscience concentration

EXPERIENCE

Preferred: Postdoctoral or equivalent experience is highly preferred.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES

A thorough grasp of cellular and molecular neurobiology

ATTENDANCE

Maintaining and satisfying minimum on-site attendance (classroom and office hours attendance) is an essential function 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

File 2: CV with at least 3 references with contact information listed at the end. These will be contacted if you advance to the interview stage.

File 3: Append the teaching statement and research statement into one file

• Teaching statement should highlight your philosophy of teaching and discuss your experience. Please also address your approach to teaching Neurobiology, and which of the Biology core curriculum you would most like to teach and why. (2 pages or less)

• Research statement needs to highlight your previous experience, and a plan to establish an independent lab incorporating undergraduates and with external funding. The plan should include ideas to establish your lab with thoughts towards continuing research past tenure. You might consider projects or pieces of projects done by undergraduates working during the semester, 10-weeks during the summer, and/or a thesis. Your model system should be apparent in this plan. (No more than 5 pages)

File 4: Unofficial transcripts from Undergraduate and Graduate schools, appended into one file.

File 5: 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.

Review of applications will begin October 20, 2025. The position remains open until filled.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Questions can be answered by

Neurobiology Search Chair

Gerard Beaudoin, III

gerard.beaudoin@trinity.edu

OR

Neurobiology Search Administrator

Crystal Ramos

cramos@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.