Assistant Professor of Chemistry

General Description :

The Department of Chemistry at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) seeks to hire a tenure-track Assistant Professor with expertise in inorganic or organometallic chemistry.

In addition to introductory chemistry courses, teaching responsibilities will include inorganic and organic chemistry lecture and laboratory courses.

The development of a vibrant research program with the potential for external funding involving undergraduate research students is required.

Additional responsibilities will include mentoring / advising as well as service on academic committees. The department ( http : / / www.

plu.edu / chemistry / ) offers ACS-certified degrees. Instrumentation and resources include 500 MHz FT-NMR, AFM, GC / MS, HPLC, Prep HPLC, FTIR, Raman, UV / VIS, ICP-MS, GPC, a glovebox, potentiostats, and a variety of computational chemistry software.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities :

• Teach introductory chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and organic chemistry lecture and laboratory courses.
• Establish a vibrant research program involving undergraduate students. While the awarding of internal research funding prioritizes junior faculty, we seek those whose research with students also has the potential for external funding support.
• Contribute to the University, the College of Natural Sciences, and the Chemistry Department through scholarship activities and service.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities :

• We seek faculty who view themselves foremost as educators, possess a commitment to effective and inclusive teaching strategies, and are open to feedback and growth.
• We seek faculty who are committed to teaching and doing research with undergraduate students.
• Applicants must have the demonstrated ability, knowledge, and skill to successfully teach diverse groups in a university setting.

Our students come from diverse backgrounds, and many are first-generation college students, students of color, and LGBTQ+ students.

Required Qualifications :

• Ph.D. in Chemistry or closely allied discipline. ABD will be considered, but Ph.D. must be in hand by September 1, 2025.
• Experience working with or teaching diverse groups of students.

Preferred Qualifications :

College-level teaching experience and / or postdoctoral research experience.

Work Conditions : Physical Requirements : Special Instructions to Applicants : Applicants should submit an application that includes the following :

• Cover letter describing your interest in this specific position.
• Unofficial undergraduate and graduate transcripts
• Statement of teaching philosophy in which you describe your goals for student learning, the methods you use to help students achieve them, and how you assess student learning.

This statement should explicitly address how you will create an inclusive learning environment that is attuned to diversity and equity.

• Research proposal of no more than 5 pages in which you describe the research that you plan to conduct at PLU with undergraduate students.
• List of three references (confidential letters for reference will be requested by PLU for semi-finalists).

For more information, contact Tina Saxowsky, Associate Professor and Chair of Chemistry, at [email protected] or Neal Yakelis, Professor of Chemistry, at yakelina@plu.

edu . Other Information : Pacific Lutheran University purposefully integrates the liberal arts, professional studies and civic engagement in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Our faculty lead with a bold commitment to expanding well-being, opportunity, and justice and instill this commitment in their students.

PLU educators work to create an environment where students feel heard and valued, nurturing lifelong learners who aren’t afraid to do things differently to make the world better for everyone.

PLU supports faculty as they help students turn ambition into purpose, skills into tools, and their caring into a transformative force.

PLU has demonstrated its ongoing commitment to science education. Renovation of laboratory spaces has been a fundraising priority, with the project anticipated to be completed in 2025.

https : / / www.plu.edu / science-upgrades / Additionally, a recently announced partnership with Multicare and Washington State University’s Elson S.

Floyd School of Medicine for Health Innovation will leverage the university’s excellence in the natural sciences and other units to train students intending to work in healthcare and related fields.

https : / / www.plu.edu / health-innovation /

Because PLU is a community committed to the creation and advancement of knowledge through diversity and inclusion, the university actively recruits a faculty, staff, and student body from all religions, races, socioeconomic groups, sexual orientations, and gender expressions and from all over the world.

For the 2023 24 academic year, 41.0% percent of PLU undergraduate students are from the first generation in their families to attend college;

50.0% percent self-identify as students of color; and 36.0% percent are Pell Grant eligible.Offering distinctive opportunities for global engagement, collaborative student-faculty research, and purposeful learning, our faculty guide 2,700 students from all faiths and backgrounds to discern their purpose through relevant coursework, inclusive mentoring, and internships at world-class Puget Sound-area businesses and institutions.

PLU is located on a 156-acre woodland campus in the Parkland neighborhood of Tacoma, Washington and about 40 minutes south of downtown Seattle.

The campus reflects consciously green practices and is in proximity to the natural beauty of Mount Rainier, the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges, and the Puget Sound.

PLU administration supports and respects the strong culture of faculty-shared governance by working closely and collaboratively with faculty leadership to sustain and strengthen existing structures and procedures while working together on key institutional, academic and curricular decisions.

PLU is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from members of historically underrepresented and marginalized groups, women, veterans, persons with disabilities, and others who would bring broadly diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds in educational, research, or other work activities.

For general application questions or if you need accommodations at any point in the application and / or interview process, please contact the Human Resources Office at 253-535-7185 or humr@plu.

edu . Click here for detailed benefits information.