Applications are invited for the position of Professor and Department Head of the newly formed Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology at Texas A&M University. The Professor and Head will serve as the chief administrative officer for the Department, reporting to the Vice Chancellor and Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The Head will provide visionary leadership for numerous departmental
initiatives including undergraduate and graduate education; knowledge creation through extramurally funded research; a diverse, equitable and inclusive climate; synergistic relationships with diverse stakeholder groups; and facilitate communication of science-based findings to inform policy. A commitment to working cooperatively with university administration, multidisciplinary and multicultural scholars and the general public is essential. A record of success in the development of funding and program support is expected.
Candidates must have an earned doctorate in ecological sciences or a closely related discipline and possess a record of academic accomplishment commensurate with the rank of full professor. Primary qualifications include an interdisciplinary vision, an internationally recognized research program, demonstrated commitment to inclusive undergraduate and graduate education, and experience in academic administration. Candidates with active research programs and interest in continuing active scholarship at Texas A&M are particularly encouraged to apply.
The Department has 37 faculty (https://eccb.tamu.edu), offers a B.Sc. degree in Ecology and Conservation Biology that contains four tracks - Ecology and Conservation Biology, Vertebrate Zoology, Forestry, and Ecoinformatics - and has a large graduate student program. The Department occupies a new building and maintains the Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections (https://brtc.tamu.edu/) and S.M. Tracy Herbarium, which are among the top 10 university-based biodiversity collections in the USA. Research programs in the department address fundamental questions in ecological science that span from genes to ecosystems to produce knowledge that is immediately applicable to pressing 21st century challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, ecological restoration, and integrative approaches to conservation. The Department is engaged in the campus-wide interdisciplinary programs of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (https://eeb.tamu.edu/), Genetics (https://genetics.tamu.edu/),
and Applied Biodiversity Science (https://biodiversity.tamu.edu/).
Texas A&M is ranked 4th among public universities, has a student population of 67,000 from all 50 states and 124 countries, and is a top 20 research enterprise. Texas A&M is supported by a $13.5-billion-dollar endowment and is a Land, Sea, and Space Grant university. College Station/Bryan has 180,000 permanent residents, is consistently ranked among the best places to live in the country, has a low cost of living, and ready access to the metropolitan centers of Austin and Houston.
Applicants should submit the following: 1) a cover letter; 2) a detailed curriculum vitae; 3) a statement of vision for the Department; 4) a research statement; 5) a statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; 6) a statement of administrative philosophy, and 7) contact information for three to five references.
Applications are to be submitted via Interfolio (apply.interfolio.com/91184). Questions can be addressed to the Advisory Search Committee Chair, Dr. Phillip Kaufman (phillip.kaufman@ag.tamu). Review of applications will begin September 15 and continue until the position is filled. The position is available January 3, 2022.
Texas A&M University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer committed to diversity. Texas A&M University is aware that attracting and retaining exceptional faculty often depends on meeting the needs of two careers and having policies that contribute to work-life balance. For more information, visit
https://employees.tamu.edu/ocrm/eeo or http://dof.tamu.edu/Faculty-Resources/Faculty-Work-Life.