Position
The Department of Forest Management at the University of Montana invites applications and nominations for the open-rank, tenurable position of W.A. Franke Endowed Faculty Chair in Forest Conservation. The position is available August 2022. Candidates should be experienced or rising scholars who conduct research at the nexus of forest conservation finance and economics, climate, and carbon. The successful candidate will advance the Department’s goal to provide innovation and leadership in forest-based natural climate solutions. We seek candidates who embody our institutional values (collegiality, community, diversity, excellence, honesty, integrity, passion) and who will advance our commitment to equity and inclusion. We welcome applications from candidates with core disciplinary training in the biophysical or social sciences who possess expertise and a record of scholarship focused on economic aspects of forest-based natural climate solutions. Reflecting the Department of Forest Management’s commitments to research excellence and applied land management, we seek candidates who excel at translating their scholarship into market or policy-based solutions implementable at large scales. As a scholar of the highest tier, the incumbent will demonstrate their passion for and excellence in teaching and student mentoring through instruction in the professional undergraduate and graduate forestry degrees. We welcome applications from individuals with diverse perspectives and backgrounds, including international scholars. We encourage applications from, and nominations of, women, persons of color, indigenous peoples, veterans, persons with disabilities and other individuals who can contribute to intellectual diversity and cultural richness.
Duties and Responsibilities
The successful candidate will maintain an internationally recognized, extramurally funded research program focused on forest management at the nexus of conservation finance and economics, climate, and carbon, and will focus a portion of their program on western US forests. Teaching responsibilities include instruction in the professional B.S. Forestry degree and graduate student instruction and mentoring. Service and outreach include service to the department, college, and university, to academic peers, and to professional land managers and policy-makers nationally and/or internationally.
Candidates should demonstrate a strong commitment to scholarship, student achievement, and effective interpersonal and collaborative skills, and possess the drive to advance the Department of Forest Management, elevate its forestry degree programs, and enhance forestry as a discipline.
The successful candidate must possess:
- An earned doctorate or equivalent terminal degree.
- A record of impactful and distinguished research and scholarship relative to career stage; OR: record of scholarship and professional leadership in forest management or conservation in the private, public, or non-governmental sectors meriting a faculty appointment in the Department of Forest Management.
- Evidence of established or growing professional distinction and national recognition, including scholarly publications in peer-reviewed outlets.
- Demonstrated expertise and evidence of the ability to maintain an exemplary research program in the area of forest-based natural climate solutions at the intersection of conservation finance and economics, climate, and carbon.
- Demonstrated evidence of excellence in teaching and mentoring, or potential for excellence, at the undergraduate and graduate level.
- Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Preference will be given to applicants who possess:
- A record of translating their scholarship into market or policy-based solutions implementable at large scales.
- Demonstrated experience building a high-performing research team, with evidence of a commitment to ethics, openness, and diversity.
- Demonstrated experience developing research and outreach related to carbon offsets.
About the College
The W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation was founded in 1913 as the School of Forestry, one of the first forestry programs accredited by the Society of American Foresters. Today, the College includes programs in ecological, social and natural resource sciences, policy and management. College faculty are among the most productive researchers in the nation, nationally and internationally recognized for their research excellence. The College is also known for the quality of its graduates, and has produced many of the nation's finest natural resource managers and scientists.
The College serves approximately 780 undergraduate students (65% nonresident) through five undergraduate degree programs and six minors that address diverse facets of today’s natural resource challenges: Forestry; Environmental Science and Sustainability; Parks, Tourism and Recreation Management; Geography; and Wildlife Biology. The College also offers five masters programs, three Ph.D. programs, and three certificate programs. Research and outreach activities are administered through the Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station, a state-wide agency of the Montana University System; it includes 14 programs, centers, and institutes. Within this structure are numerous cutting-edge initiatives in both research and teaching that promote integrative approaches to conservation.
The College faculty take pride in the attention devoted to teaching, research, and the application of science to complex problems. Considerable emphasis is placed on hands-on experience to supplement students' academic work, through the use of well-equipped laboratories, extensive computer technology, international exchanges, field courses, and access to outstanding field research stations and nearby landscapes: the 28,000-acre Lubrecht Experimental Forest, the Flathead Lake Biological Station on the shores of Flathead Lake, the 3700-acre Bandy Experimental Ranch, and the Boone and Crockett Club's Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch along the east face of the Rockies.
How to Apply:
Applications will be reviewed beginning February 13, 2022 and will continue until the position is filled. Please submit the following application materials to the UM Jobs website at: https://umjobs.silkroad.com/
Complete applications must include:
- A letter of application (no more than 2 pages) addressing, with examples, the above-referenced responsibilities and requirements; a research statement (2 page max); a teaching statement (2 page max); a diversity statement (1 page max) – collated into a single pdf document.
- Three exemplar publications or other scholarly contributions in a single pdf document.
- Curriculum vita, as pdf,
- Names and contact information of four (4) professional references, as pdf.
IMPORTANT: Applications sent directly to the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation or the Search Committee Chair will not be considered or forwarded to Human Resource Services. Only applications submitted through the UM online applicant system will be considered.
ADA/EOE/AA/Veteran's Preference Employer. As an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, we encourage applications from minorities, veterans, and women. Qualified candidates may request veterans’ or disabilities preference in accordance with state law.
Criminal Background Check is required prior to Offer of Employment.
The candidate selected for the position must meet eligibility requirements for work in the United States at the time the appointment is scheduled to begin and continue working legally for the proposed terms of employment.
All inquiries should be addressed to search committee chair Carl Seielstad, via email: carl.seielstad@umontana.edu