The Department of Physics & Astronomy at San Francisco State University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Astronomy & Astrophysics beginning August 2023. The Department of Physics & Astronomy offers B.A., B.S., and M.S. degree programs, and we are especially interested in qualified candidates who can contribute to the excellence of the academic community through their research, teaching, service, and diversity. We seek a colleague who will create and foster an active research program in Astronomy & Astrophysics, and who is enthusiastic about mentoring students and involving them in ongoing research activities, including graduate students working on M.S. theses. The newly appointed professor will join and collaborate with faculty in theoretical, computational, and experimental physics, observational astronomy, theoretical and computational astrophysics, and physics & astronomy education research.
The Mission of San Francisco State University is to create and maintain an environment for learning that promotes respect for and appreciation of scholarship, freedom, human diversity, and the cultural mosaic of the City of San Francisco and the Bay Area; to promote excellence in instruction and intellectual accomplishment; and to provide broadly accessible higher education for residents of the region and state, as well as the nation and world. To fulfill its mission, the University is committed to the following goals:
- Attracting, retaining, and graduating a highly diverse student body;
- Providing disciplinary and interdisciplinary liberal arts and professional education that is academically rigorous and intellectually challenging;
- Providing curricula that reflect all dimensions of human diversity, and that encourage critical thinking and a commitment to social justice;
- Recruiting, retaining, and supporting a diverse faculty whose teaching demonstrates an active engagement with their individual fields of study and whose creative and scholarly work is an extension of the classroom, laboratory, or studio;
- Employing a staff and administration reflecting the diversity of our student community and the values of the campus;
- Fostering a collegial and cooperative intellectual environment that includes recognition and appreciation of differing viewpoints and promotes academic freedom within the University community; and
- Serving the communities with which its students and faculty are engaged.
Responsibilities: The position includes a full-time faculty workload per the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the California State University and the California Faculty Association. The workload primarily includes teaching undergraduate and graduate astronomy and physics; leading a research program in astronomy & astrophysics; mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in research activities (including supervising senior projects and master’s theses); and service contributions to the department, college, and the university.
Required Qualifications: Ph.D. in Physics, Astronomy, Astrophysics, or closely related field. The terminal degree must be completed by the first day of employment.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Record of teaching contributions in the areas of undergraduate and graduate astronomy and physics;
- Active record of scholarship related to specialty area and evidence of external support or the potential for external funding;
- Demonstrated ability to incorporate inclusion, diversity, and educational equity in teaching, and/or scholarship/creative works;
- Experience teaching and working closely with students from historically under-represented communities;
- Record of contributing to collegial, supportive and collaborative work environments.
Rank and salary: Assistant Professor. Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. The California State University (CSU) provides generous health, retirement, and other benefits.
Application: Please submit (i) a cover letter; (ii) a current CV (including publications list); (iii) a description of research interests and how you will engage students in research activities; (iv) a statement on teaching interests and philosophy, including how your teaching and scholarship align with the commitment of the Department of Physics & Astronomy to foster an inclusive and diverse academic community; and (v) names and contact information of three references who will provide letters of recommendation upon request. For full consideration, applications should be received by December 5, 2022. Requests for letters will be sent shortly after and should be received by December 16, 2022.
All required documents must be submitted online at https://careers.pageuppeople.com/873/sf/en-us/job/518576/assistant-professor-physics-astronomy.
Please direct all questions about the position to Prof. Kim Coble at kcoble@sfsu.edu.
Essential Job Tasks:
- Facilitate student success through teaching and advising with a focus on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI);
- Develop, evaluate and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction, aligned with program learning outcomes (PLOs) and student learning outcomes (SLOs), and with a focus on high-impact practices;
- Create and administer learning assessments, and evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, written papers, presentations, examinations, etc. in a timely, fair, and constructive manner;
- Maintain student grades and other required records or reporting materials, respecting students’ privacy;
- Hold regularly scheduled office hours to advise & assist students;
- Conduct research and stay current in one's field of interest and present findings in peer-reviewed journals, books, or professional conferences;
- Mentor undergraduate and graduate students in research activities, including supervising senior projects and master’s theses;
- Apply for external grants from local, state, federal, and/or private agencies to support research activities and/or curriculum innovations;
- Productively participate on assigned committees according to department and college needs and SF State's strategic vision;
- Engage collegially in all interactions in fulfilling duties at the department, college, and university level;
- Additional duties as assigned.
COVID-19: CSU requires faculty, staff, and students who are accessing campus facilities to be immunized against COVID-19 or declare a medical or religious exemption from doing so. Any candidates advanced in a currently open search process should be prepared to comply with this requirement. The systemwide policy can be found at https://calstate.policystat.com/policy/9779821/latest/ and questions may be sent to Human Resources at hrwww@sfsu.edu.
Location of Work: CSU is a state entity whose business operations reside within the State of California. Because of this, CSU prohibits hiring employees to perform CSU-related work outside of California with very limited exceptions. While this position may be eligible for occasional telework, all work is expected to be performed in the state of California, and this position is assigned to on-campus operations.
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer: San Francisco State is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate against persons on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, medical condition, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, covered veteran status, or any other protected status. We strongly encourage the application of individuals from historically underrepresented groups. Reasonable accommodations will be provided for qualified applicants with disabilities who self-disclose by contacting the Senior Human Resources Manager. Additional information on the requirements for new hires may be found on the Human Resources web page (https://hr.sfsu.edu/about-hr).