Assistant Professor of Physical Geography - Department of Geography and Environmental Studies # 27-12

California State University, Northridge•Los Angeles, CA

2d•$74,652 - $80,004•Hybrid

About The Position

The Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) is seeking a tenure-track faculty member broadly trained in Physical Geography at the rank of Assistant Professor. The successful candidate will teach a wide range of undergraduate and graduate level physical geography courses and have research interests in field-based approaches to understanding earth systems. In addition to teaching, the position requires weekly office hours, attending faculty meetings, participation in assessment of student learning, and service to the department, college, and university. The successful candidate may be required to teach on weekdays, evenings, weekends, and/or online and will be held to the standards and requirements of the college and department in which he/she/they is/are housed for recommending tenure and promotion. Given CSUN’s commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and engagement in a diverse environment, the successful candidate will help the Department achieve equitable academic outcomes for all students through teaching, student mentorship, scholarship, and service. The ideal candidate is a field-oriented, broadly trained physical geographer who is deeply committed to teaching excellence, demonstrates versatility in the classroom and field, and engages in applied, student-centered research. Areas of expertise particularly desired include climatology, meteorology, geomorphology, or integrative physical geography, and who situate their work within contemporary environmental challenges. Candidates should have demonstrated excellence or potential for excellence in teaching, scholarly research, and professional and community service. Preference will be given to candidates who can develop field-based research projects analyzing environmental or physical geography topics in Southern California and engage in fieldwork with students with a demonstrated commitment to student success. Demonstrated use of GIS, spatial analysis, UAVs, drones or other advanced data instrumentation are especially encouraged to apply. Teaching responsibilities will include our upper-division courses and any of our graduate courses in the candidate's area of expertise. Teaching lower- and upper-division GIS courses may be required. In addition, candidates may be expected to teach lower- and upper-division physical/environmental geography courses such as coursework in climate science, geomorphology and field and laboratory techniques courses. Successful applicants will also be encouraged to develop new upper-level coursework in their area of expertise. Normal teaching load is 12 units per semester, with opportunities for reduction in teaching load for funded research. There will be a reduced teaching load during the first two years of appointment. We seek a faculty member who will involve students in field work, data analysis, and research projects, who will mentor students in their senior thesis and master's degree research, and generally prepare students for careers in physical-environmental sciences and geotechnical fields. The successful candidate will also be expected to contribute to our graduate programs in Geospatial Science and Physical/Environmental Geography, advise students, contribute to department, college, and university committees, participate in professional conferences, publish in peer-reviewed journals, and seek external grants.

Requirements

A Ph.D. in Geography, or closely related field from an accredited institution, completed by the time of appointment.
Demonstrated potential for effective, student-centered teaching in online and on-campus environments.
Evidence of field-based expertise in physical geography.
An area of expertise in one of the following subdisciplines: climatology, meteorology, geomorphology, or integrative physical geography.

Nice To Haves

Evidence of effective engagement OR potential to engage with a diverse student body.
Experience using culturally responsive pedagogy that leads to equitable outcomes for all students.
Experience creating a student-centered learning environment.
Research/Lab experience that includes working with students from diverse backgrounds.
Experience adopting inclusive approaches to mentoring.
Demonstrated ability or potential to mentor undergraduate researchers.
Demonstrated ability or potential to teach across multiple subfields of physical geography.
Demonstrated ability or potential to incorporate field, laboratory, or other experiential learning into instruction.
Evidence of scholarly productivity or a clearly articulated research agenda.
Demonstrated ability or potential to conduct interdisciplinary research addressing environmental challenges.
Demonstrated ability or potential to conduct field-based environmental research, including field data collection and the use of GIS, spatial analysis, UAVs/drones, and/or environmental instrumentation.
Demonstrated ability or potential to develop a Southern California or regionally proximate research agenda with applied or societal relevance.
Can develop field-based research projects analyzing environmental or physical geography topics in Southern California and engage in fieldwork with students.
Demonstrated use of GIS, spatial analysis, UAVs, drones or other advanced data instrumentation.

Responsibilities

Teach a wide range of undergraduate and graduate level physical geography courses.
Conduct research in field-based approaches to understanding earth systems.
Hold weekly office hours.
Attend faculty meetings.
Participate in the assessment of student learning.
Provide service to the department, college, and university.
Involve students in field work, data analysis, and research projects.
Mentor students in their senior thesis and master's degree research.
Prepare students for careers in physical-environmental sciences and geotechnical fields.
Contribute to graduate programs in Geospatial Science and Physical/Environmental Geography.
Advise students.
Contribute to department, college, and university committees.
Participate in professional conferences.
Publish in peer-reviewed journals.
Seek external grants.
Develop new upper-level coursework in their area of expertise.