Associate/Full Professor Tenure System

MSU Careers Details•East Lansing, MI

16h

About The Position

The Department of Integrative Biology at Michigan State University invites applications for a tenure-system position at the rank of Associate or Full Professor in Rapid Organismal Change. The successful candidate will help establish and direct a new interdisciplinary research center focused on how animals respond to rapid change in biotic and abiotic environments. The role offers an opportunity to shape the center’s scientific identity, priorities, collaborative culture, partnerships, and long-term growth. Candidates may work in any animal system or subdiscipline of integrative biology; particular interest is in research and leadership that further integrates disciplines and creates new avenues for discovery and collaboration. The position combines center leadership with research, teaching, and mentorship. The candidate will maintain a nationally or internationally recognized, externally funded research program; contribute to undergraduate and/or graduate teaching; and mentor students and postdoctoral scholars. The department has connections with the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, MSU Museum, and interdisciplinary graduate training programs. MSU offers complementary expertise in environmental change, biodiversity, animal health and physiology, and theoretical, statistical, and computational biology. Research startup and center-development support will be provided, and the center is envisioned as a focus for future faculty recruitment and institutional investment. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. This is a union position represented by the Union of Tenure System Faculty (UTSF); the university is working with the union to establish a collective bargaining agreement.

Requirements

Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in biology or a related field.
Distinguished record of research accomplishments in organismal biology, appropriate for appointment at the rank of Associate or Full Professor.
Strong record of peer-reviewed scholarship and sustained extramural research funding.
Demonstrated commitment to or, ideally, leadership of significant scientific collaborations, programs, or initiatives extending beyond the candidate’s individual research group.
Evidence of ability to establish productive collaborations across disciplinary or institutional boundaries.
Compelling vision for building and leading an interdisciplinary research center.
Strong record of mentorship and commitment to undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral education and training.

Nice To Haves

Experience developing and/or leading multi-investigator research proposals, collaborative research networks, or interdisciplinary programs.
Evidence of successfully building research partnerships, shared scientific resources, or collaborative training initiatives.
Experience with strategic planning, program development, or other forms of academic leadership.
Strong record of engagement with broader scientific communities, stakeholders, and/or public audiences.

Responsibilities

Lead development of a new interdisciplinary research center focused on rapid organismal change, drawing on strengths within Integrative Biology and across MSU.
Define the center’s intellectual identity and scientific priorities, cultivate institutional and external partnerships, and develop a sustainable strategy for growth and impact.
Unite researchers from diverse disciplines around ambitious scientific questions that require collaboration beyond individual laboratories.
Leverage and expand existing MSU strengths while creating opportunities for new scientific directions.
Build a collaborative intellectual community that supports faculty, students, and external partners.
Pursue opportunities for significant extramural funding, interdisciplinary training, and national and international research partnerships.
Establish a distinctive scientific identity and long-term trajectory for the center.
Maintain a nationally or internationally recognized and externally funded research program.
Contribute to undergraduate and/or graduate teaching.
Mentor students and postdoctoral scholars.