Vertebrate Physiologist
One-Year Visiting Assistant Professor

Earlham College: One-Year Visiting Assistant Professor

We seek an individual that is first and foremost excited about teaching physiology — in lecture, laboratory and research venues — to bright and motivated undergraduates in a nationally ranked department, at a small liberal arts college. Teaching responsibilities include a human physiology course(s), an upper-level specialty course, and contributions to team-taught introductory courses in cell physiology and genetics. Applicants who have an interest in one or more of the following are especially attractive: comparative physiology, anatomy, systems biology, use of 'omics' tools. Ph.D. or equivalent required; teaching or post-doc experience desirable. Earlham College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. We particularly encourage applications from women, racial minorities and Quakers.

Application Procedure

Applicants should send curriculum vitae, a statement of teaching philosophy and three letters of reference to:

Dr. Peter Blair
Department of Biology
Earlham College
801 National Road West
Richmond, IN, 47374-4095

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

Further Information

Biology at Earlham (also see directory at left)

The Earlham College Biology Department seeks a colleague to join a dynamic department dedicated to excellence in teaching and research. Our curricular needs for this position are an upper-level course(s) in anatomy and physiology, a course in the candidate's specialty area, and participation in team-taught courses in introductory genetics and cell physiology. Team-teaching at Earlham is a collaborative effort with lectures by each full-time faculty member on a rotating basis throughout the semester and separate laboratory sections led by each faculty. Additional upper-level offerings should reflect the strengths and interests of the candidate. Courses taught by the new faculty member will be among those listed as electives for a Biology-Chemistry interdepartmental major.

Earlham's Biology program has strengths across the discipline, including molecular, organismal and population biology. The Biology Department at Earlham ranks eighth among 1,302 U.S. colleges and universities in the proportion of our graduates who complete the Ph.D. in life sciences. A cohort of our graduates is also successfully placed for professional training in medicine, veterinary science and other health sciences

The excellence of our student body is also evident by the many science students who are recipients of national awards, such as the Goldwater Scholarship or Fulbright Grants.

Biology faculty are actively involved in interdepartmental programs within the Natural Science division.

Research at in Biology at Earlham

The Biology Faculty is committed to faculty research, collaborative research with students, and independent research by students alone or in groups. The College provides research support to faculty through a number of internally funded programs:

These funds are provided for research during the academic year or during the summer. In the case of Ford/Knight Grants conducted during the academic year, release from some course duties is provided.

The Biology Department (in conjunction with chemistry and other science faculty) has been successful in securing funds from external granting agencies to support collaborative research. These funds have been used to support equipment purchases, laboratory upgrades, and research projects. As a result, a small research community of students and faculty is active in the summers.

Student research begins in core courses in the curriculum. In the laboratory based sciences, the introductory Cells, Genes, and Inheritance course has an inquiry-based laboratory component, as does the upper-level Cell Physiology. Student-initiated, inquiry-based research projects are also major components of a number of upper level courses including Anatomy and Physiology, Developmental Biology and Advanced Cell Physiology. In the field-oriented areas, students begin research in the introductory Ecological Biology course and design their own research projects in upper level courses such as Population and Community Ecology, and Field Botany.

Students are encouraged to pursue additional research opportunities outside of the regular curriculum, including summer research with Earlham faculty.

The Biology Department offers facilities for research in the lab and in the field:

  • cellular and molecular biology equipment for cell culture, PCR, DNA/RNA (including sequencing and microsatelittes) and protein analysis
  • physiology laboratory with echocardiography, pulse oximetry, vascular doppler, human and animal cardiovascular physiology, human composition analysis, organ physiology, exercise testing and neurophysiology
  • backcampus field areas, including ponds, streams, woods, oldfields and prairies
  • other College-owned field areas within minutes of campus include more
    than 200 acres of forests, streams, river, wetlands and other habitats
  • computer laboratories in the science building complex
  • herbarium and greenhouse

Affiliated with the department is the large and active Joseph Morre Museum which involves a number of students in museum curation, conservation activities and public outreach. Tours led by Earlham students serve over 2000 school children yearly.

Also closely linked with the department is Wildman Science Library which provides a program of course-integrated information literacy and access to the scientific research literature.

Teaching in Biology at Earlham

Teaching in the classroom, laboratory, and the field is a passion for Earlham's Biology faculty. We encourage each other to develop as teachers as well as scholars. Faculty at all levels of experience — and across the college curriculum — regularly interact around pedagogical issues and strategies. Faculty regularly publish and/or present on their research at national meetings, often doing so in collaboration with students.

For Biology faculty, a major benefit of our team-teaching approach at the introductory level is the opportunity for collegial conversation and mutual mentoring. Classroom activities in introductory and advanced classes are diverse, ranging from lectures to problem-based learning; from debate formats to group presentations; from small group discussion to individualized worksheets; from prepared laboratory experiences to independently designed research projects.

The College

Earlham College is a nationally known, liberal arts and sciences college, with a student-faculty ratio of about 12:1.

The curriculum includes a strong general education component, and students choose majors either in traditional departments or from among a number of interdisciplinary programs, including Peace and Global Studies, African and African-American Studies, Women's Studies, and Human Development and Social Relations.

At Earlham, excellence in teaching is stressed. Faculty wishing to improve their teaching can consult with the college Teaching Consultant, an individual selected from among the experienced faculty to serve in this role. The college also actively encourages and supports research and publication and provides internal funding and course-release time in support of these endeavors.

Earlham offers exceptional opportunities for off-campus study. Although we share a number of programs with other colleges, most programs are led by our own faculty. Members of the Biology Department and other science departments have led semester-long and May Term programs to:

By the time they graduate, more than 60% of the Earlham student body has participated in one or more off-campus study experience. The Biology Department actively promotes study abroad to its majors.

Earlham values collegial interactions and expects faculty to participate in institutional affairs and college governance. As a college affiliated with the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), our governance and decision-making is conducted primarily through consensus.