Assistant Professor in Earth Sciences – Geography

Position Details

Position Information

Announcement Number FAC - VA - 27017

For questions regarding this position, please contact:

Dr. David McWethy

Department of Earth Sciences

[email protected]

Classification Title

Working Title Assistant Professor in Earth Sciences – Geography

Brief Position Overview

The Department of Earth Sciences at Montana State University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Geography specializing in global change, risk, and resilience and the human dimensions of environmental hazards. We seek an outstanding researcher and educator whose work examines the intersections of environmental hazards, climate change, social vulnerability, adaptation, and resilience.

Faculty Tenure Track Yes

Faculty Rank Assistant

Position Number 4A1366

Department Earth Sciences

Division College of Letters & Science

Appointment Type Faculty

Contract Term Academic Year

Semester

If other, specify From date

If other, specify End date

Union Affiliation Exempt from Collective Bargaining

FTE 1.0

Benefits Eligible Eligible

Salary Salary commensurate with experience, education, and qualifications

Contract Type MUS

If other, please specify

Recruitment Type Open

Position Details

General Statement

The Department of Earth Sciences at Montana State University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Geography with expertise in global change, risk, and resilience and the human dimensions of environmental resilience and hazards. We seek a geographer whose research examines how climate change and environmental hazards intersect with social vulnerability, exposure, adaptation, resilience, and decision-making.

The successful candidate will develop a robust, externally funded research program that complements strengths in human-environment interactions, environmental change and hazards, resource geography, planning, and geospatial science within the Department of Earth Sciences. We are particularly interested in candidates who integrate quantitative geospatial analysis with qualitative or mixed-methods approaches and use GIS , remote sensing, spatial statistics, geospatial data science, and/or artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Research may address environmental hazards and risks including wildfire, flooding, landslides, earthquakes, extreme temperatures, drought, air pollution, or other climate-related hazards. We welcome research on hazard exposure, social vulnerability, risk perception, adaptation, resilience, disaster preparedness and recovery, and hazard management.

The position responds to growing student interest in global environmental change, environmental hazards, and spatial data science, while strengthening training in geospatial methods. The successful candidate will have opportunities to collaborate across Montana State University and with external partners in natural resources, emergency management, climate science, public health, planning, and environmental management.

We seek a colleague who will contribute actively to a highly collegial, collaborative, interdisciplinary, and student-focused department and demonstrate a commitment to mentoring and supporting students from all backgrounds.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Carry a full teaching load under the Department of Earth Sciences workload plan, currently a 2/1 split between semesters (3 courses per academic year).

• Teach undergraduate and graduate courses in Geography and related Earth Sciences subjects each academic year. Expected contributions include large introductory Geography courses (e.g., Human Geography, World Regional Geography) as well as upper-division and graduate courses in the candidate’s area of expertise.

• Develop and/or revise curricula that incorporate quantitative geospatial analysis with qualitative and/or mixed-methods approaches.

• Advise undergraduate majors (academic advising and undergraduate research mentoring) consistent with departmental advising expectations.

• Recruit, supervise, and mentor M.S. and Ph.D. students in Earth Sciences.

• Develop and maintain a robust, independent, externally funded research program in Environmental Geography.

• Publish research in peer-reviewed journals and other appropriate scholarly venues.

• Seek and obtain external research funding appropriate to the candidate’s career stage.

• Collaborate with departmental faculty and with campus, state, national, and/or international partners.

• Participate in departmental, college, university, and professional service.

• Serve on department, college, and university committees as appropriate.

• Contribute to a collegial, student-focused departmental community.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills

• PhD in Earth Sciences, Geography, Environmental Sciences, or related discipline with a research focus on global change, environmental hazards and social vulnerability and related fields by the start date.

• Demonstrated potential to teach effective lower-division, upper-division, and graduate courses in human-environment geography and related Earth Sciences topics, including large introductory courses, as evidenced by teaching experience, a teaching statement, and/or evaluations or equivalent documentation.

• Demonstrated research experience as evidenced by a record of peer-reviewed publications appropriate to the candidate’s career stage.

• Demonstrated potential to develop a competitive, externally funded research program.

• Demonstrated potential for excellence in mentoring undergraduate and graduate students.

Preferred Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills

• Evidence of effective teaching of undergraduate and/or graduate courses, including large lower-division classes and/or use of computational methods or emergent learning platforms in instruction.

• Demonstrated expertise in the application of relevant skills in quantitative and programmatic approaches to global change, risk, and resilience and the human dimensions of environmental hazards.

• Demonstrated potential to develop internationally and regionally relevant research.

• Experience integrating two or more of the research and teaching areas described above.

The Successful Candidate Will

• Be a dynamic teacher and scholar.

• Have the ability to inspire and mentor students.

• Have excellent written and oral communication skills.

• Be committed to supporting, promoting, and building a whole community, which includes people of all backgrounds, through research, teaching, service, or lived experience.

Position Special Requirements/Additional Information

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodations. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Physical Demands

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodations. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

The Program

The successful candidate will complement existing departmental strengths and be expected to develop a nationally competitive research program supported by extramural grant funds. This candidate will also play a leadership role in maintaining a vibrant and successful graduate and undergraduate option in Geography, with a considerable teaching component centered on the human dimensions of environmental hazards and environmental hazards.

The candidate will be expected to teach graduate and undergraduate courses such as World Regional Geography, Human Geography, Geographic Thought, Data Science for Climate and Sustainability. The Department of Earth Sciences values all perspectives and is committed to continually supporting, promoting, and building a whole community, which includes people of all backgrounds.

The Department

Based in Bozeman, MT, our department is distinguished by our spectacular location—where the meeting of the Rocky Mountains with the Northern Great Plains and the headwaters of the Missouri River create living laboratories for our students and faculty. Earth Sciences takes the Montana State University tagline – “Mountains and Minds” quite literally.

Our faculty includes 14 full-time Earth Scientists and our student body includes about 50 graduate students and over 230 undergraduate majors. We are proud to offer degrees at the Bachelor, Master, and PhD levels. Our faculty, staff, and students use their minds for learning and discovery in the scenic and rugged mountains of southwest Montana, as well as in mountainous areas and rural landscapes around the nation and worldwide. Earth Sciences students have many opportunities to participate in field trips that facilitate the study of Earth processes, Earth resources, Earth history, and environments that people have modified. We invite applicants to further explore the opportunities to engage with our programs.

The College

The College of Letters and Science ( CLS ), the largest center for learning, teaching and research at Montana State University, offers students an excellent liberal arts and sciences education in nearly 50 majors, 25 minors and over 25 graduate degrees within the four areas of the humanities, social sciences, natural and physical sciences, and mathematical sciences.

Building on the great strength of our traditional disciplines, the college provides exciting opportunities for faculty and students at the cutting edge of interdisciplinary inquiry. CLS is dedicated to supporting student success, discovering and disseminating new knowledge, and providing an atmosphere in which discovery and learning are integrated and valued. CLS is at the confluence of intellectual tradition, discovery, and innovation.

Posting Detail Information

Number of Vacancies 1

Desired Start Date August 2027

Position End Date (if temporary)

Open Date

Close Date

Applications will be:

Screening of applications will begin on October 29, 2026; however, applications will continue to be accepted until an adequate applicant pool has been established.

Special Instructions

As part of your application, please upload the following required documents:

• Curriculum Vitae

• Cover Letter addressing each of the Required and Preferred Qualifications

• Research Statement (maximum 3 pages)

• Teaching Statement (maximum 3 pages)

Letters of Recommendation and Reference Calls: All applicants will be required to provide the names of a minimum of three references during the application process. Following the initial interview stage, references for candidates moving forward to final interviews will be contacted by email to request a letter of recommendation (due within one week of email notification; please notify your references in advance). References may also be contacted by phone as part of the final reference check process.

EEO Statement

Montana State University is an equal opportunity employer. MSU does not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, political ideas, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, national origin, physical or mental disability, or any other protected class status in violation of any applicable law.

In compliance with the Montana Veteran’s Employment Preference Act, MSU provides preference in employment to veterans, disabled veterans, and certain eligible relatives of veterans. To claim veteran’s preference, please complete the veteran’s preference information located in the Demographics section of your profile.