Academic Professional Track (Non-Tenure): Instructional Professor and Department Head

The Department of Foundational Sciences in the College of Marine Sciences & Maritime Studies at Texas A&M University located on the Galveston campus invites applications for a full-time position that will either be tenure review upon hire or academic professional track position with an 11-month academic and administrative appointment beginning Fall 2025. Because of the unique mission of the department, the rank assigned to the role could be as a tenured Associate or Full Professor, or as a non-tenured Instructional Professor, depending on the expertise and experience of the successful candidate.  The appointment as Department Head is initially a five-year term with a potential for additional terms.

We are seeking a visionary department head with experience in and passion for academic leadership, who holds a Ph.D. in or closely related to one of the department’s disciplines of chemistry, mathematics, physics, statistics or one-health. Competitive candidates must articulate a compelling vision for the future for the department’s impact in scholarship and education, command of the challenges and opportunities at the national and international level; and intentional advocacy and mentoring for students, staff, and faculty in the department.

The department head serves as the chief academic, fiscal, development, and administrative officer for the Department, including the vision for the department, strategic planning, the management of the financial resources and human resources responsibilities. The department head is also responsible for fostering faculty excellence in research, teaching, and service consistent with Texas A&M University at Galveston's Strategic Plan (https://www.tamug.edu/AcademicAffairs/StrategicPlan.html). Teaching responsibilities may include contributing to the needs of the department and advanced courses in the candidate’s area of specialization, as well as providing service to the department, college, university and the profession. For the Tenure Review Upon Hire position, an active research program with the potential to secure external funding is also expected. The department head of Foundational Sciences oversees the concentration in Oceans and One Health, a University Studies undergraduate degree program.

The faculty in Foundational Sciences are committed to the success of all the students at Texas A&M University at Galveston. We offer courses in chemistry, physics, mathematics and statistics, many of which are taken by first- and second-year students. These courses often set the bar for a student’s ability to progress through their chosen degree plan. Our department is founded on this belief, and we envision that all of our students will be challenged and be successful in the high-quality courses offered. Our mission as the faculty of FSCI is to be engaged with our students, our colleagues and the university as a whole to offer academically excellent and pedagogically innovative classes. http://www.tamug.edu/fsci.

Texas A&M University at Galveston is the dedicated marine and maritime branch campus of Texas A&M University. The campus houses several institutions that are critical contributors to Texas A&M’s land-, sea-, and space-grant mission and drive the development of the blue economy on the Gulf Coast through education, innovation, scholarship and research.

Home to the Texas A&M College of Marine Sciences & Maritime Studies (marine.tamu.edu), students can earn undergraduate and graduate degrees in marine sciences, business, blue humanities, marine engineering and maritime transportation. Students may also pursue Galveston-specific Texas A&M College of Engineering degrees, including computer science, ocean engineering and interdisciplinary engineering.

Texas A&M-Galveston is also home to the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, one of six state maritime academies in the U.S. and the only one embedded within a Tier I research institution. Offering hands-on training to over 400 cadets annually, the academy prepares students to earn a U.S. Coast Guard License and serve as maritime professionals, afloat and ashore, or enter military service upon graduation.

Ideally situated in Galveston Bay, the island campus is surrounded by marine life, estuarine and ocean ecosystems, and one of the largest maritime industrial hubs in the world, allowing Galveston Aggies to live, learn and work in the heart of the industries they will soon serve. Whether their careers take them shoreside or on the water, Aggies are ready for anything above, on and below the waves. 

Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environments for all visitors, students, faculty, and staff, which is vital to accomplishing our mission and living our core values.

Minimum/Required Qualifications:

·         Earned Ph.D. in one of the department’s fields of chemistry, physics, mathematics, statistics, one-health or a related field.

·         A record of distinction in research, teaching, outreach, and service commensurate with the ranks of tenured Associate Professor or Professor, or Instructional Professor.

Preferred Qualifications:

·         Evidence of visionary leadership, strategic and innovative thinking.

·         Ability to foster faculty development and mentor junior faculty.

·         Strong track record of administrative and budgetary management experience.

·         Experience that lends itself to facilitating effective learning, instruction, and a commitment to student success.

·         Ability to work and communicate effectively with faculty, staff, and students.

·         Ability to strongly and effectively represent faculty, staff, and students to University administrators, state and federal agencies, industry, and the public.

·         Commitment to transparent, engaged, and collaborative shared governance.

·         Experience with managing and resolving conflict.

·         Ability to work cooperatively within a multidisciplinary and multicultural community of scholars and educators.

Applicants must submit electronic PDF copies of 1) cover letter, 2) curriculum vitae, 3) a personal statement to include philosophy and plans for teaching, research and service,  4) a three-page vision statement summarizing his/her personal vision and goals for the Department of Foundational Sciences’ education and research, as well as his/her philosophy of academic leadership for achieving those goals, and 5) names and contact information of three (3) professional references.

Applicants interested in the instructional track (non-tenure) position must apply through the Texas A&M University faculty job board hosted by Interfolio at apply.interfolio.com/156939.

Applicants interested in the tenured position must apply through the Texas A&M University faculty job board hosted by Interfolio at apply.interfolio.com/156930.

For more information on the position, please contact the Chair of the Search Committee, Dr. JoAnn DiGeorgio-Lutz at joanne-a-lutz@tamu.edu. Review of applications will begin January 6, 2025. While preference will be given to applications received by this date, the position will remain open until filled.