Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics

College of Arts and Sciences

Position: Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics

Stetson University seeks applications for a Visiting Assistant Professor appointment (9 months) in the Department of Physics, beginning in August 2023.  This position is renewable for additional academic years, contingent on performance.  We invite applicants who wish to gain experience teaching in a high-quality program that values a close collaborative relationship with students, under the mentorship of experienced senior faculty.   This is a full-time non-tenure-track position.

Qualifications:

Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in Physics (or a closely related field) or expect to complete a Ph.D. before August 2023.  Teaching experience beyond typical teaching assistantship duties in graduate school will be considered advantageous but is not absolutely required.

Responsibilities:

Candidates can expect to teach four units per semester consisting of an introductory level course, multiple introductory lab sections, and an upper-level theory course.  For more information on our expectations in teaching and scholarship and our support for faculty development, please see the Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs website: http://www.stetson.edu/administration/provost/prospective-faculty/index.php .

THE DEPARTMENT:

The Department of Physics (http://www.stetson.edu/artsci/physics/) offers an academically rigorous major in Physics, a track in Applied Physics, a track in Biophysics, and a related pre-engineering program. All physics majors are required to complete a hands-on senior research project.  We have had considerable success placing students into high quality graduate programs in physics and engineering.  Faculty in the department are committed to providing experiential scientific training in a traditional liberal arts environment in which the primary focus is extensive interaction with undergraduate students in a small class size environment.  Our facilities include state-of-the-art introductory-level equipment and advanced equipment such as an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM), a UHV LEED system, a TV holography system, multiple optical tables, a small radio telescope, and multiple small optical telescopes.

THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES:

Stetson’s College of Arts and Sciences (http://www.stetson.edu/portal/artsci/) is the largest and most diverse of the University’s colleges and schools; it includes the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, education, and creative arts. With nineteen academic departments and nine  interdisciplinary programs, the College is the liberal arts core of the University. A great strength of the College is its faculty of approximately 140 full-time teacher-scholars. The College offers 31 undergraduate majors and 34 undergraduate minors; six graduate degrees are offered in Education, Counselor Education, and Creative Writing. Every undergraduate major requires a senior research project, allowing students the opportunity to design and carry out independent research under faculty mentorship. Our academic programs are shaped by the values of social justice and civic responsibility. All of our courses and programs of study promote engaged learning, whereby students create connections between the classroom or lab and the local, regional, and global community. The academic programs of the College of Arts and Sciences prepare students to live significant lives, to interact with and positively affect the world around them.

The University: 

Founded in 1883, Stetson University (http://www.stetson.edu)is a private, selective university comprised of a rich array of liberal arts and professional academic programs. Collectively, Stetson’s faculty works with nearly 4,000 students in undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. The University’s historic main campus, located in DeLand, enrolls more than 2,600 students in undergraduate programs in the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Business Administration, and the School of Music. Stetson University College of Law, Florida’s first law school, moved from the main campus to Gulfport in 1945, and, with the addition of the Tampa Law Center, serves approximately 1,000 students working full-time or part-time toward J.D. or LL.M. degrees. The University’s graduate programs include Business, Accounting, Educational Leadership, Counseling, and Creative Writing. Florida’s oldest private institution of higher learning, Stetson has regularly been ranked among the best regional universities in the Southeast and was the first private college in Florida to be granted a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

Stetson University provides an inspiring education that engages students with rigorous academic and creative study grounded in liberal learning and promotes civic values of personal and social responsibility. Working closely with faculty and with one another, students cultivate abilities to explore issues deeply, think critically, reason empirically, speak persuasively, and connect ideas creatively. Firmly committed to inclusive excellence, our vibrant community of teacher-scholars nurtures the potential of individual students to lead lives of significance and prepares each to meet the challenges of shaping the future—locally, nationally, and globally.

The Community:

DeLand is a picturesque residential community of 35,000 located 20 miles west of Daytona Beach and 35 miles northeast of Orlando. The area offers extensive cultural as well as recreational activities.

Salary:  Salary is competitive.

Starting Date:  August 9, 2023

Application:

Applicants must submit the following materials for consideration: 1) a cover letter summarizing the candidate’s interest in the position and qualifications, 2) a statement of the candidate's teaching philosophy, 3) a curriculum vitae, 4) copies of undergraduate and graduate transcripts, and 5) complete contact information of three professional references, at least one of which should be a reference familiar with the candidates teaching ability.  Applicants are encouraged to highlight skills and experiences that demonstrate a commitment to social justice, diversity and inclusion.  Stetson University encourages applications from members of underrepresented groups in physics.

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

We prefer that application materials be submitted electronically to Dr. Kevin Riggs, chair of the search committee at [email protected].  If necessary, they can also be mailed to the following address:

Dr. Kevin Riggs, Search Committee Chair
Department of Physics
Stetson University
421 N. Woodland Blvd., Unit 8267
DeLand, FL 32723

Stetson University is an Equal Opportunity Employer that affirms cultural diversity and inclusion as a core value of academic excellence at Stetson University. We are committed to achieving equal access in education, employment, and participation through the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty, staff, and students from diverse backgrounds, and to meaningful academic and intellectual transformation in curriculum, research and service. We are dedicated to actions and policies that foster a community in which individuals with various identities, cultures, backgrounds, and viewpoints work together to create opportunities for engagement through rewarding and fulfilling careers and personal experiences in a culturally and racially diverse society and a globalized world. We strongly encourage members of historically under-represented and economically-disadvantaged groups and women to apply for employment. Stetson University is an EEO, ADA, ADEA, and GINA employer.