Assistant Professor, GIScience
- Employer
- University of South Carolina
- Location
- Columbia
View more categoriesView less categories
- Employment Type
- Full Time
- Institution Type
- Four-Year Institution
Job Details
FAC00131PO26
Advertised Title:Assistant Professor, GIScience
Campus:Columbia
College/Division:College of Arts and Sciences
Department:CAS Geography
Advertised Salary Range:We offer a competitive salary and benefits package.
Part/Full Time:Full Time
Hours per Week:40
Position Category:Full-time Equivalent (FTE)
Basis :9 months
Work County:Richland
Tenure Information:Tenure-Track/Tenured
Job Search Category:Faculty
About University of South Carolina:From the Upstate to the Lowcountry, the University of South Carolina system is transforming the lives of South Carolinians through the impact of our eight institutions and 20 locations throughout the state. More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of eight institutions, including the research campus in Columbia and comprehensive four-year universities in Aiken, Upstate and Beaufort. In addition, our Palmetto College campuses in Salkehatchie, Union, Lancaster and Sumter enable students to earn associate or bachelor’s degrees through a combination of in-person, online or blended learning. All of our system institutions place strong emphasis on service — helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and beyond.
Veterans' Preference Statement:The University of South Carolina is committed to equal opportunity and proudly values the skills and experience military veterans bring to our workforce. Across South Carolina, we are making veterans a priority for employment and recognize their vital contributions to our state and our communities.
Advertised Job Summary:The Department of Geography in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina invites applications for a full-time, nine-month tenure track faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor in GIScience, with an anticipated start date of August 16, 2027.
We seek an emerging scholar whose research and teaching engage the frontiers of GIScienceand cutting-edge geospatial technologies. Areas of interest that advance GIScience concepts, theories and/or methods include, but are not limited to, GIS modeling, digital cartography, geo-visualization, spatial statistics, GeoAI and Geospatial Intelligence, with potential topical applications in environmental hazards, human-environment interactions, sustainable development, spatial inequities, health, energy, urban planning and related fields. The successful candidate will be expected to continue the department’s strong tradition of leadership in the field, contribute to a collaborative research environment, and foster partnerships across campus and beyond. We are interested in a candidate who wishes to play a leading role in the future of GIScience.
Teaching responsibilities will include supporting and advancing fundamental GIS courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, supporting the Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) certificate, as well as developing new courses in the candidate’s area of expertise. The successful candidate will teach four courses per academic year (two per semester) and is expected to participate in graduate student recruitment and supervision.
The Department currently comprises nineteen tenured/tenure-track faculty and one full-time instructor. Faculty research interests span resource politics, environmental hazards, human rights, coastal geomorphology, energy geographies, health, GIS and remote sensing, biogeography, migration, and climate change, with collaborations across the college, university, and beyond. In addition, the Department faculty lead several institutes and centers including the Hazards, Vulnerability and Resilience Institute (HVRI), Walker Institute of International and Area Studies, and the Center for GIScience and Geospatial Big Data. The Department offers PhD, MS, MA, BS, and BA degrees. For more information about the Department of Geography, please visit https://sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/artsandsciences/geography.
Candidates must have a PhD in Geography, GIScience, or related field by the time of appointment. ABD candidates whose degrees will be completed by the start date are eligible to apply. Applicants should demonstrate the potential to be an outstanding researcher, along with a desire to pursue excellence in teaching and mentoring.
Preferred Qualifications:Candidates must have a PhD in Geography, GIScience, or related field by the time of appointment. ABD candidates whose degrees will be completed by the start date are eligible to apply. Applicants should demonstrate the potential to be an outstanding researcher, along with a desire to pursue excellence in teaching and mentoring.
Desired Start Date:08/16/2027
Job Open Date:09/30/2026
Open Until Filled:Yes
Special Instructions to Applicant:Applications must include: (1) A one-page cover letter describing the candidate’s interest in the position and summarizing qualifications relevant to the advertised requirements; (2) a curriculum vitae; (3) a research statement, not exceeding two pages, describing prior contributions and an independent future research agenda; (4) a teaching and mentoring statement, not exceeding one page, identifying courses the applicant is prepared to teach and their approach to student learning and mentorship; (5) one representative scholarly work, published, in press, or under review, with a brief statement of the applicant’s contribution if co-authored; and (6) the names and email addresses of three professional references. Applicants may also submit one additional representative scholarly work (optional).
Review of applications will begin November 1, 2026, and will continue until the position is filled. Reference letters will be solicited for candidates that best meet the qualifications for this position. Inquiries about this position may be directed to the Search Committee Chair, Dr. Cuizhen (Susan) Wang at cwang@mailbox.sc.edu.
Positions are advertised for a minimum of five (5) business days on our job website. After five (5) business days, positions can be closed at the discretion of the department at any time.This employment site is updated on a regular basis. The length of the recruitment and screening process may vary from position to position, depending upon a variety of factors. Should review of your qualifications result in a decision to pursue your candidacy, you will be contacted by phone or email.
https://uscjobs.sc.edu/postings/213794
EEO Statement:The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law.
Organization
Working at University of South Carolina
With more than 200 years of history and tradition, the University of South Carolina is redefining itself for decades to come. There's never been a better time to be at South Carolina, the state's flagship university and one of only 62 public universities to receive the Carnegie Foundation's highest designation for research.
The University is located in the heart of South Carolina in the capital city of Columbia, which is the nexus of government, a thriving arts and culture center, a venue for big-time Southeastern Conference intercollegiate athletics, and a community that is reinventing itself with redevelopment projects citywide. Much of the development is tied to land along the scenic, slow-moving Congaree River. Working with government, business, and community leaders, Carolina has developed a unified plan that will allow the University to expand from its origins on the historic Horseshoe to its future-Innovista, a research and innovation district that will stretch to the banks of the Congaree.
Innovista represents a new vision for research by creating a vibrant, urban community where students and researchers, including those from private firms, will live, work, learn, and play. Innovista will represent the University's four core research areas-hydrogen fuel cells, nanoscience and technology, biomedical and public health, and the environment-but will include other initiatives and business partners that serve the knowledge economy. Innovista's first private tenant, for example, is a leader in software applications for the insurance industry and will create several hundred high-paying jobs.
By attracting similar companies and jobs-and by capitalizing on an attractive location for restaurants and residential and retail space-Innovista will help drive the economy and increase per-capita income in the city and state. Recreational space will include a world-class waterfront park along the Congaree River and a new stadium for the Gamecocks' nationally ranked baseball program. Greenway paths for biking, walking, and running already line much of the river area. Innovista's 8 million square feet will blend seamlessly with the Vista, the city's nearby entertainment district of restaurants, bars, shops, and art galleries.
Chartered in 1801, Carolina began classes in 1805 with nine students and a single building, Rutledge College. As the campus grew and buildings were added during the next 50 years, a horseshoe layout was adopted. Today, the Horseshoe is on the National Register of Historic Places, with 10 of its 11 buildings dating to the 19th century. Those renovated buildings house, among other areas, the South Carolina Honors College and Undergraduate Admissions, representing much of the University's current and future lifeblood.
In fact, incoming freshman classes have never been larger or more competitive. The freshmen from fall 2006 set records for their size (more than 3,700) and SAT scores (1171 average). Freshmen enrolling in the Honors College had average SAT scores of 1398. Members of the University's prestigious scholarship programs, Carolina Scholars for in-state students and McNair Scholars for out-of-state students, had average scores of 1449 and 1477, respectively. Total enrollment at Carolina for undergraduates and graduates is more than 27,300, with some 350 degree programs to choose from. Since 1994, Carolina students have earned more than $9.9 million in prestigious national scholarships such as the Goldwater, Truman, Rhodes, and NSF scholarships and the Fulbright Fellowships.
South Carolina's student body is diverse. In fact, Carolina was recently recognized as the state flagship university with the highest percentage of African-American student enrollment in the nation. Research by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education shows African-American students made up 14.7 percent of enrollment in 2004, the latest year available. The JBHE also ranks Carolina eighth in the nation in percentage of African-American faculty at a state flagship university with 4.3 percent.
The University's faculty garnered a record $173.3 million in federal, state, and private funding for research, outreach, and training programs in 2005-06, and several key hiring plans will introduce more talent and expertise to the faculty ranks. An aggressive campus building master plan and the faculty recruiting initiatives will change the collective face of the University and the faces of many of its key teachers and researchers.
South Carolina is recruiting world-class faculty to be endowed chairs-and change agents-for a series of "research centers of economic excellence" in areas such as nanoelectronics, polymer nanocomposites, brain imaging, regenerative medicine, cancer therapeutics, drug discovery, vision research, hydrogen fuel cells, and travel and tourism technology. These centers, some in collaboration with other state research universities and health and hospital systems, are funded with $30 million annually in state lottery money, as well as private matching money. Carolina is in the midst of a faculty recruitment plan to hire 600 new members. The Faculty Excellence Initiative is recruiting 150 faculty, many in interdisciplinary clusters of emphasis, while the Centenary Plan will recruit 100 elite research faculty to lead the University's core initiatives. Additionally, 350 faculty will be hired across disciplines to replace retirees over the next few years.
The University has forged a number of international collaborations in research, and the University's global connections are also strong in academics, particularly in international business. U.S. News & World Report has consistently ranked the Moore School of Business best in the nation for its undergraduate and graduate programs in international business; the undergraduate program is No. 1 for the 10th consecutive time, while the graduate program is No. 1 among public universities for the 18th consecutive year and No. 2 overall, continuing a streak of 18 years with a top-two overall ranking.
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