"Assistant Biology Professor"

Job Details

Assistant Biology Professor

Job No: 551597

Work Type: Instructional Faculty - Tenured/Tenure-Track

Location: Sonoma

Categories: Unit 3 - CFA - California Faculty Association, Probationary, Full Time, Faculty - Natural Sciences, On-site (work in-person at business location)

Department of Biology

Tenure-Track Assistant Professor

Starting August 2026 (subject to budgetary approval)

Our Commitment

Sonoma State University is a federally-designated Hispanic Serving Institution, as such we are committed to achieving the goals of equal opportunity and we endeavor to employ faculty and staff reflecting the linguistic, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the region and state.

Guided by our core values as a university: diversity, sustainability, community engagement, and adaptability, Sonoma State University (SSU) offers an education that fosters intellectual, social, and personal growth. SSU is a public liberal arts and sciences university. As the only member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges in the state of California, we are committed to preparing students for a life of active citizenship and public service. We have a vibrant campus life characterized by a lively co-curriculum that fosters broad-based intellectual and artistic opportunities in which the campus as a whole is actively engaged.

Sonoma State University is committed to creating a community in which bias and intolerance have no place. It is our expectation that all students, faculty, and staff work together to honor this commitment and hold each other accountable to create an open and inclusive environment.

We are committed to facilitating spaces in which all can grow by building on our students' assets as they explore new knowledge. These efforts include fostering creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, experimentation, empathy, and communication. The successful candidate will be one who can collaborate with faculty, staff, administration, and students to achieve these goals. We are especially interested in candidates committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Faculty Responsibilities

In addition to teaching and scholarship, faculty are expected to engage in service to the University, profession, and community. These responsibilities include: advising students, participation in campus and system-wide communities, maintaining office hours, working collaboratively and productively with colleagues, and participating in traditional academic functions.

Sonoma State is committed to the Teacher/Scholar model and places an emphasis on faculty support of undergraduate research and other professional opportunities for students.

Faculty are also expected to foster our commitment to the CSU Graduation Initiative 2025 through excellent teaching, advising, and mentoring. Potential applicants are encouraged to review the University's Reappointment, Tenure, and Promotion Policy. During the first two years of the probationary period the instructional assignment will be reduced by two courses per academic year for probationary faculty members, in order to assist in establishing their programs of research, scholarship, and/or creative activities, and carrying out other activities that would support them in meeting the requirements for retention, tenure, and promotion. All faculty are required to have the ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment.

The Department

The Department of Biology offers B.A., B.S. and M.S. degrees and has 11 tenured or tenure-track faculty members who conduct research in a wide range of disciplines, including cell biology, ecology, molecular biology, genetics, marine biology, molecular immunology and physiology. The Department houses a core DNA and genomics facility, cell culture facilities, and microscopy instrumentation. In addition, the Department maintains a radiation lab, three greenhouses and a recirculating seawater system. Faculty members also collaborate with scientists at other universities as well as local and state agencies to achieve their teaching and research goals. We have a strong record of graduating underrepresented and underserved students. The Department offers a rigorous curriculum with high-quality opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to participate in research.

Prospective applicants are encouraged to see the department's web page at: www.sonoma.edu/biology

Duties of the Position

The Department of Biology at Sonoma State University seeks to hire a highly motivated and productive scientist for a tenure-track position in the broadly defined area of microbiology. Area of interest may include bacteriology, microbial pathogenesis, host-pathogen interaction, microbial genetics, microbial physiology, microbiome, environmental microbiology, or microbial ecology.

The candidate will be expected to develop and maintain an externally funded research program with the ability to attract and mentor students in our graduate program. We seek a dynamic teacher-scholar with a strong commitment to graduate and undergraduate education. The successful candidate may also help to mentor undergraduate students with career aspirations in biotechnology and biomedical fields. Teaching responsibilities include introductory, upper-division, and graduate classes, and for this position will include medical microbiology. The candidate will also contribute to other courses, which could include an offering in their area of specialty.

Required Qualifications

• To be recommended for appointment, the candidate must have: Ph.D. in Biology or related field
• Post-doctoral experience with expertise in microbiology
• Experience in teaching courses in related areas of expertise.
• Evidence of potential to conduct independent research and mentor research students in microbiology

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven track record of publication in peer-reviewed journals
• Experience mentoring undergraduate and/or graduate students in research settings
• Experience teaching labs and lectures.
• Demonstrated potential for establishing an externally funded research program in microbiology
• Demonstrated commitment to teaching undergraduates from diverse socioeconomic, cultural, and academic backgrounds, including first-generation students
• Experience creating a student-centered learning environment, including evidence of teaching effectiveness and/or training in pedagogical strategies

Rank and Salary

Service credit depends upon academic preparation and professional experience. The anticipated salary range for this position is: $90,000 to $100,000.

Required Application Materials

• Cover Letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• Unofficial transcripts (Official transcripts may be required of the selected candidate)
• Statement of Research Interests (maximum two pages, single-spaced)
• Teaching Philosophy (maximum two pages, single-spaced)
• Contact information for three (3) references to be contacted by committee members