Assistant Professor - Aquatic Biology

Job ID: 290720

Location: Georgia College & State Univ

Full/Part Time: Full Time

Regular/Temporary: Regular

About Us

Georgia College & State University (GCSU) is the state's designated public liberal arts university, where students learn the essential skills to compete in a fast-paced and technology-driven global society. The university prepares students for successful careers, leadership in communities, problem solving and life-long learning through personalized attention in a residential setting with opportunities for a variety of transformational experiences through its award-winning, high-impact practices. One of only three selective universities within the University System of Georgia and a top 10 ranked public university in the Southeast, GCSU offers undergraduate degrees in more than 40 majors, more than 30 graduate programs, doctorates in education and nursing, professional certificates, and continuing education programs.

As a member of the prestigious Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC), GCSU is committed to fostering a liberal arts environment that values academic preeminence, interdisciplinary inquiry and an inclusive learning community. GCSU enjoys a strong reputation for academic excellence and nationally ranked programs according to US News & World Report, The Princeton Review and Colleges of Distinction - among other ranking sources.

Georgia College & State University takes great pride in combining the educational experience of a private liberal arts college with the affordability of a public university. Faculty and staff are dedicated to student engagement and experiential learning through high-impact practices such as internships, service- and community-based learning, leadership development, study abroad opportunities, mentored undergraduate research and a capstone project that fosters intellectual curiosity, reasoned inquiry and critical thinking.

The university's beautiful and historic campus is located downtown in Milledgeville, Georgia, a charming, diverse college town of approximately 19,000 residents in Central Georgia, and only 90 miles southeast of Atlanta. Milledgeville is also the home of noted American author and alumna, Flannery O'Connor, '45, and the college community enjoys many exciting literary arts programs at O'Connor's former home, Andalusia, a National Historic Landmark owned by the university. Milledgeville is located on the banks of beautiful Lake Sinclair and Lake Oconee, allowing faculty, staff and students to take full advantage of the environmental and recreational benefits of being part of a lake community. For cultural, educational and leisure opportunities beyond Milledgeville - Macon and Atlanta are located within easy driving distances.

Georgia College & State University is dedicated to protecting academic freedom in addition to supporting freedom of expression as outlined in the University System of Georgia's Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom policy and its Ethics Code of Conduct. For more information, visit us online at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.

Department Information

The Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at Georgia College & State University offers undergraduate majors in Biology and Environmental Science, with concentrations available in Marine Sciences and Biomedical Sciences. The department also offers an M.S. program in Biology with both thesis and non-thesis options. Our 29 full-time faculty members support approximately 395 undergraduate Biology majors, 112 Environmental Science majors, and 26 graduate students. To learn more about our programs, faculty, and student opportunities, please visit http://www.gcsu.edu/biology/.

Job Summary

The Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at Georgia College & State University invites applications for a tenure-track position in aquatic biology (freshwater or marine) to begin August 2026. The candidate will contribute to both the core curriculum and upper-division courses in their area of specialization at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Teaching responsibilities will include Ichthyology and Aquatic Ecology, along with the opportunity to develop additional upper-division courses in aquatic biology (e.g. fisheries biology, freshwater biology, or courses in the marine sciences). We are particularly interested in candidates whose expertise in aquatic biology - demonstrated through their publication record - complements rather than overlaps existing faculty strengths. The position also includes mentoring students through research and other scholarly or creative activities.

Responsibilities

Faculty - Teaching/Instructing -

• Full-time instructional load teaching in areas of expertise within the academic discipline
• Regular course meetings and instruction
• Mentoring Students
• Other teaching responsibilities

All Georgia College faculty share the responsibility of teaching our core curriculum and providing foundational courses for majors and non-majors alike. Faculty also contribute to the Georgia College core curriculum by teaching topical freshman (GC1Y) or sophomore seminar (GC2Y) courses.

Faculty - Service to Institution

All faculty are expected to support the advancement of the department, college and university mission by providing service to the institution. Service may be at the department, college, university, community and/or disciplinary level. Duties include service on college-level and university-level committees, advising students regarding career options, and support of department-level outreach activities.

Faculty - Professional Development-

Faculty are expected to conduct research and develop within the profession.

Required Qualifications

Educational Requirements

• Ph.D. in Biology, Aquatic Biology, or a closely related field (ABD candidates with degree completion by August 1, 2026, will be included).
• Must meet SACSCOC accreditation requirements stated in C.S.3.7.1 (www.saccsoc.org (faculty credentials)) to teach ichthyology and related aquatic biology classes.

Required Experience

• Candidates with expertise in aquatic (freshwater or marine) biology as demonstrated by publication record.
• Ability to work collegially and effectively with university students, faculty, staff and the surrounding community.

Preferred Qualifications

• At least two years of experience teaching undergraduate courses with at least one year as instructor of record
• Ability to teach courses in support of our marine sciences concentration with an emphasis on areas such as ichthyology, aquatic biology, or other freshwater or marine sciences that broaden departmental offerings
• Record of and commitment to engaging undergraduates and graduate students in research
• Record of methodological innovation and creative teaching strategies, particularly those that deliver authentic research experiences to students in the classroom

Required Documents to Attach

• Cover Letter
• CV
• Teaching Philosophy
• Research Statement
• Unofficial Transcripts
• List of References

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

(Details on abilities, knowledge, and skills as per the text.)