Assistant Professor - Environmental Physiology

Employer: Cornell University

Location: Ithaca, New York

Salary: $90,000 - $135,000

Closing date: Mar 17, 2026

Discipline: Life Sciences, Environmental Science, Physiology

Organization Type: Academia

Job Details

Assistant Professor

Focus: Environmental Physiology

Department of Animal Science, Cornell University

Position: Assistant Professor, Tenure-track.

Location: Ithaca, NY. The academic home for this position is the Department of Animal Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, housed on the Ithaca campus of Cornell University.

The Department of Animal Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Cornell University invites applications for a tenure-track position in Environmental Physiology at the Assistant Professor level. CALS integrates discovery, education, and engagement to address the most pressing challenges in agriculture, food systems, and the environment. As Cornell’s Land-grant college, CALS fosters innovation that connects fundamental science to practical solutions locally and globally.

The CALS Roadmap to 2050 spearheads the "solutions century" by collaborating across the university, our network of partners, and diverse communities to coalesce around the world’s leading challenges. We connect across all of New York state and the world to enliven our innovation ecosystem, connecting local to global programs in the form of new collaborations and basic discoveries.

We are seeking applicants for a 9-month, full-time tenure-track position in Environmental Physiology at the assistant professor level. The successful applicant is expected to maintain an internationally recognized and competitively funded research program that takes an integrative approach to investigate how environmental stressors impact animal physiology, health, and productivity. Emphasis should be on responses of physiological systems to stress. Physiological systems of interest include metabolism and digestion, thermal biology, respiration, exercise physiology, ion and osmotic regulation, immune function, endocrine function, reproductive biology and mammary gland biology. The overarching goal is to elucidate mechanisms of physiological adaptation to environmental stressors that inform strategies that enhance resilience and health in animals and/or model systems.

Outstanding research scholarship is expected, as is excellence and commitment in teaching, translation of knowledge, and inclusive mentoring of trainees. We seek colleagues with demonstrated success and future promise across these areas who will both benefit from and contribute to a vibrant culture of inclusive excellence at Cornell. The position offers opportunities for engagement, service and leadership within the department, college, and university. Broad interdisciplinary collaboration is encouraged, with extensive opportunities to build partnerships across campus in nutrition, microbiology, immunology, reproduction, genetics and genomics, bioengineering, computational biology, and sustainability science. Institutional networks such as the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, the Center for Vertebrate Genomics and the Cornell Reproductive Sciences Center provide strong platforms for collaborative research and training. The successful recruit will have access to advanced animal facilities supporting both farm-based and life science model systems, as well as core instrumentation, analytical services, and computational and genomic resources to support the development of an integrative and high-impact research program in environmental physiology.

Responsibilities: This position has an effort split of 50% research and 50% teaching.

Research (50%) – Understanding how organisms adapt to environmental stress is fundamental to sustaining health and physiological function across animal systems. The research emphasis should aim to define how environmental factors alter homeostasis and the ways animals respond to those stresses. The ideal candidate will use integrative experimental approaches investigating mechanisms at the molecular, cellular, systemic and/or organismal level. Comparative work in any animal system is encouraged, with the goal of linking those discoveries to strategies that improve animal health, enhance resilience, and illuminate conserved pathways relevant to human health and health span. This position is expected to foster an internationally recognized research program that secures competitive extramural support. The program should demonstrate scientific innovation and potential for long-term impact in environmental and comparative physiology. A strong commitment to mentoring students and postdoctoral researchers in a collaborative and inclusive environment that promotes scientific curiosity, technical rigor, and professional growth is also expected.

Teaching (50%) – Teaching responsibilities will support the Department of Animal Science’s mission to provide students with a strong foundation in animal biology and integrative physiology. The position offers the opportunity to develop and teach courses in environmental physiology and related areas, with an emphasis on how animals adapt to environmental stressors at molecular, cellular, and systemic levels. This may include creation of a new upper-level undergraduate or graduate course focused on stress physiology, as well as contributions to existing courses on different aspects of animal science. Responsibilities will also include advising and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, participating in curriculum development, and fostering an inclusive and stimulating learning environment.

Department Affiliation: The successful candidate will be a tenure-line faculty member of Cornell University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and will be based in the Department of Animal Science.

Qualifications: A Ph.D. in animal science, physiology, biomedical sciences, molecular and cellular biology, environmental biology, or a closely related field is required, with postdoctoral experience preferred. Evidence of research excellence and potential to establish a creative, independent, and well-funded program in environmental physiology are expected. A demonstrated commitment to effective teaching, mentoring, and fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment is essential.

Applications and Starting Date: The anticipated starting date is July 1, 2026, or as negotiated. Qualified applicants should submit 1) a cover letter briefly summarizing background, qualifications, and interest in the position; 2) a Curriculum Vitae; 3) a research statement outlining experience, interests, and goals; 4) a teaching and mentoring statement outlining experience, interests, and goals; 5) copies of four relevant publications; 6) names and contact information for three references; and 7) unofficial transcripts. Materials should be submitted online to: https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/31485. Applications received by March 6, 2026, will be given full consideration. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

This is an in-person position. The successful candidate will be expected to relocate within commuting distance of Ithaca, NY. Relocation assistance may be provided. Finalists for this position will be asked to sign an affidavit that they have not been found to have violated employer policies at their previous institutions.

Inquiries may be directed to:

Vimal Selvaraj, Search Committee Chair
Professor of Integrative Physiology, Department of Animal Science
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
Email: vs88@cornell.edu

In compliance with New York's Pay Transparency Law, the annual base salary range for this assistant professor position is $90,000 - $135,000. This pay range represents base pay (for 9 months). Cornell University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as market and organizational considerations when extending an offer.