"Assistant Professor of Biology - Plant/Micro Biology"

Job Details

The Department of Biology at Trinity University invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor beginning August 2026. Applicants must have a Ph.D. in a photosynthesis-related field of either plant biology or microbiology. Preference will be given to applicants with postdoctoral research experience (or equivalent). Teaching responsibilities will include lecture and laboratory for lower and upper division courses as well as courses in the University curriculum. Faculty in the Department are expected to develop an independent research program involving undergraduate students. Interdisciplinary research is encouraged and research programs are expected to serve the fundamental University mission to provide our undergraduate students experiential learning opportunities. Successful applicants will demonstrate a commitment to contribute in a can-do and growth-mindset manner to teaching, research, and service to the Department and across the University.

Background

Trinity University is a secular, independent, private institution, founded in 1869. Trinity offers high-quality science, liberal arts, and pre-professional programs as represented by the four schools (STEM, Arts & Humanities, Social Science and Civic Engagement, and Business) to approximately 2,500 undergraduate students from the U.S. and more than 45 countries. The attractive campus overlooks downtown San Antonio, a city rich in heritage and ethnic diversity. Additional information can be found on the Resource Guide to Trinity & San Antonio.

The Department of Biology is one of eight departments in the D. R. Semmes School of Science that was recently endowed with a gift of $26 million that in part supports student research and faculty development. The D. R. Semmes School of Science is housed in the Center for the Sciences and Innovation, an innovative and collaborative hub for interdisciplinary research and teaching.

The Department of Biology serves our majors as well as a wide range of other majors across the university, to include Neurobiology, Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, Environmental Studies and a large population of pre-health professional students. We are unified in our commitment to a teacher-scholar model and provide high quality education and active undergraduate research and mentorship programs. Tenured and tenure-track faculty in the Department regularly secure competitive externally funded grants and maintain research agendas with national and international visibility. Our laboratories and facilities are stocked with state-of-the art instrumentation and we maintain close ties/user agreements with local universities and research institutions for equipment not housed in the department. In addition, the University and School are committed to supporting faculty in their aspirations to maintain and expand their research interests and agendas. Further information about our department, its faculty and our facilities is available at https://www.trinity.edu/academics/departments/biology.

Both the Department of Biology and the University as a whole value and safeguard academic freedom for faculty members in their teaching and scholarship. Trinity is guided by a set of core values and is committed to implementing practices in pursuit of an inclusive campus for all students, faculty, and staff to feel welcomed and engaged in a community of learning.

Duties and Responsibilities

Teaching

Successful candidates are expected to teach 9 credit hours of courses per semester. This consists of any and all combinations of lecture and laboratory, where each is valued at 3 credit hours. These courses include, but are not limited to, introductory biology (“integrative biology”), plant biology, microbiology, ecology, (ecological)physiology, or other biology courses relevant to the candidate's subdiscipline. Faculty are also encouraged to develop non-majors’ courses as well as other courses related to broader University initiatives, to include the First Year Experience and study abroad.

Research

Successful candidates are expected to develop a sustainable and vigorous research program involving and publishing with undergraduate students. Interdisciplinary research is welcome.

Service

Successful candidates are expected to advise departmental majors and engage in Department, University, and professional service activities.

Appointment Details

This is a 9-month appointment (9 or 12-month salary disbursement) starting August 2026, with a standard pre-tenure probationary period, as outlined in the Faculty Handbook.

Qualifications

Education

Required: Ph.D. in a biology-related field pertinent to the position.

Experience

Preferred: Post-doctoral experience or equivalent

Attendance

Maintaining and satisfying on-site, in-person attendance (classroom, research, office hours, meetings, and service) is essential to the performance of this position. All employees in this position are required to satisfy this requirement.

How to Apply

For internal applicants, please apply through Workday using the 'Jobs Hub' application. For external applicants, when starting the application, select "Apply Manually." Only complete fields with a red asterisk, which are required. Please create your Workday application account using a personal email address.

In the “Application Documents” field, please upload the following, each as a separate pdf file:

• File 1: Cover Letter (brief, <1 page) and Curriculum Vitae, including the names and contact information of three references.
• File 2: Teaching Philosophy Statement (1 - 3 pages).
• File 3: Research Accomplishments and Future Research Plans (4 - 6 pages).
• File 4: Intentional inclusion statement (1-2 pages).

The Department of Biology will begin to screen applicants on October 31, 2025. Candidates advancing to the second stage of consideration will be asked to submit letters of support.

Contact Information: Biology Search Committee – photosynthesis.search.biology@trinity.edu