Assistant Tenure-Track Professor of Biology (specializing in Microbiology)

Equal Opportunity and Excellence in Education and Employment:

California State University (CSU), Chico is a comprehensive and residential public university, holding Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) designation. Chico State operates as part of the 22-campus CSU system, which educates the most ethnically, economically, and academically diverse student body in the nation. The University enrolls over 15,000 students, with over half identifying as first-generation college students.

Chico State is committed to recruiting outstanding candidates. The ideal candidate will embrace our values predicated on the primacy of student success and the elimination of equity gaps, have demonstrated experience working with diverse populations, and will contribute to policies, programs, and practices that support an inclusive, accessible, and equitable learning and working environment.

The Position: Assistant Tenure-Track Professor of Biology (specializing in Microbiology)

Position Starts: Fall 2027

College: of Natural Sciences

Department/School: Department of Biological Sciences

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience. (Anticipated hiring range: $78,000-$90,000 per year).

Initial Review Date: 10/19/2026; complete applications received after that date may be considered.

Minimum Qualifications:

The minimum education requirement for the appointment to this position is a PhD in Microbiology or a related field. Candidates nearing completion of the terminal degree may be considered; however, all requirements for conferral of the degree must be met no later than the start date of the position. Candidates should have a strong interest in undergraduate teaching excellence and enthusiasm for mentoring undergraduate and Master's level graduate students in research, a demonstrated ability or potential to establish externally funded research, and a record of publication.

Responsibilities:

This position carries responsibilities in the areas of teaching, scholarship, and service. Teaching assignments total 10-14 class hours per week including laboratories and lectures in topics such as applied microbiology (food, industrial, biotechnology, etc.), evolution, diversity, ecology, symbioses, and pathogenesis. The teaching opportunities for the General Microbiology position include a lower- and upper-division biology courses including, but not limited to, bacterial, archaeal, or protist microbiology. Candidates are encouraged to view a list of possible courses in the Chico State Biological Sciences course catalog. Scholarship duties include developing an externally-funded research program involving undergraduate and Master's level graduate students, supported by a startup package including research space, equipment and supply funding, and partial release time from teaching in the first two years of the appointment. Service opportunities include committee work and academic advising of majors in the BS degree in Microbiology and Biology and the BA in Biological Sciences program.

How to Apply:

Applicants must provide a current cover letter that includes a brief description of 1) your preparation to teach undergraduate majors level general microbiology with a focus on bacteria and microbial diversity with lecture (2 hrs/wk) and laboratory (6 hrs/wk), 2) a proposed research program at a comprehensive, regional, state university involving both undergraduate and Master’s level graduate students (including your area of research and teaching background, and how you have addressed, or plan to address teaching to diverse student groups), 3) a CV, and 4) contact information of three professional references. Additional information, including but not limited to, a research statement, teaching statement, official transcripts, and references, may be requested at a later time. All applicants must apply online; applications submitted via email or in-person to the department will not be considered.

The Department:

The Department of Biological Sciences includes 13 tenure track faculty, 12 part-time lecturer faculty, 25 master’s students, and 500 undergraduate biology majors with options in cell & molecular biology, organismal, evolutionary, and ecological biology, or plant biology, as well as 80 microbiology majors in general or medical microbiology. Department programs are enhanced by diverse laboratory and field facilities, a student computer lab, media preparation and stockrooms, and greenhouses. The Department has five active student clubs, including a Student Chapter of the American Society for Microbiology. Full information is available at www.csuchico.edu/academics/college/natural-sciences/departments/biological-sciences/. The College of Natural Sciences (https://www.csuchico.edu/academics/college/natural-sciences/) has further resources including biochemistry faculty with expertise in microbial proteomics and physiology.