Job Details
College of the Atlantic seeks a full-time faculty member in agroecology who is actively interested in teaching and collaborating across disciplinary boundaries. We seek a practicing agroecologist with a strong foundation in plant and soil sciences, interdisciplinary research interests, and a strong commitment to teaching and mentoring students within COA’s single undergraduate degree in human ecology. Candidates at any career stage are welcome. A Ph.D. in agroecology, agronomy, botany, soil…
science, ecology, or a related field is required by the anticipated start date (September 1, 2027).
The successful candidate will be an engaged scholar-practitioner who approaches agroecology as science, practice, and social movement. They will contribute to COA’s experiential, place-based pedagogy and interdisciplinary curriculum. Teaching responsibilities include undergraduate courses in food and farming systems—such as agroecosystems, soil ecology, seed systems, and organic farming and gardening—as well as contributing to the introductory biology and ecology curriculum. The teaching load is five courses across three ten-week trimesters (e.g., 1-2-2). Other responsibilities include mentoring and advising students, supervising senior capstone projects and independent studies, and contributing to college governance.
COA emphasizes experiential learning. The successful candidate will engage students through the College’s two organic farms, greenhouses, and community garden, using these as living laboratories for teaching and research. They will provide meaningful opportunities for students to engage in field-based inquiry and research, with possible areas of inquiry including agroecology and social movements, agroecosystem design, agroecology in urban contexts, climate change adaptation, and participatory or farmer-centered research.
All COA students design individualized, interdisciplinary degrees within our Bachelor of Arts in Human Ecology. Some students go on to graduate studies in food systems or closely aligned fields; others use their academic training in food systems to prepare for work on farms as growers and land stewards; in government, nonprofit, and policy roles advancing food access and sustainable agriculture and fisheries; and in politics and activism shaping food systems transformation. Others start or support values-driven food businesses, or bring agroecological perspectives into education, the arts, and community organizing. Successful candidates for this position will have experience working with diverse student populations and demonstrate strong potential for innovative teaching and transdisciplinary collaboration.
Compensation
Annual salary range is $75,000 to $105,000, commensurate with experience
Benefits package includes health, dental, and life insurance, retirement, vacation, short- and long-term disability, and College of the Atlantic tuition relief for employee and dependents.
Equal opportunity
COA is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to fostering learning and working environments free from discrimination. The college adheres to all applicable state and federal equal opportunity laws and regulations. In employment, admissions, and access to our educational programs, COA does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex or gender (including gender identity and expression), pregnancy, sexual orientation, religion, religious practices, mental or physical disability, genetic predisposition, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, veteran status, marital or partnership status, or any other legally protected status.
About College of the Atlantic
COA enriches the liberal arts tradition through a distinctive educational philosophy—human ecology—which integrates knowledge from all academic disciplines and from personal experience to investigate, and ultimately improve, the relationships between human beings and our social, natural, and built environments. The human-ecological perspective guides teaching, learning, research, and engagement at the college. Our approximately 350 students, 30 full-time faculty, and 75 staff members share a commitment to place-based, interdisciplinary, experiential learning, while envisioning a world where people value creativity, intellectual achievement, and the diversity of nature and human cultures.
To Apply
Interested candidates should submit the following materials here, combined as a single PDF file, in the following order: a cover letter describing their interest in and qualifications for this position; a curriculum vitae including contact information for three professional references; a statement of teaching philosophy; and short descriptions of three courses you would be excited to teach at COA (course titles and one-paragraph descriptions, not syllabi).
Application review will begin on September 1, with successful candidates expected to visit campus in late-October or early-November. Questions about the search can be directed to the search committee co-chairs, Dr. Kourtney Collum (kcollum@coa.edu) and Dr. Doreen Stabinsky (dstabinsky@coa.edu).