"Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics"

POSITION: Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics

Stetson University seeks a Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics. This is a full-time, 9-month position beginning in August 2026, with a potential for renewal.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in Physics (or a closely related field) or expect to complete a Ph.D. by August 2026. Teaching experience beyond typical teaching assistantship duties in graduate school will be considered advantageous, but is not absolutely required.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The annual load is equivalent to four courses in the Fall and Spring semester. The successful candidate will have the option for one of these courses to be an approved student-centered immersive experience (equivalent to one course) as part of the University's experiential, contemporary, and integrative learning initiative - Hatter Ready. The load will include an introductory-level course, multiple introductory lab sections, and an upper-level theory course in a typical semester. For more information on our expectations in teaching and our support for faculty development, please see the Academic Affairs website.

THE DEPARTMENT:

Stetson's Department of Physics (http://www.stetson.edu/artsci/physics/) takes a rigorous, interdisciplinary approach to undergraduate liberal arts education. Our faculty are also committed scholars with strong publication records who are committed to providing experiential scientific training in a traditional liberal arts environment in which the primary focus is extensive interaction with undergraduate students in a small class size environment. Our facilities include state-of-the-art introductory-level equipment and advanced equipment such as an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM), a UHV LEED system, a TV holography system, multiple optical tables, a small radio telescope, and multiple small optical telescopes. We have had considerable success placing students into high-quality graduate programs in physics and engineering after they complete the standard major in Physics, our track in Applied Physics, our track in Biophysics, or our pre-engineering program.

THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES:

Stetson's College of Arts and Sciences (http://www.stetson.edu/artsci) is the largest and most diverse of the University's colleges and schools; it includes the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, education, and creative arts. With nineteen academic departments and nine interdisciplinary programs, the College is the liberal arts core of the University. A great strength of the College is its faculty of approximately 140 full-time teacher-scholars. The College offers 31 undergraduate majors and 34 undergraduate minors; seven graduate degrees are offered in Education, Counselor Education, and Creative Writing. Every undergraduate major requires a senior research project, allowing students the opportunity to design and carry out independent research under faculty mentorship. Our academic programs are shaped by the values of social justice and civic responsibility. All of our courses and programs of study promote engaged learning, whereby students create connections between the classroom or lab and the local, regional, and global community. The academic programs of the College of Arts and Sciences prepare students to live significant lives, to interact with and positively affect the world around them.

THE UNIVERSITY:

Founded in 1883, Stetson University (http://www.stetson.edu/) is a private, selective university comprised of a rich array of liberal arts and professional academic programs. Collectively, Stetson's faculty works with nearly 3,800 students in undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. The University's historic main campus, located in DeLand, enrolls approximately 2,400 students in undergraduate programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business Administration, and the School of Music. Stetson University College of Law, Florida's first law school, moved from the main campus to Gulfport in 1945, and, with the addition of the Tampa Law Center, serves approximately 1,000 students working full-time or part-time toward J.D. or LL.M. degrees. Graduate programs based at the main campus in DeLand include Business, Accounting, Education, Counseling, and Creative Writing, with Educational Leadership cohorts also offered at the Gulfport campus. As Florida's oldest private institution of higher learning, Stetson has regularly been ranked among the best regional universities in the Southeast and was the first private college in Florida to be granted a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Stetson University provides an inspiring education that engages students with rigorous academic and creative study grounded in liberal learning and promotes civic values of personal and social responsibility. Working closely with faculty and with one another, students cultivate abilities to explore issues deeply, think critically, reason empirically, speak persuasively, and connect ideas creatively. Firmly committed to inclusive excellence, our vibrant community of teacher-scholars nurtures the potential of individual students to lead lives of significance and prepares each to meet the challenges of shaping the future-locally, nationally, and globally.

THE COMMUNITY:

DeLand is a picturesque residential community of 38,000 located 20 miles west of Daytona Beach and 35 miles northeast of Orlando. The area offers extensive cultural as well as recreational activities.

SALARY

:

Salary is competitive.

STARTING DATE

:

August 10, 2026.

APPLICATION:

Applicants should supply:
1) a cover letter summarizing the candidate's interest in the position and qualifications,
2) a statement of the candidate's teaching philosophy,
3) a curriculum vitae,
4) copies of undergraduate and graduate transcripts, and
5) complete contact information of three professional references, at least one of which should be a reference familiar with the candidate's teaching ability. In the cover letter, candidates are encouraged to highlight skills and experiences that demonstrate a commitment to promoting inclusive academic environments and engaging across differences.

All information may be submitted electronically to Dr. Holley Lynch, the chair of the search committee at physics@stetson.edu.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled, with preference given to applications received on or before February 23, 2026.

Authorization Requirements:

Work authorization sponsorship may be available for this position. However, sponsorship is contingent upon the non-applicability of the visa petition fees outlined in the relevant Executive Order signed September 19, 2025. Due to the recent federally-mandated increased financial expense, the university is not in a position to absorb this significantly increased cost of sponsorship for new H-1B petitions at this time. International candidates are encouraged to apply but should be aware that eligibility for sponsorship will be evaluated in accordance with current U.S. immigration regulations and institutional policies.