Plant Physiologist School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 

Position summary

The School of Biological Sciences at Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, invites applications for a permanent, full-time (academic year), tenure-track faculty position in plant physiology at the Assistant or Associate Professor level starting August of 2022. Salary is competitive and commensurate with training and experience.

Candidates are expected to perform fundamental research that examines factors controlling or coordinating the physiology of plants. The ideal candidate will combine traditional physiological investigations and cutting-edge approaches such as dynamic imaging and microscopy, genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and/or ionomics. Areas of research may include but are not limited to photosynthesis, primary metabolism, and resource acquisition, transport, and mobilization. The research should be relevant to current areas of interest in plant science such as energy, water, and nutrient use, and to future environmental and societal challenges. The standard teaching load for tenure track faculty in the School of Biological Sciences is one 3- or 4-credit course per semester.  The new hire in this position will contribute to teaching courses on plant physiology for graduate students and will be expected to teach undergraduate courses in basic biology, cell physiology, and/or plant physiology.

SBS faculty work in diverse research fields including physiology, organismal and evolutionary biology, population and ecological genetics, systematics, ecology, development, and reproduction. Possible areas of synergistic research with current SBS researchers include structure-function relationships, plant responses to nutrient availability, drought, or atmospheric gases, evolution of primary metabolism, and effects of physiological processes on short and long-distance transport, signaling, and plant development. Plant science research in SBS is central to the larger plant science community across WSU.  There are more than 80 plant research faculty at WSU from at least eight departments spanning multiple colleges. SBS plant science faculty recruit graduate students through both the SBS Plant Biology graduate program and the interdisciplinary Molecular Plant Science program.

Applicants must show potential for outstanding teaching and are expected to develop and maintain an internationally recognized, extramurally funded research program in plant physiology. Additionally, they must demonstrate their ability and willingness to help advance WSU’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion among the faculty, staff, and students.

The School of Biological Sciences is in the College of Arts and Sciences and is physically located in a complex of three buildings that accommodates research and teaching labs. Centers with state-of-the-art equipment such as the Franceschi Microscopy and Imaging Center, housing confocal microscopes, transmission- and scanning electron microscopes, a serial block face SEM for large scale 3D reconstruction of cells and tissues, electron tomography and elemental analyzers are available for student and faculty use. Other facilities in SBS comprise the WSU Stable Isotope Core Facility, Plant growth and Global Climate Change facilities, and greenhouses. Further research facilities on campus include the Molecular Biology and Genomics Core, M.J. Murdock Metabolomics Laboratory, Biological NMR Spectroscopy Center, GeoAnalytical Laboratory, and the WSU Plant Phenomics Facility. Additionally, there are opportunities to collaborate with the nearby Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Washington State University is a land grant, comprehensive research institution with a total enrollment of more than 31,000 students, with more than 20,000 located on the Pullman campus.  There are 11 colleges offering doctoral degrees in 42 disciplines; master's and bachelor's degrees are offered in more areas of study. Additional WSU campuses are in three urban communities across the state. Pullman provides a friendly, small-town living environment. Close collaborations also exist with scientists at the University of Idaho, a land grant research university of 11,500 students located eight miles away.

Washington State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action educator and employer

Members of ethnic minorities, women, disabled veterans, veterans, recently separated veterans, and other protected veterans, persons of disability and/or persons age 40 and over are encouraged to apply. WSU is committed to excellence through diversity and faculty-friendly policy action, including partner accommodation and NSF ADVANCE Institutional Transformation programs (http://www.advance.wsu.edu/).

WSU employs only U.S. citizens and lawfully authorized non-U.S. citizens. All new employees must verify employment eligibility as required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

WSU is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact Human Resource Services: 509-335-4521(v), Washington State TDD Relay Service: Voice Callers: 1-800-833-6384; TDD Callers: 1-800-833-6388, 509-335-1259(f), or hrs@wsu.edu.

COVID-19 Vaccine Information: In accordance with Washington State Governor’s Proclamation 21-14.1, as a condition of employment, all WSU employees must be fully vaccinated or have an approved medical/religious accommodation no later than October 18, 2021. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving their last shot in a vaccine series. Vaccine or an approved accommodation for new employees will be verified no later than October 18, 2021. If the effective date of appointment is October 18, 2021 or later vaccine or approved accommodation status will be verified prior to first day of employment. Please reach out to Human Resource Services (HRS) at hrs@wsu.edu or 509-335-4521 if you have questions regarding this

Position details

1. Develop and maintain an active research program in plant physiology that is supported by extramural
2. Develop and maintain rigorous, theory-driven research using sophisticated analytical
3. Recruit and train graduate and undergraduate
4. Teach plant science graduate and general undergraduate courses.
5. Participate in service at the department, college and/or university
6. Advance SBS and WSU’s efforts to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion among the faculty, staff and students in research, teaching, and community outreach.

Special notification to applicant

Electronic submission of the required application documents is required. To apply, visit wsu.edu/jobs, select your appropriate employment status, and search R-2328 in the search bar.

Please be prepared to upload the following documents to your online application:

1. Letter of application addressing qualifications.
2. Curriculum vitae.
3. Teaching statement.
4. Research statement.
5. Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement.
6. Up to five representative reprints of published or in press papers.
7. Names, addresses, and contact information of at least three references that can address history of and potential for research, teaching, and service”

For information on the position please contact Dr. Asaph Cousins (acousins@wsu.edu).

Screening begin date

Formal screening of applications will begin September 27, 2021. 

Posting close date

Open until filled.

Minimum/required qualifications

1. Earned doctorate in biology or related field at the time of appointment.
2. Record of research accomplishment in plant
3. Record indicating ability to teach graduate and undergraduate courses in plant biology, including plant
4. Effective communication skills with both students and
5. Demonstrated ability to collaborate with other
6. Demonstrated ability or potential to serve under-represented groups and to contribute to WSU’s diversity goals in research, teaching, mentoring, and/or service.

Preferred qualifications

1. Evidence of a commitment to research and teaching
2. Training or publication record indicating broad knowledge of
3. Demonstrated knowledge of the theoretical basis of plant physiology and skills in contemporary and traditional methods of data acquisition and analysis in plant physiology.
4. A record of collaborative research and
5. Demonstrated ability to work collegially and collaboratively with internal and external constituencies that represent diverse cultures, backgrounds, and ideologies.