POSITIONS AVAILABLE: WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY

• PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGIST -OWENSBORO REGIONAL CAMPUS
• ASSISTANT PROFESSOR GENETICIST

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR GENETICIST

The Department of Biology at Western Kentucky University invites applications for a nine-month, tenure-track appointment as Assistant Professor in Genetics. Candidates with expertise in population genetics or developmental genetics are encouraged to apply. Ph.D. required, post-doctoral experience preferred. Additional qualifications include ability to teach and mentor undergraduate and graduate students with a high level of effectiveness, excellence in research, commitment to pursuit of extramural funding and willingness to participate in departmental and university service. Teaching responsibilities will include undergraduate genetics (including genetics laboratory) as well as undergraduate and graduate courses suitable to the successful candidate’s area of expertise. The ability to teach introductory biology is desirable.

The Department of Biology currently has 21 full-time faculty positions, four full-time instructors and typically employs eight to ten full-time technicians and postdoctoral researchers. Our student body comprises 800+ undergraduates and approximately 60 M.S. students.

Western Kentucky University is a comprehensive university with a vision to become a “leading American university with international reach,” a philosophy embodied by the Department of Biology. WKU is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, a growing city of 60,000+ in a state noted for its high quality of life, modest cost of living and increasing cultural diversity. With an enrollment of more than 20,000 students in undergraduate and graduate programs, the University has grown over 30% in the last ten years and is poised to increase enrollment significantly by 2020.

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, CV, separate statements of teaching and research interests, up to three representative reprints, and the names and contact information for three references.  Review of applications begins November 6, 2009 and will continue until the position is filled. Preferred start date is August 15, 2010. Application materials may be sent as an email attachment in the form of a single PDF file to genetics.search@wku.edu or mailed to:

Geneticist Search Chair
Department of Biology
Western Kentucky University
1906 College Heights Blvd. #11080
Bowling Green, KY  42101-1080

PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGIST -OWENSBORO REGIONAL CAMPUS

The Department of Biology at Western Kentucky University (WKU) is seeking applicants for a nine-month, tenure-track position in Plant Molecular Biology at the rank of Assistant Professor to begin in January 2010. The successful candidate will work at the WKU Owensboro campus www.wku.edu/owensboro, and should be broadly trained to teach undergraduate courses in the areas of molecular biology and plant biotechnology, as well as other related courses suitable to the candidate’s area of expertise. Qualifications for this position include a Ph.D. in a related discipline with post-doctoral research or similar experience preferred. Additional qualifications include the ability to mentor students with a high level of effectiveness, excellence in research, and a commitment to the pursuit of extramural funding. The faculty member will also interact, work and share research facilities with local biotech companies and the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corporation. The successful candidate will be expected to engage in teaching, scholarship, advising, service, and collaboration with the area’s biotech industries.

Western Kentucky University is a comprehensive university with a vision to become a “leading American university with international reach,” a philosophy embodied by the Department of Biology. WKU is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, a growing city of 60,000+ in a state noted for its high quality of life, modest cost of living, and increasing cultural diversity. With an enrollment of more than 19,000 students in undergraduate and graduate programs, the University has grown 28% in the last ten years and is poised to increase enrollment significantly by 2020.

The Department of Biology at the main campus in Bowling Green, KY currently has 25 full-time faculty positions and typically employs eight to ten full-time technicians and post-doctoral fellows. Additionally, we employ many instructors at branch campuses throughout the region. Our student body comprises 700+ undergraduates and approximately 55 M.S. students. Potential applicants may discover more about the position from http://www.wku.edu/Dept/Support/HR/996945.doc.

WKU Owensboro campus is situated in the city of Owensboro, KY, which lies on the southern banks of the Ohio River, one of the nation’s major waterways, in the western Kentucky coal field region. Owensboro is located 32 miles southeast of Evansville, IN, 109 miles southwest of Louisville, KY and 70 miles northwest of Bowling Green, KY. Owensboro is Kentucky's third largest city and is the industrial, cultural, retail and healthcare center of western Kentucky. This campus offers many undergraduate and graduate courses in different disciplines including Biology.

Required Qualifications:
• Ph.D. in Biology (or related field)
• Ability to teach courses in the broad areas of molecular biology with special emphasis on plants
• Ability to interact and develop intellectual collaborations with local biotech industries such as Kentucky Bioprocessing (http://www.kbpllc.com/), etc.
• Ability to write external research grants to provide learning opportunities for students
• Ability to pursue research goals with classroom students as well as students in a traditional research group

Desired/Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience in teaching molecular biology or related courses • Post-doctoral experience • Ability to recruit and advise students in the program
• Ability to develop scientific collaborations with colleagues at the WKU main campus
• Ability to teach courses in genetics and/or bioinformatics

To apply, interested applicants must submit a summary of teaching and research experiences, detailing your innovative plans for engaging students and advancing knowledge in your field. Include a description of how you would apply your skills and experience to (a) create educational opportunities for students, and (b) contribute to the growth of the applied biology program at the WKU Owensboro campus. Also include a CV, up to three representative reprints, and three letters of recommendation directly mailed to the address below.

Applicants are encouraged to send their application materials as an email attachment in the form of a single PDF file to shiv.sahi@wku.edu or mail to: Plant Molecular Biology Search Western Kentucky University 1906 College Heights Blvd. #11080 Bowling Green, KY 42101-1080

Review of applications will begin October 5, 2009 with a preferred start date of January 04, 2010.

Western Kentucky University is committed to the promotion of stewardship and student engagement.

Western Kentucky University is committed to the promotion of stewardship and student engagement.

All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply including women, minorities, persons with disabilities and disabled veterans.
     
Western Kentucky University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

The Department of Biology is comprised of 28 faculty and academic professionals, approximately 60 full-time M. S. students and 600 undergraduate majors. The department is home to the Center for Biodiversity Studies, BISC (Informatics) Center and Biotechnology Center, integral parts of Western's Applied Research and Technology Program (ARTP). In 1998, the ARTP was recognized as a Program of Distinction by the state Council on Postsecondary Education. The Department of Biology has cooperative research agreements in place with the National Park Service, NSF, USDA, EPA, and participates in the NIH-sponsored Kentucky Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network/INBRE and SKyTeach.

The department owns or manages over 700 acres of land to establish the Western Kentucky University Upper Green River Biological Preserve. In addition, the department owns a 43 acre farm on the outskirts of Bowling Green (approximately 20 min. from campus). Both of these properties are used for class field trips and research activities by members of the department.

The Biology Department has moved its research labs and some teaching labs into the newly constructed, $20-million, Complex for Engineering and Biological Sciences and the currently under construction, New Snell Hall will provide modern classroom and instructional lab space.

WKU Biology Google maps.

Western Kentucky University is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, a city with a population of 50,000, and located approximately 110 miles south of Louisville and 65 miles north of Nashville, Tennessee. U.S. Highway 31-W and Interstate 65 intersect with U.S. Highways 68 and 231 at Bowling Green, and the Cumberland and William H. Natcher parkways provide additional easy highway access to Bowling Green. WKU has an undergraduate population of over 18,000 students and is the fastest growing university in the commonwealth.

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