Assistant Professor, Biology, Biological Data Science

  • Cal State University (CSU) San Francisco
  • San Francisco, California
  • Mar 07, 2024
Education and Training Public Health Sciences and Laboratory

Job Description

San Francisco State University, Department of Biology offers an exciting opportunity for a tenure-track Assistant, Professor position in Biological Data Science beginning August 7, 2024. We seek a colleague whose teaching and research interests include a commitment to increasing diversity and retaining Black and Latinx students and providing students with opportunities to develop skills leading to careers in biological data science. Candidates are welcome from a broad variety of disciplines including but not limited to: bioinformatics (-omics fields), machine learning, biostatistics, computational biology, statistical genetics, ecology and ecoinformatics, health equity, systems biology, environmental and climate sciences. The candidate will have opportunities to become part of the thriving data science programs in our college, especially in the PINC computing minor for bio/chem students, the GOLD data science certificate for bio/chem MS students and our part-time summer programs for local students which all attract a large number of students from groups underrepresented in STEM.

We seek applicants with experience in and/or demonstrated commitment to teaching and working effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds and members of underrepresented groups. This search is part of a cohort hire focused on Black and Latinx/e student success. Candidates for this position are expected to satisfy two or more of the eight Black and Latinx/e Student Success Cohort Hire criteria established by the University:

1. Training in and knowledge of historical and present-day structural racism, and practice that engages that knowledge (practice may include teaching, research, and/or service).

2. Demonstrated knowledge of challenges and barriers for Black and Latinx/e students, and evidence of strategies employed to help students overcome such barriers.

3. Evidence of employing anti-racist teaching strategies that support the learning and success of Black and Latinx students.

4. Mentors and engages Black and Latinx/e students in research, scholarship, and creative activities.

5. Evidence of research that contributes to equity, opportunities, and inclusion in higher education.

6. Evidence of research that integrates understanding of and/or engages Black and Latinx/e communities’ challenges and structural realities.

7. Evidence of engaging in service to Black and Latinx/e populations within the discipline.

8. Evidence of service and contributions to Black and Latinx/e communities.

About the Department

The Department of Biology at San Francisco State University is home to over 1800 undergraduates, 200 master’s students, and 40 tenure/tenure-track faculty. The department places strong emphasis on actively engaging students from diverse backgrounds in the process of scientific discovery. For more information about our department, please visit https://biology.sfsu.edu . Applicants must be committed to undergraduate and master’s-level training through teaching, mentorship of student research, and student advising. Students in our department benefit from data science and coding training through the PINC (Promoting Inclusivity in Computing), GOLD (Graduate Opportunities for Learning Data Science), and SCIP (Science Coding Immersion Program) programs. Many of our undergraduate and graduate students are supported by externally funded training grants through our Student Enrichment Opportunities (SEO) office. Additionally, SF State is partnered with the California Academy of Sciences, a premier natural history collection and research institute located in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. In support of improving our educational success we have a resource center that supports development and training in novel approaches to teaching (SEPAL), our Health & Equity Research laboratory supports community-engaged, transdisciplinary research within and outside of the department, and a new Climate Change certificate program.

About San Francisco State University

SF State is a major public urban university, situated in one of the world’s great cities. Building on a century-long history of commitment to quality teaching and broad access to undergraduate and graduate education, the University offers comprehensive, rigorous, and integrated academic programs that require students to engage in open-minded inquiry and reflection. SF State prepares its students to become productive, ethical, active citizens with a global perspective.

SF State has numerous facilities and resources that are available to all faculty and students to support their teaching and research programs. The Sierra Nevada Field Station is a full-service field station located in the northern Sierra Nevada mountains that is available for education and research involving biological diversity. The Estuary & Ocean Science Center (EOS, in Tiburon, CA) is a marine and estuarine science center with a focus on environmental problem-solving along shores and with coastal communities. The university has multiple core facilities in support of research and training in genomics and imaging: a Cell and Molecular Imaging Center (CMIC), a Genomics Transcriptomics Analysis Core (GTAC), and an Electron Microscopy facility.

Mission Statement

San Francisco State University educates and equips students to thrive in a global society. We deliver academic excellence by pursuing knowledge, inspiring creativity, supporting our diverse community and advancing social justice and positive change in the world. Visit the Strategic Planning website to learn more.

Responsibilities

The position requires graduate and undergraduate teaching high impact courses in the Dept. Of Biology to support students entering professions in Data Science and related fields, which can include:

- Lower division General Education courses.
- Core undergraduate biology courses: Introductory Biology, Evolution, Ecology, Genetics, Molecular Genetics, Biometry.
- Other courses: Bioinformatics and Genome Annotation, Advanced Biometry, Coding Community for Data Science Components of Independent Research Projects, Professional Prospects for Quantitative Biologists, Data Scientist, and Bioinformaticians, as well as data science and coding training through the PINC (Promoting Inclusivity in Computing), and GOLD (Graduate Opportunities for Learning Data Science).
-Graduate seminars/courses related to one’s expertise.

Other responsibilities include mentoring and advising graduate and undergraduate students, developing an active ongoing externally funded research program that engages and trains graduate and undergraduate students, and ongoing committee and service assignments.

Required qualifications
• Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree and post-doctoral experience in biology or biology-related fields are required. Terminal degree must be completed by the first day of employment.
• Record of scientific and mentorship accomplishments in biological data science.
• Record of working and communicating effectively with colleagues and students.

Compensation

The anticipated Assistant Professor (Academic Year) classification salary range is:

$88,500 to $91,500 annually (12 monthly payments per academic year).

The anticipated hiring range is $7,375 to $7,625 per month.

Salary offered is commensurate with experience and qualifications. In addition, the California Equal Pay Act prohibits employers from paying its employees less than those of the opposite sex and/or another race or ethnicity for substantially similar work ( https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/california_equal_pay_act.htm).

Professional development funds, moving expenses, start-up funds, and a reduced teaching load may be available.

The California State University (CSU) provides generous health, retirement, and other benefits.

Application Procedure

Application review begins October 31.

A complete online application must be submitted to receive consideration. To apply, please upload the following materials:
1. Cover letter (relating your experience to the required qualifications)
2. Curriculum vitae
3. A diversity statement that is no more than 500 words that provides an understanding of your capabilities to address diversity in support of SFSU’s diverse student and community populations. Please provide specific examples of how you have addressed diversity in your teaching, research, and service
4. A statement of teaching philosophy (1 to 3 pages)
5. A research statement (up to 4 pages)
6. Names and contact information of three references who will provide letters of recommendation upon request.

Please be aware that if you advance in our review process, we will solicit your letters on short notice to be received by early December.

Please direct all questions about the position to: Jaime Chaves, Chair of the search committee, at email: jachaves@sfsu.edu .

CSU strongly encourages faculty, staff, and students who are accessing campus facilities to be immunized against COVID-19 or declare a medical or religious exemption from doing so. Any candidates advanced in a currently open search process are encouraged to comply with this requirement. The systemwide policy can be found at https://calstate.policystat.com/policy/9779821/latest/ and questions may be sent to hr@campus.edu .

Thank you for your interest in employment with California State University (CSU). CSU is a state entity whose business operations reside within the State of California. Because of this, CSU prohibits hiring employees to perform CSU-related work outside of California with very limited exception. While this position may be eligible for occasional telework, all work is expected to be performed in the state of California, and this position is assigned to on-campus operations.

San Francisco State is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate against persons on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, medical condition, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, covered veteran status, or any other protected status. We strongly encourage the application of individuals from historically underrepresented groups. Reasonable accommodations will be provided for qualified applicants with disabilities who self-disclose by contacting the Senior Human Resources Manager. Additional information on the requirements for new hires may be found at the Human Resources web page ( https://hr.sfsu.edu/about-hr ).

Advertised: Oct 02 2023 Pacific Daylight Time
Applications close:

Closing Date/Time:

Job Address

San Francisco, California 94132 United States View Map