Professor & Department Chair - Department of EEOB

Position Title:
Professor & Department Chair - Department of EEOB

Appointment Type:
Faculty

Job Description:
Summary of Duties and Responsibilities:

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences  (LAS) at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa seek a Professor and Chair for the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology (EEOB) . Nominations and applications are sought for a visionary leader with demonstrated capacity to lead this department in its mission areas of teaching, research, Extension, and outreach/service. The ideal leader of this department will advance and promote a culture of excellence and accomplishment, access and service. The Department of EEOB teaching portfolio includes shared undergraduate degrees in Biology, Genetics and Environmental Science, and shared graduate programs in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology , Ecology and Evolutionary Biology , Environmental Science , Genetics and Genomics , Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies , Plant Biology , and Sustainable Agriculture . The EEOB department incorporates state-of-the-art laboratories, greenhouses, experimental farms and landscapes, and access to campus-wide facilities that support their academic and research missions. Integration and collaboration are core values for the faculty that enhance the working environment.

Specific responsibilities of the position include:

• Provide visionary leadership for the department to serve the varied needs of faculty, staff, students, stakeholders and citizens to fulfill the land-grant missions of the department, colleges and university;

• Serve the department and the college in accomplishing their missions, and be a collaborative member of the leadership teams of both colleges across all missions and academic departments;

• Communicate effectively the mission, vision and strengths of the department and colleges within Iowa State University, and to external stakeholders and collaborators in the public and private sectors;

• Encourage and foster interdisciplinary collaboration with other departments, centers, and institutes within and external to the university;

• Ensure sound fiscal and budgetary management to achieve the mission of the department and comply with college and university-level policies and practices related to fiscal responsibility and management;

• Foster an environment of collegiality in which all faculty and staff work to realize the department’s purposes and are held accountable for their performance;

• Keep faculty and staff informed about policies and expectations that may affect them;

• Stimulate and facilitate excellence and professional development in all aspects of teaching, research, extension/outreach and service;

• Maintain availability to faculty, students, staff, and stakeholders, and participate in representational activities on behalf of the department and colleges, including after-hours and travel as necessary;

• Recruit and retain the best possible people in all department positions, and develop and promote an outlook and activities that enable local-to-global engagement, innovation and entrepreneurship, and sustainability;

• Recruit, retain and enable the success of a broad student body of undergraduate and graduate students who are prepared to excel in the departmental program areas, cross-disciplinary thinking, and innovation and leadership;

• Assist faculty, staff and graduate students to attain resources through extramural funding by encouraging a culture of collaboration and innovation, team science, and investigator excellence;

• Nurture and maintain effective relationships with external stakeholders, including leaders and members of Iowa's various organizations supporting the program areas in the department and the college, and the general public;

• Nurture, maintain, and create excellent alumni relations, internal and external communications, marketing and recruitment, and partner and donor relations.  Enable departmental management and support for capital projects, fundraising and endowments to support all missions.

Required Minimum Qualifications:

• Ph.D. or equivalent in any of the areas of expertise in the department or a closely aligned field

• Scholarly activities that qualify for tenure in EEOB and the rank of Professor

Preferred Qualifications:

To show evidence of demonstrated leadership in:

• Research experience relevant to the EEOB department mission:

• Organizational budget/fiscal management (e.g., of an academic department, college, or university-level unit);

• Personnel management, including recruitment, advancement, and retention of faculty and staff;

• Advancing teaching, undergraduate and graduate program planning and development, and student success;

• Advancing research enterprises and collaborations;

• Advancing Extension, outreach and service enterprises and collaborations;

• Working with external stakeholders, and building and expanding partnerships and coalitions with public and private sector organizations.

Position Details:

Initial Department Chair appointment is for five years with formal review during year four. This appointment serves in an at-will position at the pleasure of the Deans. The position will be filled as a 9-month appointment with summer salary while serving as Chair. This position has expected percentages of 85% administrative and 15% in a combination of teaching, research, outreach, and service. Proposed start date: July 1, 2024 (negotiable).

Department/Program & College Description:

The Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology is a collaborative and collegial community of about 70 faculty, graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and staff addressing a wide range of research questions using multiple approaches that bridge traditional scientific disciplines and span levels of biological organization. EEOB is jointly administered by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS). The department administers undergraduate programs in Biology, Environmental Science, and Genetics, and our faculty participates actively in multiple interdepartmental graduate programs, including Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Science, Genetics and Genomics, and Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. 

Department Unit/Website:

https://www.eeob.iastate.edu/

Proposed Start Date:
July 1, 2024

Number of Months Employed Per Year:
09 Month Work Period

Time Type:
Full time

Application Instructions:

To apply for this position, please click on “Apply” and complete the Employment Application. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. For guaranteed consideration, applications must be received by February 5, 2024. All interested, qualified persons must apply for this position online at jobs.iastate.edu to Job Requisition Number R13577. 

Please be prepared to enter or attach the following:

• A cover letter

• A Curriculum Vitae

• Contact information for three references

• Vision statement which articulates your vision relevant to the department and program areas on the following topic areas:

  • Leadership, Innovation, and Communication

  • Research

  • Teaching

  • Outreach and Service

For questions about the application process, please contact Alison Parker at [email protected] .

Additional Information:

• University information Iowa State University (iastate.edu) , and Employment Opportunities | Iowa State University (iastate.edu)

• Region information About the State of Iowa | Iowa.gov Resources for Iowans , and  About Ames | City of Ames, IA

Why Choose ISU?
Our Iowa State Employees enjoy comprehensive health and work-life benefits, including medical and dental; as well as:
• Retirement benefits, including defined benefit and defined contribution plans;
• Generous leave plans;
• Onsite childcare (Ames, Iowa);
• Life insurance and long-term disability;
• Flexible Spending Accounts;
• Various voluntary benefits and discounts;
• Employee Assistance Program;
• Wellbeing program.

Original Posting Date:
December 4, 2023

Posting Close Date:

Job Requisition Number:
R13577