Job Details

Assistant Professor - Aquatic Ecotoxicology

The University of Southern Mississippi is currently accepting applications for the position of Assistant Professor - Aquatic Ecotoxicology.

Special Instructions to Applicants
 A completed application will include: (1) letter of interest; (2) curriculum vitae; (3) statement of research interests, accomplishments, and plans; (4) statement of teaching philosophy; (5) PDFs of three representative publications, and (6) contact information for three references. All documents must be uploaded at the time of submission. Academic transcripts will be required for candidates who are invited for on-campus interviews. Application materials must be uploaded through the Human Resources site at: https://jobs.usm.edu. For full consideration, application materials should be submitted by January 5, 2025.

For more information, contact the search committee chair:
Dr. Michael Andres
Assistant Professor
Division of Coastal Sciences
michael.andres@usm.edu
228-872-4275
 
Job Summary 
The Division of Coastal Sciences (COA) in the School of Ocean Science and Engineering (SOSE) at The University of Southern Mississippi qualified applicants for a full-time, 9-month, tenure-track faculty position in Ecotoxicology at the Assistant Professor level, to begin in Fall 2025. Evaluation of applications will consider the potential of candidates to develop collaboration with other USM academic units including the Division of Marine Science. The standard distribution of effort for tenure-track faculty members in COA is 70% research, 20% teaching, and 10% service (pre-tenure).

Primary Duties and Responsibilities 
We seek a broadly trained scientist with a focus on aquatic ecotoxicology who investigates questions related to organismal responses to current and future anthropogenic stressors. Potential areas of research include but are not limited to environmental toxicology; multi-stressor research; ecophysiology; organismal responses to harmful algal blooms; physiological, molecular, and biochemical responses to contaminants (e.g., plastics, chemical/biochemical, metals); and the use of non-mammalian model organisms. The successful candidate will be expected to use a state-of-the-art 11,000 ft2 toxicology building capable of producing 0–30 salinities with 10-part filtration systems, capable of conducting many controlled experiments. The candidate will be expected to:

1. Develop a strong, nationally recognized and externally funded research program;
2. Publish in peer-reviewed literature;
3. Mentor graduate students and undergraduate students;
4. Participate in graduate and undergraduate instruction in COA and SOSE;
5. Engage in service activates to COA, SOSE, and USM;
6. Collaborate with other faculty within SOSE;
7. Performs other duties as assigned.

Additional Information:  
 SOSE offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs in Coastal Sciences, Marine Science, Hydrographic Science, Marine Biology, and Ocean Engineering, and a certificate program in Uncrewed Maritime Systems. The faculty and staff of SOSE leverage its location on the Gulf Coast and expertise in marine and coastal science, engineering, and policy to address challenges facing coastal and marine environments regionally, nationally, and internationally. SOSE has significant research infrastructure and facilities across four principal sites spanning the Mississippi Gulf Coast: the NASA Stennis Space Center, the Gulf Park Campus at Long Beach, the Roger F. Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise at the Port of Gulfport and the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs. This position will be located in Ocean Springs at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, a marine laboratory featuring comprehensive research programs in coastal and marine biological sciences. Research program support includes state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and instrumentation; a fleet of small and large research vessels; the GCRL Museum collection; facilities at the Center for Fisheries Research and Development (CFRD) and Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center (TCMAC); and the NSF I/UCRC Science Center for Marine Fisheries. Ocean Springs is known for its beauty, natural resources, and arts community. It is home to galleries, restaurants, and schools that are ranked among the best in the state.

•  Collaboration: the ability to effectively and efficiently collaborate with others in a group
• Engagement: takes initiative to be proactive and responsive in communicating with the university community and participating in school, college, university research and service.
• Intelligent risk-taking/Problem Solving: the ability to weigh potential benefits and disadvantages of exercising one's choice or action to assume calculated risks; the ability to determine the cause of a problem by identifying prioritizing, and selecting alternatives for a solution and then implementing a solution.
• Flexibility: the willingness to change or compromise according to the situation
• Professional Commitment: the desire to stay current by acquiring new knowledge and seeking explanations- even when the applications for that new learning are not immediately apparent; the ability and desire to continually improve their mastery of discipline/Academic field, their excellence in pedagogy, and their active participation in the university’s mission
• Academic Perseverance: the drive to persist based on the belief that projects will result in better learning for students and improvements beyond one's own institution; the drive to engage in goal directed behavior in order to see projects through from implementation to completion.
• Enterprising: the ability to initiate and leverage available resources to further a goal
• Leadership: the ability to motivate or persuade others to act to achieve a goal by communicating a vision, communicating and supporting the vision of the organization, and inspiring trust; the ability to lead students through mentoring and pedagogically sound educational experiences
• Inclusion & Diversity: the ability to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion in teaching, research projects, and committee work. Design learning opportunities that acknowledge, draw upon and are enriched by student diversity
• Communication: the ability to convey information in numerous ways at different levels such that it is understood by different audiences (students, colleagues, stakeholders, general public) and delivered in a sensitive and inclusive manner.
• Technology Proficiency: the ability to use technology to communicate effectively and professionally, organize information, produce high-quality products, and enhance thinking skills; the desire and ability to achieve proficiency in technological tools and devices through experience and instruction.

Preferred Qualifications
Publication in peer-reviewed literature and a record of scholarship, service, and grant development appropriate for the applicant’s rank.

About The University of Southern Mississippi
Since our founding in 1910, The University of Southern Mississippi has remained dedicated to preparing students for success. We deliver programs to more than 13,000 students in Hattiesburg and Long Beach, at teaching and research sites across the Mississippi Gulf Coast, as well as online. We are a community-engaged Carnegie R1 university, earning distinction as one of the nation's leading research institutions.

Southern Miss is known for pioneering work in polymer science, ocean science, spectator sports safety and security, and bringing language to children with communication disorders. We are also a national leader in a broad range of disciplines, including cybersecurity, hydrography, nutrition, aquaculture, kinesiology, and economic development, among others.

We produce graduates ready to enter fields that are leading the way in emerging technologies through programs such as computer engineering, information technology, and ocean engineering. We’re developing the next generation of business leaders, while also responding to critical workforce shortages by producing skilled professionals in education and nursing. With a tradition of excellence in the arts, we are one of only 36 public institutions in the nation accredited in four major areas of the arts. Home to the Golden Eagles, our student-athletes compete in 17 NCAA Division I sports. With a culture marked by passion and persistence, Southern Miss is delivering graduates who are ready for life. For more information, visit www.usm.edu.