Job Description

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Bates College seeks an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) with expertise in biochemistry to begin fall 2025. We welcome applications from individuals who are broadly trained Ph.D. scientists from chemistry, biochemistry, chemical biology, medicinal chemistry, or related fields.

The duties of this position include the three main areas of faculty work: teaching, professional achievement, and governance/engagement. Bates faculty teach five courses per year (laboratory sections count as 0.5 courses). Responsibilities include teaching lectures and labs for advanced biochemistry, upper level biochemistry electives, organic and/or general chemistry, and courses for our general education curriculum. We welcome applications from individuals who have the potential to contribute to Bates’ interdisciplinary program in neuroscience. The new faculty member will join ongoing cross-STEM initiatives in inclusive pedagogy, equity and inclusion, and collaborate in curricular renovation. The successful candidate will be expected to develop a signature and independent research program in experimental or computational biochemistry. Our new colleague will contribute to academic advising, advising biochemistry and chemistry theses, and will also take part in our system of shared faculty governance.

About Bates

Bates College is a residential liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Details about the college and its community can be found here. Lewiston is a diverse and growing city in Maine, two and a half hours north of Boston and 45 minutes from a burgeoning Portland technology start-up scene that includes the Northeastern Roux Institute.

Bates supports new faculty with a course reduction in the first year of teaching, formal mentoring, and new-faculty development programming. Bates provides tenure-track faculty with a paid pre-tenure leave and support for post-tenure sabbaticals. Faculty scholarship is supported by start-up packages, the new Bonney Science Center, internal grants, and a robust external grants office. Faculty research is routinely supported by the NSF, NIH, and other external funding sources.

Bates is committed to supporting educational access for all. Educational access and justice are central to Bates’ history and mission. That work is supported in a variety of ways, including an HHMI Inclusive Excellence grant to support transforming how we teach STEM, and a Mellon Foundation Curricular Transformation grant. Teaching is supported by a new Center for Inclusive Teaching and Learning. Community-engaged learning and study abroad are encouraged and robustly supported. Read more about our faculty’s commitment to equity and inclusion here.

Qualifications
A Ph.D. is required by August 1, 2025. Applicants should have completed applicable graduate-level coursework and/or developed equivalent expertise to teach Biochemistry and Organic or General Chemistry, and elective courses. The candidate should be familiar with the molecular details of energy and its transformation in biological systems, structure/function relationships of macromolecules, kinetics and mechanisms of enzyme catalyzed reactions, and information flow and storage in living systems. Post-doctoral or other significant research experience is required.

Application Instructions
Review of applications will begin on September 15, 2024. Applicants should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, teaching statement, research plan, and copy of their graduate transcript. Candidates should directly comment on their skills and experience supporting a diverse student body and contributing to efforts to broaden participation in STEM either in a separate, additional document or integrated into the teaching and research statements. We strongly encourage applications from individuals in underrepresented groups, individuals who have followed non-traditional pathways to higher education due to societal, economic, or academic circumstances, and individuals with a demonstrated capacity to advance the college’s continuing commitments to equity and inclusion. Information about the application and search process is available on our Chemistry-Biochemistry webpage. The search committee will request letters of recommendation from three referees for short-listed candidates. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background check.