St. Olaf College Department of Physics Physics(Experimentalist)
Full time (1.0 FTE) Leave Replacement Position Starting September 1, 2008
We anticipate that the appointment will be made at the rank of assistant professor but qualified applicants at a more senior level will also be considered.
Primary Responsibilities : Teach broadly throughout the physics curriculum, contribute to the development of our laboratory teaching program, and offer undergraduate research opportunities for experimental investigations in physics or at the interface between physics and other disciplines.
Qualifications : A Ph.D. in physics or a closely related field is required; 1-2 years of teaching or post-doctoral research experience is desirable.
We seek a candidate with (1) demonstrated interest in high-quality undergraduate teaching and commitment to liberal arts education, including the connections between physics and other fields of study, (2) experience with modern laboratory techniques and instrumentation applicable to laboratory curriculum development, and (3) potential for conducting an active program of experimental research with undergraduate participation and enhancing the array of opportunities available to our students.
Email inquiries about the position are welcome and can be addressed to the search committee chair, Professor Robert Jacobel (jacobel@stolaf.edu). However, please note that electronic submission of application materials will not be accepted.
Required Application Materials :
- Cover letter introducing yourself and your interest in the position
- Curriculum Vita
- Copies of undergraduate and graduate school transcripts
- Statement describing interest and goals in liberal arts science teaching, including laboratory teaching
- Research plan, including apparatus needs and anticipated undergraduate involvement
- References: Applicants must arrange for the submission of three letters of reference, at least two of which must specifically address the applicant’s teaching qualifications.
Hard copy of these materials should be mailed to:
Robert Jacobel, Professor of Physics
St. Olaf College
1520 St. Olaf Avenue
Northfield, Minnesota, 55057-1098
Review of completed applications will begin on June 1, 2008 and continue until the position is filled.
The St. Olaf Physics Department :
St. Olaf College has a strong and active physics program, with a six-member faculty of creative and committed teacher/scholars. Our average of 14 graduates in physics per year over the past decade ranks among the national leaders in undergraduate institutions. About two-thirds of our majors pursue graduate study, enrolling in a wide range of fields that includes physics, engineering, mathematics, materials science, biomedical science, geophysics, and astronomy. St. Olaf physics majors have earned five Goldwater scholarships and three National Science Foundation Fellowships since 1995. We offer a program that includes a strong laboratory emphasis, rigorous course work with use of computer-based resources at all levels of the curriculum, and a well-established tradition of excellent undergraduate research opportunities. Current areas of faculty research include atomic and molecular physics, condensed matter physics, geophysical studies of ice and climate, mathematical physics, and positron physics. Our curriculum is designed to meet the needs of physics majors, of students who study physics to support work in other scientific disciplines or across disciplines, and of students who select a physics course as a component of their general education. We have significant ties to other programs on campus and are interested in expanding interdisciplinary collaborations. The College is in the process of planning for new science facilities.
St. Olaf College :
St. Olaf, located in Northfield, Minnesota, is a residential and coeducational college founded by Norwegian immigrants in 1874. It has a student body of approximately 3000 and a faculty of about 300. Northfield has a population of 15,000 and is located 35 miles south of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, which have all of the cultural and recreational attractions of a major urban area. Northfield is perhaps unique among cities its size in being home to two well-known liberal arts colleges – St. Olaf and Carleton.
A liberal arts college affiliated with the Lutheran Church (ELCA), St. Olaf College is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and actively seeks diversity in its students, faculty and staff.