The Department of Physics & Astronomy at Weber State University invites applications for a tenure-track position starting Fall 2025. We seek a broadly trained candidate with a passion for teaching physics. Area of research expertise should be experimental physics, with opportunities suitable to engage undergraduate students. The successful candidate will support the department’s Applied Physics program, including instruction and curriculum development for upper division labs.
Job Duties:
This position will be filled at the Assistant Professor level. Responsibilities include:
Teaching foundational physics courses and courses for physics majors as department needs require. The typical teaching load is 12 credit hours per semester, including lower and upper division classes and labs.
Establish an active and sustained research program that involves mentorship of undergraduates. Please note that the Department of Physics & Astronomy does not have or support graduate students.
Service to the department, university, and community.
Required Qualifications:
Required:
A Ph.D. in Physics or a closely related field, with applicable research experience. Candidates who expect to complete a Ph.D. by the beginning of the Fall 2025 semester will also be considered.
Evidence of teaching experience.
Preferred Qualifications:
Preferred:
Ability to build connections within the University as well as local industries, government agencies, or community organizations.
Interest in using innovative, evidence-based teaching strategies.
Successful at conducting high-quality research, which could include mentoring undergraduates.
Evidence of successful undergraduate mentorship
Background Check? Yes
Benefits Summary:
WSU offers a generous benefits package that includes medical, dental, long-term disability, life insurance, retirement, a wellness program with release time and paid incentives, tuition benefits, free tickets to athletic and performing arts events, and paid holidays.
Full/Part Time: Full Time Open Date: 09/19/2024 Close Date: Open Until Filled: Yes
Notes to Applicants:
If you are passionate about what you could offer and accomplish here at WSU, we would love to hear from you. This position provides a starting salary of $67,000 – $72,000 for a nine month contract, and up to $25,000 in startup funds, subject to negotiation. Weber State has a generous benefits package. Additional information about employment, benefits, and salaries at WSU is available at https://weber.edu/humanresources.
To apply please complete the online application and attach:
Cover letter
Statement of teaching philosophy (Philosophy Statement), which includes a discussion on effective methods to achieve broad student success at an open-enrollment dual-mission institution
Statement of research plans (Other Document 1), which includes a discussion on the involvement of undergraduate students in research
CV
Unofficial transcripts
In addition, three letters of reference that address the candidate’s qualifications must be submitted by the authors through the application system. Candidates will designate references when applying and the application system will email the references requesting the letters.
Applications received by November 22, 2024 will receive highest priority, and the review of applicants will proceed immediately thereafter. Screening will continue until the position is filled.
A criminal background check is required as a condition of employment.
The Department of Physics & Astronomy has approximately 75 physics undergraduate majors. The department has four teaching labs, two lab prep areas, and several modern research laboratories. Students in physics study in a variety of specialized tracks, including Applied Physics, and many proceed into local industry or graduate programs. Most students participate in undergraduate research.
Weber State University is a primarily undergraduate institution located at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains in Ogden, Utah. For more than five decades, the institution has successfully maintained a dual mission by offering a wide range of baccalaureate programs and also by meeting regional community college needs.
Ogden is a beautiful city with a rich culture and history, and is located 45 minutes from Salt Lake City and its international airport. An average of 223 sunny days a year and immediate access to skiing, biking, camping, hiking, and fishing make it an outdoor paradise. More information about the Ogden area may be found at www.visitogden.com. In 2019, Forbes rated Ogden as one of top ten cities in the United States in which to raise a family. Ogden is 45 minutes from Salt Lake City and its international airport. Ogden is within a half-day drive of world-class national parks, including Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Utah’s “Mighty Five”.
Numerous cultural activities are available all along the Wasatch Front from Ogden to Salt Lake City to Provo. The Utah Transit Authority operates an ever-expanding network of buses and light rail that connect the population centers, including a high-speed train that covers nearly 100 miles from Provo in the south to Ogden in the north. It also provides a seamless transit option from Ogden to the Salt Lake International airport.
Physical Activity of this position: Expressing or exchanging ideas. Those activities in which they must convey detailed or important instructions to other workers accurately or quickly. , Ability to receive detailed information with or without assistance.
Physical Requirements of this position: Light work. Exerting up to 20 lbs of force occasionally and/or up to 10 lbs of force frequently and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. Use of arm and/or leg controls exerting forces greater than that for sedentary work.
Visual Acuity Requirements including color, depth perception and field of vision: Required to perform activities such as preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; using a computer terminal; extensive reading.
The conditions the worker will be subject to in this position: None. The worker is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions (such as in typical office or administrative work).
The AVS Career Center has listings for the latest science and engineering jobs in specialized disciplines like applied physics, astrophysics, atomic and molecular physics, mechanical engineering, plasma physics, materials science and engineering, fluid mechanics and dynamics, optics and lasers, and electrical engineering plus teaching jobs for assistant, associate, and full professor roles. Find a job here as a computational or experimental physicist, postdoctoral appointee, fellow, or researcher.