Assistant Professor of Chemistry

The Department of Chemistry at St. Olaf College invites applications for a full-time, tenure track position in Chemistry at the Assistant Professor level to begin August 2026. We seek a colleague whose primary teaching appointment will be in our first-year and/or organic curriculum and who will contribute courses in their area of expertise. Candidates who bring expertise in materials or polymer chemistry or have the potential to interface with our engineering, environmental studies, neuroscience, statistics and data science, or biomolecular science programs are especially encouraged to apply. Candidates must communicate their commitment to liberal arts education and explicitly describe how their proposed scholarly activity will establish a vibrant laboratory research program involving undergraduates. We are particularly interested in applicants who will contribute to the departments commitment to increasing access and opportunities for populations of students that are currently underrepresented in the sciences.

Salary : $74,190 - $79,000

Qualifications
Applicants should have a Ph.D. in Chemistry or a related field or expect completion of such prior to employment. Postdoctoral experience is preferred for the position.

About the Department
Over the last ten years, an average of forty-five chemistry majors per year have graduated from St. Olaf College which puts us in the top three undergraduate institutions based on the number of chemistry majors graduating each year. These graduates, supported by eleven tenured or tenure track faculty and several adjunct, special appointment or visiting faculty, go on to careers in health-related fields (medical, dental, pharmacy, etc.), industry, teaching and numerous additional fields. Recently, St. Olaf reduced the teaching load to allow faculty additional time and energy to advise and mentor students as well as support the first-year experience. In addition to teaching and advising our majors, faculty use our well-equipped laboratory spaces to engage students in creative, meaningful and sophisticated research projects spanning the breadth of chemistry in both disciplinary and interdisciplinary ways. Research in the department is supported during the academic year through several different course offerings to students and during a ten-week summer research experience funded by the college and generous endowments from alumni donors. For more information about the department, visit wp.stolaf.edu/chemistry .

We strive to be a campus of welcome where students, faculty, and staff thrive by bringing their full humanitygender identity, sexuality, race, ethnicity, national origin, socioeconomic class, disability, religion, spirituality, and ageto St. Olaf each day. Our goal is to generate conversations and processes that over time create greater clarity, transparency, trust, cooperation, consensus, respect, and measurable outcomes. Practices that support this goal include listening, cultivating a growth mindset, respecting those with different views, being informed by data, and understanding that the work is ongoing, collaborative, organic, and ever evolving. We encourage applicants to familiarize themselves with our Community and Belonging website to learn more about our commitment and to identify how you might contribute to these efforts.

How to Apply
Throughout your materials, include how you would contribute to the development of a diverse and inclusive learning community at our college through your teaching, research, and/or service. A complete application includes the following:

References : Provide contact information for three professional references who can speak to your abilities in teaching and scholarship. Letters will be solicited from references by the search committee for candidates who advance to the interview stage.

Supporting Documents and URLS :

1. Cover letter outlining your qualifications and why you are interested in this particular position
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Graduate and undergraduate transcripts (unofficial)
4. Teaching Statement: A statement of teaching philosophy which includes your goals, ideas about pedagogical approaches, reflections on teaching or mentoring experience you have had and a discussion of how you would shape and sustain a Chemistry curriculum that reflects the current and growing diversity of St. Olafs student body (about 2 pages).
5. Professional Statement: A detailed description of research interests and plans (approximately 3-5 pages plus references) emphasizing the suitability of the research for undergraduate researchers and potential funding.
6. A list of courses you feel qualified to teach including courses currently listed at . The department also welcomes a list of courses that you could envision teaching but are not currently being taught at St. Olaf.

Review of applications will begin on September 10, 2025, and will continue until the position is filled. Applications received by October 1 will receive fullest consideration. Finalist interviews are expected in November. Questions about the position, department, or College may be directed to Douglas Beussman, Search Committee Chair, at ... .