Academic Professional Track (Non-Tenure): Instructional Assistant Professor in Coastal Geography

The Department of Marine & Coastal Environmental Science (MCES) in the College of Marine Sciences & Maritime Studies at Texas A&M University located on the Galveston campus invites applications for a full-time, non-tenure accruing academic professional track position 5-month academic appointment beginning on January 1, 2027, with a 9-month academic appointment thereafter. Applicants will be considered for the faculty title of Instructional Assistant Professor.

We encourage applications from outstanding candidates who are passionate about teaching undergraduate courses in human-environment geography, with an emphasis on disaster science and/or geography of the world's oceans and coasts. Candidates that can use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in their teaching are preferred. The successful candidate will be expected to teach undergraduate and/or graduate courses, which may include Marine Geography, courses in human and/or regional geography of disasters, and other courses based on departmental need and candidate interest (e.g., Intro to GIS, Geomorphology, Remote Sensing). The candidate will support MCES degree programs in Marine Sciences (MARS) and Coastal Resilience and Environmental Science (CRES) and is expected to grow the department's instructional capacity in geography and disaster science. Academic Professional Track faculty are typically expected to teach 9 credit hours (typically 3 courses) per long semester (spring and fall), along with service contributions to the department, college, university and profession.

Academic Professional Track (APT) faculty are full and valued members of the professorial community at the College of Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies. APT faculty work under nine-month contracts, with the expectation of renewal dependent upon effective undergraduate and/or graduate teaching and service to the College, University, and/or professional community. APT contracts offer multi-year appointments after promotion, and a promotion ladder is available for those who choose teaching as their career.

MCES is an interdisciplinary department with faculty research and teaching efforts transecting natural, social, and applied scientific problems focused on the coastal zone, but broader research interests span from nearshore terrestrial areas to the deep sea and polar regions. All MCES faculty share an interest in the human and physical response to hazards, hazard risk assessment, and hazard impact mitigation in the coming decades (https://marine.tamu.edu/academics/marine-coastal-environmental-science/index.html).

Texas A&M University at Galveston is the dedicated marine and maritime branch campus of Texas A&M University. The campus houses several institutions that are critical contributors to Texas A&M’s land-, sea-, and space-grant mission and drive the development of the blue economy on the Gulf Coast through education, innovation, scholarship and research.

Home to the Texas A&M College of Marine Sciences & Maritime Studies (marine.tamu.edu), students can earn undergraduate and graduate degrees in marine sciences, business, blue humanities, marine engineering and maritime transportation. Students may also pursue select Galveston-specific Texas A&M College of Engineering degrees, including computer science, ocean engineering and interdisciplinary engineering.

Texas A&M-Galveston is also home to the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, one of six state maritime academies in the U.S. and the only one embedded within a Tier I research institution. Offering hands-on training to over 400 cadets annually, the academy prepares students to earn a U.S. Coast Guard License and serve as maritime professionals, afloat and ashore, or enter military service upon graduation.

Ideally situated in Galveston Bay, the island campus is surrounded by marine life, estuarine and ocean ecosystems, and one of the largest maritime industrial hubs in the world, allowing Galveston Aggies to live, learn and work in the heart of the industries they will soon serve. Whether their careers take them shoreside or on the water, Aggies are ready for anything above, on and below the waves.

Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environments for all visitors, students, faculty, and staff, which is vital to accomplishing our mission and living our core values.

Required Qualifications:

• A Ph.D. in geography, marine sciences, disaster science, oceanography, geology, earth science, environmental science, or a related field.
• A potential for excellence in teaching or evidence of teaching excellence.
  
  
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Previous teaching experience at the college/school level.
• The ability to use GIS in instruction.
• A demonstrated interest in teaching coastal hazards or disaster science courses.
  
  
  

Applications are submitted only online: apply.interfolio.com/184852. Applications must include electronic PDF copies of:

• cover letter;
• curriculum vitae;
• a personal statement to include philosophy and plans for teaching and service that a) provides evidence either of excellence in previous university-level teaching or of potential for excellence in teaching at the university level, b) discuss potential course offerings; and c) describe potential fit of the candidate within a coastal-focused interdisciplinary department; and
• names and contact information for three professional references.
  
  
  

For more information on the position, please contact Dr. David Retchless, chair of the search committee at retchled@tamu.edu. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled, but review of applications will begin on June 15, 2026.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.