Title: Assistant Professor (Plant Genomics/Herbarium Director)
Position Number: 0088530
Hiring Unit: College of Natural Sciences – School of Life Sciences
Location: University of Hawai‘i at Manoa
Date Posted: September 27, 2023
Closing Date: July 31, 2024
Salary Information: Commensurate with qualifications and experience
Monthly Type: 9-Month
Tenure Track: Tenure
Full Time/Part Time: Full-Time
Temporary/Permanent: Permanent
Funding: General Funds
 
 
Other Conditions:
 
This position is permanent, full-time (9-month), general funded, and tenure-track to begin approximately August 2024 or as soon thereafter as possible. Review of applications will begin on November 15, 2023 and will continue until the position is filled.
 
Applicants who are ABD (all but dissertation) will be reviewed, however, degree requirements must be met by effective date of appointment.
 
The School of Life Sciences, in the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, welcomes applications for the position of Assistant Professor with a research program focused on Plant Genomics and to serve as Herbarium Director.
 
The University of Hawai‘i at Manoa (UHM) is a Native Hawaiian place of learning and a Carnegie Research 1 University with a strong emphasis on research and undergraduate and graduate education. Our vision is to be locally and globally recognized as a premier student-centered and community-serving university. UHM adheres to fair and inclusive recruitment and hiring procedures, and is a campus committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion excellence. For more information on the Manoa Strategic Plan and additional information about Manoa’s Strategic Vision as a Native Hawaiian place of learning, visithttps://manoa.hawaii.edu/strategicplan/. For more information on the school, please visithttps://manoa.hawaii.edu/lifesciences/.
 
 
 
Duties and Responsibilities:
 
The School of Life Sciences at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa seeks a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Plant Genomics who will also serve as the Director of the UHM Joseph F. Rock Herbarium. We are searching for a highly creative and interactive scholar who works at the genome scale to address questions about the ecology and evolution of plants. We welcome candidates who use emerging sequencing and informatics tools to work on non-model systems, especially organisms native to, or naturalized in, Hawai’i and the Pacific. We particularly encourage applications from researchers investigating population connectivity, speciation, adaptation, species interactions, phylogenetics, systematics, or conservation using genome or exome data, and/or gene regulatory mechanisms. Experience or interest in working with herbarium, archeological or other types of preserved specimens is welcomed. The successful candidate will join an integrative Life Sciences program with broad interests in evolution, ecology, conservation, organismal biology, and cell and molecular biology, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Biology, Botany, Microbiology, Marine Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Zoology.
 
The duties of this position include establishing a vigorous extramurally funded research program in plant genomics, scholarly publications in leading academic journals in areas of expertise, and providing mentoring for postdoctoral scholars, and undergraduate and graduate students. The successful candidate will also contribute to the School of Life Sciences by developing and teaching courses in plant genomics for undergraduate and graduate students in the Life Sciences, serving on university committees and performing related tasks as assigned, and collaborating with scientists in the School of Life Sciences and the University of Hawai?i community.

Teaching duties will include plant systematics, and other courses as assigned, including developing novel courses in topics related to expertise including -omics based approaches to plant biology, and implementing computational methods and tools in course settings to help strengthen the curricula. Duties also include supervising student independent study/research activities; training and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students; serving on departmental, college, and university committees; rendering service to the professional and lay community relevant to the individual's academic specialty; participating in curriculum development activities such as developing course materials and special instructional methods; participating in graduate committees; developing an externally funded research program leading to publication in leading scholarly journals; performing related tasks as assigned.
 
 
Additional Duties:
 
Successful candidates will assume directorship of the Joseph F. Rock Herbarium (HAW), which serves as the official university repository for botanical plant, algal, fungal, and lichen accessions. The herbarium comprises approximately 50,000 dried plant specimens, with particular emphasis on vascular plants of Hawai‘i and the Pacific. This work has been supported with student assistance, and we anticipate that curation duties will comprise approximately 10% of effort.
 
Minimum Qualifications:
 

1. A Ph.D. in an area of the Life Sciences or other related disciplines from an accredited institution
2. Evidence of research productivity through publication of scholarly materials in the field of plant genomics 
3. Ability to work in a diverse and multicultural environment, with a demonstrated commitment to broaden participation and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as commitment to a safe and inclusive campus environment 
4. Ability to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in one or more aspects of plants and related taxa, and genomics

1. Postdoctoral research experience
2. Demonstrated ability in obtaining extramural funding
3. Research interests that complement existing strengths in the School
4. Research including, or interest in developing projects on, taxa or ecosystems of Hawai'i and other Pacific Islands 
5. Interest in using herbarium resources from Hawai‘i and other Pacific Islands for research and/or teaching 
6. Interest in developing place-based research questions and teaching approaches in the context of UHM being a Native Hawaiian place of learning

• Cover letter specifying the position and addressing your qualifications
• Curriculum vitae detailing research, teaching, and service accomplishments
• A statement of research interests, activities, and plans (2-3 pages). Content addressing the candidate’s approach and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion should be directly incorporated into the statement 
• A statement on teaching philosophy, interests, and plans (1-2 pages). Content addressing the candidate’s approach and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion should be directly incorporated into the statement. 
• Names, addresses, e-mail, and telephone numbers of three professional references
• Copies of up to three relevant publications

The University of Hawai'i is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution and is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of race, sex, gender identity and expression, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, genetic information, marital status, breastfeeding, income assignment for child support, arrest and court record (except as permissible under State law), sexual orientation, domestic or sexual violence victim status, national guard absence, or status as a covered veteran. For more information or inquiries regarding these policies, please refer to the following link: http://www.hawaii.edu/offices/eeo/eeo-coordinators/
Employment is contingent on satisfying employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986; reference checks of previous employers; and for certain positions, criminal history record checks.
In accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, annual campus crime statistics for the University of Hawai'i may be viewed at: https://www.hawaii.edu/titleix/help/campus-security/, or a paper copy may be obtained upon request from the respective UH Campus Security or Administrative Services Office.
Accommodation Request: The University of Hawai'i complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the EEO coordinator directly. Determination on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. For further information, please refer to the following link: https://www.hawaii.edu/offices/eeo/accommodation-request/