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Assistant Professor - Native American Studies and the Environment - Environmental Science, Policy and Management/Ethnic Studies

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Position description

Assistant Professor - Native American Studies and the Environment - Environmental Science, Policy and Management/Ethnic Studies

The Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (ESPM) and the Native American Studies program in the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley invite applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor faculty position in the area of Native American Studies and the Environment with an expected start date of July 1, 2020.

The relationship between Native Americans and environment has important political, historical, human welfare, environmental justice, and ecological dimensions. We seek applications from scholars who foreground indigeneity in their environmental research and whose work seeks to advance understanding of and solutions to environmental challenges such as: climate change, natural resources and environmental management, water and land access and governance, food security and food sovereignty, and/or public health at local, national and/or international scales.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at UC Berkeley and in ESPM and Ethnic Studies. As detailed in the attached supplemental letter to potential candidates, we outline concrete steps we are taking to ensure that these values are upheld.  We recognize that our excellence can only be fully realized by faculty, students, and staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates for our faculty positions will demonstrate evidence of a commitment to advancing equity and inclusion through their research, teaching, and/or service. 

ESPM and Ethnic Studies are committed to addressing the family needs of faculty, including dual career couples and single parents. We are also interested in candidates who have had non-traditional career paths or who have taken time off for family reasons, or who have achieved excellence in careers outside academia.

Basic qualifications: Applicants for this position must hold a Ph.D. (or equivalent international degree) or be enrolled in a Ph.D. (or equivalent international degree) granting program at the time of application.

Preferred qualifications

The ideal candidate will:

  • demonstrate evidence of strong research productivity, potential for funding, and a commitment to excellence in teaching and research mentoring of undergraduates, graduate students, and post-docs.
  • demonstrate evidence of outstanding scholarship within a relevant field such as, but not limited to, social sciences, natural resources, environmental sciences, public health or humanities.
  • demonstrate broad expertise in Native American Studies and the environment and, a proven track record of working with researchers from diverse disciplines and ability to effectively communicate their work to a broader public.
  • demonstrate a track record of authentic engagement with Native American communities.
  • demonstrate strong methodological skills that will bring new insights to the intersection of Indigenous issues of land, culture, knowledge, sovereignty and/or tribal self-determination.
  • demonstrate evidence of their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in ways that align with UC Berkeley’s mission to meet the educational needs of California’s diverse population (see: https://ofew.berkeley.edu/recruitment/contributions-diversity/support-faculty-candidates).

Both ESPM and Ethnic Studies are departments with multidisciplinary communities of scholars and cooperative extension specialists from the biological, physical, social sciences, and humanities who conduct research, teaching, and outreach to advance understanding and develop solutions for the world’s pressing environmental problems. In addition, Berkeley provides outstanding opportunities for intellectual engagement with colleagues in other campus units including the Berkeley Natural History Museums, the Phoebe Hearst Museum and Bancroft Library Collections, the UC Botanical Garden, College of Environmental Design, the Law School, the School of Public Health, the Goldman School of Public Policy, the Institute for International Studies, the Center for Race and Gender, the Berkeley Center for Atmospheric Sciences, the Institute for Social and Economic Change, the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society, the Energy and Resource Group, and the Departments of Anthropology, Linguistics, Integrative Biology, Sociology, History, Political Science, Economics, Agricultural and Resource Economics, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Geography.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to teach a graduate course in their area of expertise, with a focus on Indigenous issues and the environment. They will also teach an undergraduate course that contributes to the undergraduate majors of Society and Environment, Conservation and Resource Studies, Environmental Science, and Native American Studies.

To apply for consideration, please go to the following link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF02470. Applicants should also provide three letters of recommendation that speak to their excellence in research, teaching, mentoring, service, and record of contributions to diversity and inclusion. It is preferred that all letters of recommendation be uploaded by referees by the final date to apply (February 28, 2020). All letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality (http://apo.berkeley.edu/evalltr.html ) prior to submitting their letters.

The deadline for applications is February 28, 2020. Please direct questions to espm_recruitment@berkeley.edu.

For information about potential relocation to Berkeley, or career needs of accompanying partners and spouses, please visit: http://ofew.berkeley.edu/new-faculty

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct.

Application Requirements

Document requirements
  • Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

  • Cover Letter

  • Statement of Research - Statement of research describing past research accomplishments and proposed research at Berkeley

  • Statement of Teaching and Service - Statement of teaching and service describing prior teaching experience, teaching philosophy, and future teaching interests. In addition, a description of prior and proposed academic, professional and/or community service experience.

  • Statement on Contributions to Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Statement on your contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including information about your understanding of these topics, your record of activities to date, and your specific plans and goals for advancing equity and inclusion if hired at Berkeley (for additional information go to https://ofew.berkeley.edu/recruitment/contributions-diversity).

  • Publication One - copy of a publication such as journal articles, book chapters, dissertation chapters or other products

  • Publication Two - copy of a publication such as journal articles, book chapters, dissertation chapters or other products

  • Publication Three - copy of a publication such as journal articles, book chapters, dissertation chapters or other products

Reference requirements
  • 3 letters of reference required

Job location

Berkeley, CA