Assistant Professor, Environmental Data Science & Biostatistics

 

Summary

The College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (CFRES) at Michigan Technological University (MTU) invites applications for a tenure track Assistant Professor faculty position in Environmental Data Science and Biostatistics, with an anticipated start date of August 2025. CFRES offers B.S. degrees in Forestry, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Applied Ecology and Environmental Science, Natural Resources Management, Sustainable Bioproducts, Environmental Science and Sustainability and Environmental Data Science. We additionally offer Master’s degrees in Forest Ecology and Management, Applied Ecology and Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, and doctoral degrees in Forest Science and Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology. MTU is located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, providing access to diverse natural environments for hands-on learning, field-based research, and outdoor adventure, fostering a unique and immersive experience for students and faculty alike.

Michigan Tech attracts world-class faculty and staff who enrich the educational experience of smart, motivated, and adventurous students. Applicants who are committed to promoting a sense of belonging and contributing to an equitable and inclusive learning environment for all are strongly encouraged to apply (See Engagement and Belonging).

Responsibilities 

The candidate will teach classes that contribute to a new B.S. degree in Environmental Data Science (EDS) including the EDS Cornerstone introductory class and the senior EDS capstone class. Responsibilities will also include teaching a 3-4 credit course in the candidate’s area of expertise and participating in service to the department, university, and broader academic community.

Required Education, Certifications, Licensures

A Ph.D. in a field related to environmental data science, biostatistics, or similar disciplines.

Required Experience

Evidence of scholarly productivity, commensurate with experience level, with a research emphasis related to environmental data science and the potential to generate external grant funding for this work.

Desirable Education and/or Experience

Experience teaching undergraduate courses as the lead instructor or as a teaching assistant.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and/or Abilities

Demonstrated experience with R, Python, Julia, and/or other programming languages used in data science.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills, and/or Abilities

Ability to engage with and mentor undergraduate and graduate students across major disciplines within CFRES such as Forestry, Wildlife, Genetics, and Applied Ecology.

Ability to effectively communicate in writing and speaking, information that conveys the potential for research and teaching excellence.

Research specializations that complement existing strengths across CFRES disciplines; may include but are not limited to forest biometrics, macrosystems ecology, plant-animal interactions, land-atmosphere interactions, landscape modeling, Earth systems modeling, or natural climate solutions.

Potential to support interdisciplinary research that is aligned with one of Michigan Tech’s Research Centers; there are several research centers at Michigan Tech that facilitate research, teaching, and mentoring collaborations across campus. These include the Ecosystem Science Center, Great Lakes Research Center, Institute of Computing and Cybersystems, and the Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences Institute.

Experience writing grant applications.

Demonstrated success in, or potential future contributions to, working with persons from diverse backgrounds, creating a sense of belonging, and fostering a fair, objective, welcoming place to work for persons with a wide variety of personal characteristics and viewpoints.

Language, Mathematics and/or Reasoning Skills

 

Work Environment and/or Physical Demands

The work environment is that of a typical office and/or classroom setting. The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate.

Required Training and Other Conditions of Employment

Every employee at Michigan Technological University will receive the following 4 required trainings;