8235BR

College of Science

COS School of Physics and Astronomy

Detailed Job Description

The School of Physics and Astronomy at the Rochester Institute of Technology invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in physics education research and/or astronomy education research. The position is anticipated to be at the rank of Assistant Professor. The position start date is August 2024. Applicants are expected to have the demonstrated ability, or strong potential, to establish and maintain a vigorous, externally funded research program that incorporates undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers.  Areas of interest include, but are not limited to: inclusion and accessibility in physics education, cognition and reasoning, quantum information science education, teacher and TA preparation, institutional transformation, the public understanding of science, informal science education, design/development of experiential research opportunities, computational physics education, and laboratory education.

RIT and the School of Physics and Astronomy celebrate and respect diversity in all forms, including race, religion, gender, ethnicity, veterans, people with varied abilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Women, people of color, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and members from other historically marginalized identities are particularly encouraged to apply. RIT seeks candidates with demonstrated experience teaching and working with individuals from diverse backgrounds to contribute to the University’s mission, vision, and core values of Student Centeredness; Professional Development and Scholarship; Integrity and Ethics; Respect, Diversity and Pluralism; Innovation and Flexibility; and Teamwork and Collaboration. Select to view links to RIT’s core values , honor code , and diversity .

The successful candidate will contribute to RIT’s Science & Mathematics Education Research Collaborative (SMERC) a group of faculty, postdocs and graduate students from physics, life sciences, chemistry, and mathematics. SMERC hosts an annual NSF REU in discipline-based education research, as well as a seminar series and weekly journal club. Additional collaboration opportunities in engineering education, computing education, and deaf-education/accessibility (with RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID)) are encouraged through RIT’s Center for Advancing STEM Teaching Learning & Evaluation (CASTLE).

Successful candidates must have a demonstrated strong commitment to excellence in teaching and research mentoring, as the educational experience of our students is of utmost priority at RIT. Individuals are expected to be eager and able to teach and develop courses across all levels of our physics undergraduate and graduate programs, including graduate courses related to physics education research. A plan to integrate and mentor undergraduate and graduate students at all levels must be part of the candidate’s research program.

Applicants must have a Ph.D. in physics or a closely related field, and have postdoctoral experience. Candidates must have strong communication skills and demonstrate an overall commitment to the educational, research, and teaching mission of the School of Physics and Astronomy.

Department/College Description

The School of Physics and Astronomy consists of 38 fulltime faculty, 9 postdocs, 180 undergraduate physics majors, and 70 graduate students. The School offers a BS and MS program in Physics, a PhD/MS program in Astrophysical Sciences and Technology, and our new PhD program in Physics is being launched in Fall 2024. Faculty in the school currently also contribute to graduate programs in Materials Science & Engineering, Microsystems Engineering, Sustainability, Imaging Science, Mathematical Modeling, and Applied & Computational Mathematics. The College of Science leads six of RIT’s nine major research centers, namely, the C enter for Advanced Teaching Learning & Evaluation, the Center for Computational Relativity & Gravitation, the NanoPower Research Laboratory, the Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics, the Center for Detectors, and the Digital Imaging & Remote Sensing Laboratory. Currently, RIT has identified five Signature Research Areas, and the College of Science leads three of them, i.e., the Future Photon Initiative, Frontiers in Gravitational Wave Astrophysics, and Unmanned Aerial Systems. College of Science faculty also collaborate with the Center for Human-aware AI and the Computational Linguistics and Speech Processing Lab.

Information about the RIT School of Physics and Astronomy can be found at https://www.rit.edu/science/school-physics-and-astronomy .

Required Minimum Qualifications

• A PhD in physics or a closely related field Post-doctoral experience
• Demonstrated commitment to research and excellence in teaching at all levels of the curriculum Ability to establish and maintain a vigorous program in physics and/or astronomy education research Demonstrated ability, or strong potential, to obtain external research funding
• A commitment to the educational and teaching mission of the School of Physics and Astronomy A commitment to including graduate and undergraduate students in research
• Strong communication skills
• Ability to contribute in meaningful ways to RIT’s continuing commitment to cultural diversity, pluralism, and individual differences

Required Minimum Education Level

PhD

Faculty Type (Tenure Status)

Tenure-Track

Faculty Discipline

Physics Education Research

Faculty Rank

Assistant Professor

Employment Category

Fulltime

Anticipated Start Date

15-Aug-2024

Required Application Documents

Cover Letter, Curriculum Vitae or Resume, List of References, Research Statement, Statement of Diversity Contribution, Statement of Teaching Philosophy

How To Apply

Apply online at http://careers.rit.edu/faculty . Search: 8235BR. Please submit your application, curriculum vitae and cover letter, and upload the following:

• Statement of research goals and plans for securing external funding (not to exceed 3MB-4 pages)
• Teaching philosophy statement (not to exceed 3 MB-4 pages)
• Statement about contributions to diversity and inclusion, including philosophy and/or approach to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment (not to exceed 3MB-4 pages)
• List of three current professional references, along with their contact information

Successful candidates must be committed to working with diverse student and community populations. Candidates must include a statement about their contributions to diversity and a description of any previous activities mentoring members of historically excluded racial, gender, or other identities.

Candidates should arrange to have their three references send letters of support directly to Chair, Physics/Astronomy Education Faculty Search Committee, RIT School of Physics & Astronomy. These letters must be submitted to ttaphyssrch@rit.edu and must be in PDF format. Inquiries regarding the position may also be sent electronically to ttaphyssrch@rit.edu .

To receive full consideration, all application materials should be received by Friday November 3, 2023.

Additional Details

The hiring process for this position may require a criminal background check and/or motor vehicle records check. Any verbal or written offer made is contingent on satisfactory results, as determined by Human Resources. RIT does not discriminate. RIT promotes and values diversity, pluralism and inclusion in the work place. RIT provides equal opportunity to all qualified individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, age, marital status, sex, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, veteran status or disability in its hiring, admissions, educational programs and activities. RIT provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities under the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the New York Human Rights Law, or similar applicable law. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact the Human Resources office at 585-475-2424 or email your request to hr@rit.edu . Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.