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Assistant Professor-Department of Physics and Astronomy/College of Sciences
Job Description
Posting Details
Title Information
| Faculty Title | Assistant Professor |
|---|---|
| Job Class Code | 10031 |
| FLSA | Exempt |
Position Information
| Posting Number | FRGV1552 |
|---|---|
| Working Title | Assistant Professor-Department of Physics and Astronomy/College of Sciences |
| Number of Vacancies | 1 |
| Location | Rio Grande Valley |
| Division/Organization | Provost - Academic Affairs |
| Appointment Period for Non-Tenure Position | |
| Tenure Status | Tenure Track |
| FTE | 1.0 |
| Scope of Job | We seek applicants who are dedicated to serving The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s diverse student body as an Assistant professor of Physics and Astronomy beginning in the 2024-2025 academic year. About UTRGV: It is UTRGV’s Vision “To be one of the nation’s leaders in higher education, its premier Hispanic-serving institution, and a highly engaged bilingual university, with exceptional educational, research, and creative opportunities that serve as catalysts for transformation in the Rio Grande Valley and beyond.” As such, UTRGV is committed to building a diverse faculty and staff that can contribute to an enriching learning environment that strives for more equitable outcomes for student success. UTRGV is a distributed campus, one university spanning four counties and multiple locations. Our purpose is to be a university for the entire Rio Grande Valley and beyond. Over 91% of the students enrolled at UTRGV identify as Hispanic, making UTRGV one of the top 3 universities with the highest percentage of Hispanic students. For additional information, please visit our website . About the Department: The Department of Physics and Astronomy is housed in the Brownsville and Edinburg campuses. The department offers a BS in Physics, two master’s degrees, MS in Physics and MSIS, and a recently approved Ph.D. in Physics. Our department has 31 full-time tenured and tenure track faculty, 1 tenured faculty shared with the School of Earth Environmental and Marine Sciences, several lecturers, and 6 full time support staff. Current research areas are Gravitational Wave Astronomy, Astrophysics and Multi-messenger Astronomy, Radioastronomy, compact binaries, galaxy clusters and cataclysmic variables, Space Technology, Material Science, Condensed Matter Theory, Optics, Biophysics, Nuclear and High Energy Physics, and Physics Education. We have two research centers located in the Brownsville campus: The Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy (CGWA) and the Center for Radio Astronomy (CARA). Astrophysics faculty have ongoing collaborations using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (Swift), the transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), the Chandra X-ray Observatory (Chandra), the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, and NOIRLab facilities, such as the Gemini Observatory. Our GW faculty are members of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) Scientific Collaboration since 1998. UTRGV faculty also lead the TOROS collaboration, an NSF funded astronomical observatory which operates a high-altitude optical facility in the Atacama dessert. It also operates the CTMO, another optical facility located in South Texas. We have excellent experimental facilities at both campuses, which include optics, lasers, and spectroscopy equipment, as well as direct access to computational facilities including the Texas Advanced Computing Center. Our faculty publish in high impact journals and are successful in securing external funding to support their research. The Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor with an established research background in observational, theoretical, and/or computational astrophysics to start in fall 2024. The successful candidate is expected to actively contribute to and expand the current research activities at UTRGV in gravitational-wave astronomy, optical, and/or radio astronomy. UTRGV has strong research groups in these fields, including several members of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration working in the areas of continuous wave and supernova data analysis, lasers, optics R&D, detector characterization and noise modeling, and electromagnetic follow-up of kilonovae. Optical astronomy at UTRGV currently focuses on multiwavelength studies of compact binaries and transients. Astronomical research involving radio waves concentrates on transient phenomena and their detection in the low radio-frequency range. Members of the department make use of major astronomical facilities such as HST, TESS, Swift, Chandra, VLA and the Gemini observatories. Furthermore, research is conducted at several state-of-the-art laboratories at UTRGV, as well as through collaborative work with the two LIGO observatories in Hanford, Washington and Livingston, Louisiana, the nationwide Low-Frequency All-Sky Monitor (LoFASM) network, and a dedicated gravitational-wave optical-follow-up facility in the Southern Hemisphere (the TOROS project telescope funded by NSF). Astronomers in the United States have access to NOIRLab’s world-class facilities and NASA telescopes. They will also have access to the upcoming Vera Rubin Observatory and other large US astronomical projects. Members of the department have access to the local computer cluster and the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) for tasks that demand significant computational resources. The prospective candidate should be able to initiate a research program with the potential to secure external funding and provide mentorship to undergraduate and graduate students in the Ph.D. program. In addition, faculty members are anticipated to actively participate in both the educational and service initiatives of the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the University. Teaching responsibilities include the instruction of undergraduate and/or graduate-level courses. UTRGV has been ranked as one of the top public universities in Texas. As a leading Hispanic-Serving Institution in a bilingual and bicultural environment, UTRGV cultivates a welcoming environment to all members, while providing ample opportunities to thrive. We are seeking a dynamic and enthusiastic researcher that shares the vision of the university to be one of the nation’s leaders in higher education, creating a positive change in the Rio Grande Valley by providing outstanding education and performing cutting-edge research, someone who encourages and supports their students and is committed to their success. Applications will start to be reviewed on 30th November 2023 but we will continue accepting applications until the position is filled. The candidate should hold a PhD in Astronomy, Physics or related disciplines and a minimum of 2 years of postdoctoral experience. Complete applications should include a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, research statement, teaching statement and a short statement of how the applicant’s teaching, outreach, service, and/or academic/life experiences prepare them to help UTRGV students succeed and advance UTRGV’s vision. Candidates should also provide 3 references who could give letters of recommendation at a later stage. Please Note: Required Documents 1. Curriculum Vitae 2. List of 3 References 3. Letter of Interest 4. Unofficial Transcripts 5. Research statement 6. Teaching statement 7. Short statement of how the applicant’s teaching, outreach, service, and/or academic/life experiences prepare them to help UTRGV students succeed and advance UTRGV’s vision. |
| Minimum Qualifications | The candidate should hold a PhD in Astronomy, Physics or related disciplines and a minimum of 2 years of postdoctoral experience. |
| Discipline Specific Required Qualifications | |
| Preferred Qualifications | The candidate should hold a PhD in Astronomy, Physics or related disciplines and a minimum of 2 years of postdoctoral experience. |
| License or Certification Required? | Yes |
| Salary | Commensurate with Qualifications and Experience |
| Desired Start Date | 09/01/2024 |
Posting Detail Information
| EEO Statement | EEO Statement It is the policy of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to promote and ensure equal employment opportunities for all individuals without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information or protected veteran status. In accordance with the requirements of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, our University is committed to comply with all government requirements and ensures non-discrimination in its education programs and activities, including employment. We encourage women, minorities and differently abled persons to apply for employment positions of interest. |
|---|---|
| Open Date | 10/17/2023 |
| Close Date | 11/30/2023 |
| Additional Information | UTRGV is a distributed institution. As such and as assigned, the position may require presence at multiple locations throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Work is performed primarily in a general office environment. This position is security sensitive and thereby subject to the provisions of the Texas Education Code §51.215. The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. Department of Physics and Astronomy website: www.utrgv.edu/physics/ |
| Special Instructions to Applicants | Dear Applicant, Human Resources will not be held responsible for redacting any confidential information from the documents you attach with your application. The confidential information includes the following: *Date of Birth *Social Security Number *Gender *Ethnicity/Race Please make sure that you omit this information prior to submission. We are advising that Human Resources will be forwarding your application to the department as per your submission. Complete all sections on the application. If you are applying for the first time please complete all biographical information including address, email and phone. You may update this at any time by selecting to edit your profile in the application. Security sensitive; All UTRGV employees are required to have a criminal background check (CBC). CBCs will be conducted for all candidates invited for an on-campus interview. |
| Please Note | Please Note Texas law requires faculty members whose primary language is not English to demonstrate proficiency in English as determined by a satisfactory paper-based test score of 500 (computer-based of 173 or internet-based of 61) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or a satisfactory test score of 6.0 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Incomplete applications will not be considered. All positions are subject to budget approval. |
| Quick Link | https://careers.utrgv.edu/postings/40273 |
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