JOB SUMMARY

Southern Nazarene University (SNU) is seeking to fill a full-time professor position in the Department of Biology at the rank of assistant, associate, or full professor beginning July 1, 2025. Applications will be reviewed in the spring semester and continue until the position is filled.

THE BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT & FACILITIES

SNU is committed to offering a variety of high-quality coursework to prepare students for successful admission into graduate and professional programs. The SNU Biology Department offers B.S. degrees in Biology, Biology-Chemistry (as a joint major with the Chemistry Department), and Environmental Science. SNU Biology Department, labs and offices included, is housed within the JD and Mary West Science Building. In addition to dedicated lab spaces and equipment for undergraduate coursework, the Faculty Research Lab offers additional opportunities for independent research projects in which students can also become involved under the mentorship of faculty. Both intramural and extramural funding opportunities exist for faculty interested in developing research projects with our students. SNU and the Biology Department owns and maintains the Quetzal Educational Research Center (QERC) field station in Costa Rica, a 4000 sq. ft. laboratory, classroom, and dormitory complex situated on a 400-acre site along the Savegre River in San Gerardo de Dota. Located within a protected UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, QERC is the site of our transformative spring semester study abroad experience where SNU students take multiple courses spanning intercultural studies, tropical ecology, and conservation biology through a Christian lens while also engaging in primary field research within a high elevation Cloud Forest, with access to endemic species, environmental monitoring, a dedicated research land plot, primary Oak forest, nascentrivers, etc. Costa Rica is among the most biodiverse countries in the world, and we are privileged to offer these opportunities to SNU students and faculty. In addition to our own facilities, our Bethany campus is well-suited to take advantage of various nature centers and wildlife refuges within the state that particularly benefit the Environmental Science program by providing opportunities for a variety of coursework and faculty research experiences alike.

Here’s a sampling:

• Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge is located 3 miles away (Oklahoma City, OK) and offers a wide variety of aquatic and terrestrial field work opportunities. 
• Martin Park Nature Center is located 7 miles away (Oklahoma City, OK) and offers several wooded trails in a suburban environment 
• Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is located about 80 miles away (Indiahoma, OK) and provides approximately 60,000 acres of mixed grass prairie, ancient granite mountains, and freshwater lakes and streams. 
• Deep Fork National Wildlife Refuge is located about 90 miles away (Okmulgee, OK) and contains some of the last remaining bottomland hardwood forest in Oklahoma within the floodbed of the Canadian River. 
• Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge is located about 90 miles away (Jet, OK) provides over 32,000 acres of wetlands, prairie, and salt flats. This is a significant site for sandhill cranes, ducks, shorebirds, and some endangered whooping cranes.

An ideal candidate will enrich the SNU Biology Department by adopting a collaborative spirit, interdisciplinary mindset, and Christlike approach while contributing their unique expertise and perspectives to the team for the benefit of students and colleagues alike.

Essential Functions: 

• Teach courses contributing to the Environmental Science and Biology majors. Specific courses include (but are not limited to): General Ecology, Environmental Sustainability, Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, freshman biology for majors, and others (especially field courses) related to the applicant’s research or specialty. 
• Teach a 1-2 week module of a field biology course on-site at our Quetzal Education and Research Center (QERC) in Costa Rica as part of the SNU spring semester study abroad program. Additional opportunities to lead undergraduate research projects at QERC are also available. 
• Mentor and advise students in academic and research endeavors 
• Participate in departmental and university events, leadership, and service 
• Serve as the (remote) SNU representative to the Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies in Mancelona, Michigan in an effort to expand field biology experience opportunities for SNU students.

Required Qualifications:

Southern Nazarene University is an expression of the Church of the Nazarene. According to SNU policy, all faculty and staff must profess faith in Jesus Christ, possess a strong personal Christian commitment and be committed to the SNU mission to make Christlike disciples through higher education in a Christ centered community. Candidates must also demonstrate/hold: 

• A strong commitment to pursuing academic excellence and an enthusiasm for teaching and interacting with undergraduates in a Christian liberal arts university in the Wesleyan tradition. 
• An appreciation for the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion and demonstrate these values in daily life. 
• A demonstrated ability to integrate modern scientific understanding with personal faith, effectively presenting both in harmony through engaging, complementary approaches tailored to resonate with undergraduate students.
• A Ph.D.(ABD or other terminal degree considered) in biology or a related field to suit the position's teaching responsibilities with a demonstrated record of field research experience included. 

Flexible posture towards multiple teaching modalities including but not limited to active learning, flipped classroom, online teaching components, etc.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Teaching and post-doctoral research experience are strongly desired. 
• Specialty/research focus that combines significant field components with modern laboratory techniques.

About Southern Nazarene University

Southern Nazarene University's (SNU) mission is to make Christlike disciples through higher education in Christ-centered community.

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