About UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region. (https://www.umass.edu/prospective-faculty/)

Job Summary

The Department of Environmental Conservation seeks talented applicants for a full-time (9-month academic year), non-tenure-track appointment as Lecturer in Wildlife Conservation. Start date is January 26, 2025 with an initial appointment for two years. The successful candidate will serve, as do all other faculty, as a mentor to students from underrepresented groups within the Department. The University of Massachusetts Amherst places special emphasis on faculty-student interaction and a commitment to teach and attract a diverse student body.

Essential Functions

Teaching responsibilities include 19 course credits per year encompassing roughly 5 courses, including some or all of the following courses: Introduction to Wildlife Conservation, Wildlife Sampling and Identification (a field-based lab course), Wildlife Habitat Management, Quantitative Ecology, and Vertebrate Field Ecology.  Service responsibilities, constituting roughly 20% of the appointment, will include undergraduate advising, serving on one or more departmental committees; committee assignments will be made in consultation with the successful candidate based on their interests and expertise.

Other Functions

• Work collaboratively and effectively to promote teamwork, diversity, equity, and inclusiveness. 
• Work in partnership with colleagues within the CNS community and across the campus to support the Dean’s strategic priorities.
• Perform other duties as assigned in support of the mission and goals of the College of Natural Sciences.

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum of three (3) years graduate education in any aspect of wildlife or animal ecology and conservation.
• Demonstrates an understanding of and commitment to the conservation of biological diversity.
• Demonstrates a strong commitment to undergraduate and graduate education, and a desire to excel as a teacher, mentor, and scientist whose interests are broad and support the pedagogy that allows students to gain the ability to analyze and solve complex problems in environmental sustainability.
• Creative and collaborative attitude.

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD and demonstrated teaching experience at the university level.

Additional Details

There is great potential to engage with an innovative teaching program that incorporates student-centered teaching and learning, and to conduct collaborative interdisciplinary research in ecology with faculty in Environmental Conservation and Organismic & Evolutionary Biology graduate programs as well as the School of Earth and Sustainability. The Department is committed to practices that enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion; successful applicants will gain experience and training in mentoring students from underrepresented groups in STEM.

The ECO department hosts a multi-disciplinary group of faculty with nationally ranked programs in Building and Construction Technology, Natural Resources Conservation, Environmental Science, and Sustainability Science. Our program has an established culture of collegiality and collaboration between faculty, students, staff, industry, and government partners. We place special emphasis on faculty-student interactions, interdisciplinary activities, and cooperation among faculty, and we share a fundamental commitment to teach and attract a diverse student body. Close working relationships with the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are well established within the department, on campus, and in the area.

Work Schedule

• Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 5:00pm.
• This is a 9-month, academic year, lecturer appointment with the earliest start date of January 26, 2025.

Salary Information:

• Salary will commensurate with skills and experience.

Application Instructions

Along with the application, please submit a cover letter, a curriculum vitae, a statement of teaching and mentoring, a statement of research interests, and a statement of Contributions to Inclusive Excellence (see below).

Search questions can be addressed to Professor Paige Warren at pswarren@umass.edu. Applicants should apply by the priority deadline of October 1, 2024 to ensure consideration.

At UMass Amherst and in CNS, we strive to be a community where every individual feels a sense of belonging, where every individual is included, and where every individual is valued. You can find these values and goals here: https://www.umass.edu/strategicplan/strategic-plan. For this reason, we request that all applicants submit a Contributions to Inclusive Excellence Statement that addresses how you see yourself contributing to our community and campus climate and/or our shared goals of building a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse community.

UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military status, or genetic information in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University.  To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans.  It is the policy of the UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.