Assistant Professor (Molecular Biology)

Position Title: Assistant Professor (Molecular Biology)

Department: Biology

Campus Location: Washburn University

Position Summary:

Washburn University's Department of Biology invites applications for a tenure-track position as assistant professor of Biology, with a specialization in molecular biology, to begin August 1, 2027. This is a full-time, nine-month, tenure-track position with a renewable annual contract.

The selected candidate will have a demonstrated commitment to pursuing teaching excellence at Washburn University, including a dedication to developing inclusive teaching practices that engage all learners.

The Washburn Biology Department offers degrees in the following majors: general biology, environmental biology, forensic biology, molecular biology & biotechnology, and biology secondary education. In addition, the department teaches several service courses that support programs in Nursing, Kinesiology, and Allied Health, among others. The successful candidate will be expected to collaborate pedagogically with a cohesive team of student-centered faculty.

About Washburn University: 

Washburn University is a teaching-focused, student-centered, public institution located in the metropolitan setting of Topeka that has earned national recognition for its high-impact programs for first-generation students. Washburn has a student body of just over 7,000 students, a significant and growing number of whom are first-generation and Pell-Grant eligible. The University has created educational pathways for all students to be successful and achieve their educational goals.

Washburn is dedicated to recruiting and retaining a dynamic faculty, staff, and student body and cultivating a robust learning and working environment and curriculum. We employ more than one thousand faculty and staff on our campuses throughout Topeka and strive to offer competitive wages, an excellent benefits program, and a supportive culture and a healthy work/life balance. Washburn seeks to create an environment that reflects our core values for creating positive IMPACT: inclusion, modernization, partnership, achievement, community and transformation. In 2024, Washburn was recognized as one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, according to Great Colleges to Work For® program.

Essential Functions:
• Fulfill teaching expectations associated with tenure-track appointment. Teach 12-faculty load hours per semester (either in-person or online, according to departmental needs) or equivalent full workload as outlined in the faculty handbook.
• Teach and develop undergraduate classes as assigned and as dependent upon department needs, which may include introductory human biology lecture and lab, moleculary genetics, molecular biology lecture and lab, and general cellular biology, in addition to other courses consistent with the candidate’s training and interests.
• Fulfill scholarship expectations associated with a tenure-track appointment.
• Fulfill service expectations associated with tenure-track appointment by engaging in service activities in the department, university, and/or profession.
• Establish a research program involving undergraduates.
• Mentor and advise students interested in pursuing a variety of careers.
• Perform additional job-related duties as assigned or as appropriate.

Required Qualifications:
• Doctoral degree in Molecular Biology, Biology, or closely related field. ABD applicants will be considered, with completion of the doctorate by August 1, 2028.
• Demonstrated dedication to developing inclusive teaching practices that engage all learners.
• Experience or potential for research in molecular biology or related discipline.
• Official educational transcripts required at the time of hire.

Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience teaching at the university level.
• Teaching experience and course development in the areas of genetics, molecular biology, and cellular biology.
• Experience or potential for service at the departmental, university, and/or professional level
• Experience or potential to involve undergraduate students in research projects.

Special Instructions to Applicants:

• Please upload the following items as .pdf files to the “additional documents” field via the electronic application: a letter of interest, statement of teaching philosophy with inclusive teaching practices, evidence of teaching effectiveness (such as student or peer evaluations), and an outline of research plans – especially those involving undergraduates. Contact information for three current professional references should be entered into specific fields of the online application.
• If you have questions about the position, please contact Dr. Joan Klages, Chair, Molecular Biology Search Committee joan.klages@washburn.edu.

Application Deadline:  Application review will begin as applications are received and will continue until the position is filled. Applicants can be assured of full consideration if submitted by November 13, 2026.

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