Faculty Member in Chemistry

Position Overview

College of the Atlantic (COA) seeks a full-time faculty member in chemistry to teach a wide range of courses to undergraduate students within our single interdisciplinary degree in human ecology. We seek a colleague who is actively interested in teaching and collaborating across disciplinary boundaries. The new faculty member will have curricular and creative control over the design of foundational and topical chemistry instruction for students at a variety of skill levels. Candidates at any career stage are welcome to apply. Candidates must have prior teaching experience and a Ph.D. in chemistry or a related field is required by the anticipated start date of September 1, 2027.

The successful candidate will teach sequences in general chemistry, organic chemistry, and environmental chemistry. We are also interested in courses on: materials science, chemistry of food, green chemistry, biochemistry, geochemistry, and/or other courses that explore the intersections of chemistry with the human experience as well as the wider academic domains of the sciences, arts, and humanities. The teaching load is five courses across three ten-week trimesters (e.g., 1-2-2). Other responsibilities include mentoring and advising students, supervising senior capstone projects and independent studies, and contributing to college governance. Candidates for this position will also be expected to direct the management of chemistry teaching facilities alongside colleagues and work-study students or teaching assistants.

All COA students design individualized, interdisciplinary degrees within our Bachelor of Arts in Human Ecology. We seek a colleague who is interested in collaborating on teaching and research projects across disciplines in order to offer challenging and engaging opportunities for students with a wide range of interests. We invite imaginative thinking about how candidates might use the college's flexible curricular structure to offer collaborative, experimental, experiential, or travel courses. COA faculty have the opportunity to develop curricular and co-curricular projects connected to the resources available on campus and in the surrounding area, including the Dorr Museum of Natural History, the College waterfront, the school's fleet of boats, Beech Hill and Peggy Rockefeller farms, and the Cox Protectorate; the College's field stations located on Great Duck Island, Mount Desert Rock, and in Willimantic, Maine; as well as the College's proximity to and relationship with Acadia National Park, the Jackson Laboratory, Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, and other local and regional communities and institutions.

Compensation & Appointment

Full-time (10-month), permanent, benefits eligible. Annual salary range is $75,000 to $105,000, commensurate with experience. Benefits package includes health, dental, and life insurance, retirement, vacation, short- and long-term disability, and College of the Atlantic tuition relief for the employee and dependents.

About College of the Atlantic

COA enriches the liberal arts tradition through a distinctive educational philosophy, human ecology, which integrates knowledge from all academic disciplines and from personal experience to investigate, and ultimately improve, the relationships between human beings and our social, natural, and built environments. Our approximately 350 students, 30 full-time faculty, and 75 staff members share a commitment to place-based, interdisciplinary, experiential learning.

Equal Opportunity

COA is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to fostering learning and working environments free from discrimination. The college adheres to all applicable state and federal equal opportunity laws and regulations, and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex or gender (including gender identity and expression), pregnancy, sexual orientation, religion, religious practices, mental or physical disability, genetic predisposition, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, veteran status, marital or partnership status, or any other legally protected status.

To Apply

Interested candidates should submit the following materials, combined as a single PDF, in this order:

• cover letter describing their interest in and unique qualifications for this position;
• curriculum vitae including contact information for three professional references;
• teaching statement describing (a) specific examples of their teaching experience and pedagogical approaches, (b) how they engage undergraduates as student researchers both inside and outside the classroom, and (c) how their experience will inform their teaching and advising at COA;
• brief course descriptions (course titles and one-paragraph descriptions, not syllabi) for three potential course offerings that would complement and extend the COA curriculum.

Submit your application here. Application review will begin on November 1, with successful candidates expected to visit campus for interviews in January and February 2027. Questions about the search can be directed to the search committee chair, Dr. Sarah Hall (shall@coa.edu).