Chair Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability

Position: Chair of the Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability
Description

The Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability of the University of Oklahoma (OU) seeks an outstanding individual to serve as its Chair. The Department is internationally recognized for innovative, state-of-the-art education and research in geography, geographic information sciences, environmental sustainability, and environmental studies. Its research programs and external funding have grown substantially in the past decade and now surpass $4.4M in annual research expenditures.

The department includes 18 regular faculty, 52 on-campus graduate students and 20 online graduate students, and more than 129 undergraduate majors.

The Department is an academic program in the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences and is affiliated with the National Weather Center. The Department is located in the Sarkeys Energy Center on the University of Oklahoma's main campus. Vibrant research units led by Department faculty members include the South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center and the Center for Spatial Analysis. Faculty members also serve in leadership positions at the University of Oklahoma's Data Institute for Societal Challenges, Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program, and the Oklahoma Climatological Survey.

Community-engaged research connects Department faculty with Tribes, federal and state agencies, municipalities, businesses, and nonprofits, linking research directly with practical applications and extending learning beyond the classroom.

The Department seeks a Chair who will lead the continued advancement of its leadership position. The Chair must be an effective administrator, proactively work with all stakeholders to implement the vision for the Department; communicate collaboratively and effectively with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the University of Oklahoma Administration; and will interact closely with the Dean of the College to augment the Department's funding base from academic, government, foundation, and private sector sources.

Qualifications

Candidates must hold an earned doctorate (or equivalent) in a discipline broadly related to geography or environmental sustainability, ranging from the following: physical to social sciences, environmental science, geospatial data science, climatology, human-environment systems, or a closely allied field. The new Chair must have an academic record that would warrant appointment in the Department as a tenured faculty member at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor.

Ideal candidates should have a strong record of excellence in education; a distinguished record of scholarly achievement; demonstrated leadership and administrative skills; an appreciation of the varied research disciplines in the Department; and an ability to communicate effectively with faculty, staff, students, the Dean and other University administrators, alumni, and federal and industry partners. This position's start date is negotiable but would ideally begin on June 1, 2026.

Application Instructions

An application should include a letter of interest describing the applicant's views on teaching, research, leadership, and vision for the Department; a complete curriculum vitae; and the names and contact information for a minimum of three (3) references. Review of applications will begin on December 1, 2025; applications will be considered until the position is filled. You will complete the application at the link here:  Please contact the chair of the search committee Dean Robert Palmer (rpalmer) or his assistant Jo Ann Mehl (jmehl) with any questions.

Additional information may be obtained from the following web pages:(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). (University of Oklahoma); (College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences); and geography.ou.edu (Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability).