Assistant Biology Professor

Overview

Starting August 2026 (subject to budgetary approval)

Department: Biology

Location: Sonoma

Work type: Instructional Faculty – Tenured/Tenure-Track

Job no: 551597

Categories: Unit 3 - CFA - California Faculty Association, Tenured/Tenure-Track, Full Time, Faculty - Natural Sciences, On-site (work in-person at business location)

Our Commitment

Sonoma State University is a federally-designated Hispanic Serving Institution. We are committed to achieving equal opportunity and to employing faculty and staff reflecting the linguistic, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the region and state. We value diversity, sustainability, community engagement, and adaptability. SSU is a public liberal arts and sciences university and the only member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges in California.

We prepare students for active citizenship and public service and support undergraduate research and other opportunities for students.

SSU is committed to creating a community with no bias or intolerance. We expect all students, faculty, and staff to honor this commitment and hold one another accountable to an open and inclusive environment. We aim to foster spaces for growth by building on students’ assets as they explore new knowledge, including creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, experimentation, empathy, and communication. The successful candidate will collaborate with faculty, staff, administration, and students to support these goals and will be committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

In addition to teaching and scholarship, faculty engage in service to the University, profession, and community. Responsibilities include advising students, participation in campus and system-wide communities, maintaining office hours, collaborating with colleagues, and participating in traditional academic functions. Sonoma State supports the Teacher/Scholar model and undergraduate research opportunities. Faculty are expected to contribute to the CSU Graduation Initiative 2025 through excellent teaching, advising, and mentoring.

During the first two years of the probationary period, the instructional assignment will be reduced by two courses per academic year to assist in establishing research, scholarship, and/or creative activities and to support retention, tenure, and promotion requirements. All faculty must be able to work effectively in a multicultural environment.

The Department of Biology offers B.A., B.S. and M.S. degrees and has 11 tenured or tenure-track faculty members conducting research in cell biology, ecology, molecular biology, genetics, marine biology, molecular immunology and physiology. The department houses a core DNA and genomics facility, cell culture facilities, microscopy instrumentation, a radiation lab, three greenhouses, and a recirculating seawater system. Faculty collaborate with scientists at other universities and with local and state agencies to achieve teaching and research goals.

The department has a strong record of graduating underrepresented and underserved students and offers a rigorous curriculum with high-quality opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to participate in research. See the department’s web page at:(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)./biology

The Department of Biology at Sonoma State University seeks to hire a tenure-track scientist in the broadly defined area of microbiology. Areas of interest may include bacteriology, microbial pathogenesis, host-pathogen interaction, microbial genetics, microbial physiology, microbiome, environmental microbiology, or microbial ecology.

The candidate is expected to develop and maintain an externally funded research program with the ability to attract and mentor students in our graduate program. We seek a dynamic teacher-scholar with a strong commitment to graduate and undergraduate education. The successful candidate may also mentor undergraduate students pursuing careers in biotechnology and biomedical fields. Teaching responsibilities include introductory, upper-division, and graduate classes, and for this position will include medical microbiology.

The candidate…