Associate Professor

• three publications that demonstrate scholarly accomplishment and/or public scholarship in their area of research;
• a sample syllabus and core assignment/activity that exhibits an emphasis on community-engaged science teaching and learning (e.g., community co-design, place-based science, youth participatory STEM, etc.)

Please note:

We will ask for the names of four professional references, teaching evaluations, and a teaching and service statement at a later stage in the process.

Questions may be referred to the Chair of the Search Committee, Professor Jon Wargo at:
Marsal-Search-Community-Engaged-Science-Education

Final date to receive applications is August 29, 2026 at 11:55 pm EST.

The Marsal Family School of Education at the University of Michigan seeks a mid-career colleague for a tenure-track appointment at the rank of associate professor in Educational Studies with a focus on science teaching and/or the learning sciences
.

Candidates should have a strong grounding in science education with an emphasis on community-engaged and/or place-based education, a rich understanding of and engagement with the cultures and practices of science, and expertise in and commitment to science education and the learning sciences. The new faculty member should, through their research, teaching, and/or service, contribute to the teaching and learning of science in a society that is increasingly diverse, whose schools and communities are inequitably resourced, and whose children have unequal opportunities both in and out of school.

Candidates should have a track record of securing external funding for their scholarly agenda.

Successful candidates might reflect a range of interests and backgrounds. For example, the faculty member might:

• Design learning environments to engage children and youth in sense making around consequential educational and social justice issues, such as climate change or health and well-being.
• Partner with local community groups, environmental justice organizations, or city agencies to engage youth, families, and other area stakeholders in studying and addressing urban issues such as air quality, heat islands, transportation, food systems, or water infrastructure.
• Examine how urban ecologies, histories, and sociopolitical contexts shape learners' opportunities to participate in science and leverage these contexts to design more equitable learning environments.

Focus on the intersection of science education, science learning, and educational policy, examining levers for reform in science teaching and learning.

Note that these areas of interest are meant to be examples and do not reflect an exhaustive list of possible foci for successful candidates.

The position will be within our Educational Studies program and will involve teaching courses in the undergraduate Education Minor and/or the MA and PhD programs (50%), as well as the Learning, Equity, and Problem Solving for the Public Good (LEAPS) undergraduate program (50%). Undergraduate and graduate courses would focus on learning, the design of learning environments, teaching and curriculum, and specialization courses in science education.

The position also involves supervising dissertations, fostering the development of science education students as scholars, researchers, and teacher educators, and supporting science education students on research projects. In the LEAPS program specifically, and in concert with other faculty, this position will involve (a) teaching Science in the City and/or related courses; and (b) supporting programmatic needs. Successful candidates will work across Educational Studies programs, helping to maintain and further our reputation for excellence in content-area teaching and learning in science education and the learning sciences.

• a doctorate in science education, the learning sciences, or a demonstrable equivalent;
• strong grounding in science education and place-based and/or community-engaged research;
• sustained experience with securing grants to support research;
• experience teaching at the K-12 level and higher education level;
• an established program of research and publication in science education and the…