Visiting Assistant Professor in Environmental Science

Position Title

Visiting Assistant Professor in Environmental Science

About the University

Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive.

In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

About the College

Western's College of the Environment is the oldest interdisciplinary environmental studies college in the U.S. and is known nationally and internationally for its excellence in educating the next generation of environmental leaders. The College of the Environment's academic programs reflect a broad view of the physical, biological, social, and cultural world.

About the Department

The Department of Environmental Sciences offers degrees in Environmental Science at the undergraduate and master's level. The department values putting learners in active roles in real world contexts and recognizes the diverse kinds of professional expertise its faculty bring. The department maintains active relationships with community, agency, NGO, and private sector partners and is committed to diversity and excellence in our faculty, students, and staff.

We especially encourage candidates who share and can contribute to this commitment through active engagement in the department, university, and wider community. Detailed information for the Department of Environmental Sciences is available online. Many of the students continue in the field through graduate school, and in private and government professions. Regionally the graduates are well respected for their educational training.

The College of the Environment and Department of Environmental Sciences support Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we strive to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.

About the Position

The Department of Environmental Sciences at Western Washington University is inviting applications for a 9-month Visiting Assistant Professor from September 16, 2026 through June 15, 2027. We seek an environmental scientist with a demonstrated ability to teach a range of undergraduate and graduate courses. All areas of specialization will be considered, but the department is particularly seeking candidates with expertise and teaching interests in General Ecology, Environmental Disturbances, Watershed Biogeochemistry, Environmental Sampling, Plant and…