Assistant​/Associate Professor in Social Science & Sustainability

Job Description

The Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant or Associate Professor position in Social Science and Sustainability. We seek a collaborative and innovative social scientist whose work addresses the human dimensions of sustainability with an emphasis on natural resource management, environmental conservation, and/or environmental governance. The specific topic of sustainability research is open, and we welcome diverse candidates whose substantive and methodological expertise complements and strengthens our program.

This position will contribute to our department’s ongoing efforts to integrate rigorous social science into our interdisciplinary curriculum and research portfolio. The successful candidate must develop a productive externally funded research program and teach undergraduate and graduate courses in areas such as leadership for sustainability and other topics aligned with their expertise. Individuals must have a PhD in a social science field relevant to sustainability.

• Develop and maintain a robust, externally funded research program focused on the human dimensions of sustainability.
• Engage in interdisciplinary collaboration across campus and with external stakeholders, such as natural resource agencies, NGOs, and community organizations.
• Advise and mentor graduate students.

• Teach 2–3 courses per academic year relevant to the Environmental Conservation & Society major, with a specific expectation to teach “FREC 2554 Leadership for Global Sustainability”.
• Contribute to curriculum development and departmental service.

The Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech is one of the top forestry, natural resource management, and conservation programs in the United States. Our vision, mission, and values statements can be found here: (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). We are an inclusive and collaborative department that values knowledge and innovation; ethics and integrity; diversity and inclusivity; opportunity and affordability; and sustainability.

Our exceptional education, research, and outreach programs are diverse and approach critical natural resource issues from many perspectives. The department offers master's and doctoral programs, as well as five undergraduate majors: environmental conservation and society, environmental data science, environmental resource management, forestry, and water resources policy and management. Faculty research areas of focus include forest biometrics, modeling, and remote sensing;

forest biology, physiology, and genomics; ecology, silviculture, and wildland fire; hydrology, soils, and watershed management; forest management, operations, and business; resource economics and policy; human dimensions of natural resources and sustainability; environmental education, interpretation, and communication; and urban forestry. Department faculty also are engaged with industrial cooperatives, as well as extension and outreach efforts such as landowner education, SHARP logger, Master Naturalist, learning networks focused on environmental education and interpretation, and geospatial education programs.

• PhD by appointment date in a social science field relevant to sustainability, natural resource management, or a closely related field.

• Demonstrated commitment to or excellence in teaching or designing courses related to environmental sustainability at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
• Demonstrated potential for, or success in, securing external…