Assistant Professor of Forest Ecology and Management

Assistant Professor of Forest Ecology and Management

Join to apply for the Assistant Professor of Forest Ecology and Management role at Northern Arizona University
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This position is an on-site position which requires the incumbent to complete their work primarily at an NAU site, campus, or facility with or without accommodation. Opportunities for remote work are rare.

The School of Forestry (SoF) has 21 faculty (tenure-, teaching- and research-track) administering an SAF-accredited Forestry BS degree plus an active graduate research program in forestry (including an online MF, an in-person MF, and MS and PhD degrees). Our well‑equipped facility jointly houses the School of Forestry, the Ecological Restoration Institute, Centennial Forest (education and research forest), and shares space with the USDA Forest Service, including Rocky Mountain Research Station, Forest Health Protection, and other agency staff.

The School of Forestry at Northern Arizona University invites applications for the position of Assistant Professor of Forest Ecology & Management. This position is a 9‑month, tenure‑eligible appointment (40‑50% Teaching, 40‑50% Research, 10% Service). We seek an applicant with expertise in forestry, forest/rangeland ecology, and/or forest and natural resource management, broadly defined, whose interests will support, build, and complement the School of Forestry's and NAU's programs in these and related areas.

The successful applicant will be expected to teach courses in support of our undergraduate and graduate forestry programs, develop a productive, externally funded research program, advise graduate students (MF, MS, and PhD), and serve the School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, and the profession. The anticipated start date for this position is August 17th, 2026.

• Teach in‑person and online courses on our Flagstaff Mountain campus in support of our undergraduate and graduate forestry programs.
• Teaching responsibilities and opportunities include the broad scope of forest ecology, disturbance ecology, forest management, and other forestry‑related courses.
• Develop a productive, externally funded research program focused on challenges related to forest adaptation to climate change, accelerating post‑fire recovery, managing carbon, implementing forest management strategies, and restoring landscapes at scale faced by the state of AZ and the western United States and other regions more broadly.
• Advise graduate students (MF, MS, and PhD).
• Serve on committees in the School of Forestry, the College of Forestry, Environment, and Natural Sciences, and NAU and/or serve as student club advisor.
• Provide service to the broader forestry profession.

• Ph.D. in Forestry, Ecology, Natural Resource Management, or a closely related field conferred by the start date.
• At least one degree in Forestry (BS, MF, MS and/or PhD).
• A combination of related education, experience, and training may be used as an equivalent to the above Minimum Qualifications.

• Bachelor's degree in Forestry.
• Demonstrated record of securing, or evidence of the potential to secure, external funding to support research.
• Demonstrated research experience in critically important topics such as forest adaptation to climate change, accelerating post‑fire recovery, managing carbon, implementing forest management strategies, and restoring landscapes at scale faced by the state of AZ and the western United States and other regions more broadly.
• Professional experience working in forest ecology and management or demonstrating experience collaborating or otherwise interacting with forest or land managers.
• Demonstrated excellence in communication skills and the ability to work with interdisciplinary teams in a collaborative setting.
• Experience teaching at the university level.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of forest ecology and management.
• Knowledge of research proposal and budget development and policy compliance.
• Knowledge of best practices in teaching and learning in traditional, online, and hybrid classroom environments.

Skills

• Effective verbal and written communication abilities.

Abilities

• Ability to develop an externally funded research program in forest ecology and management.
• Ability to mentor students and teach a variety of forestry courses across undergraduate and graduate levels.
• Ability to collaborate with diverse teams, including forest and land managers, non‑profit organizations and industry partners.

Budgeted salary is $72,500.

Northern Arizona University requires satisfactory results for the following: a criminal background in