Assistant Professor

Position Function:

The Department of Biological Sciences at Mississippi State University (MSU) invites applicants for 9-month, tenure-track Assistant Professor positions. We anticipate hires in two broad research areas, Microbiology and Evo-devo.

Salary Grade: UC

For salary grade UC, these positions are "Unclassified" and salary ranges are determined by the hiring department.

Area of Specialization:

Microbiology and Evo-devo.

Anticipated Appointment Date:

August 16, 2026

Tenure Track Status:

Tenure-Track

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Successful candidates are expected to establish an externally funded research program and contribute to the service mission of the department. Faculty are also expected to teach one course each semester in support of the undergraduate and graduate curricula (M.S. and Ph.D.). Appointment will be at the rank of Assistant Professor (tenure-track) with an anticipated start date of August 16, 2026. We further encourage applicants who are passionate scholars conducting hypothesis-driven research, especially those involving interdisciplinary and collaborative initiatives.

We are also interested in candidates that combine wet lab or field-based research with computational or quantitative approaches.

Minimum Qualifications:

Minimum requirements include a Ph.D. in a relevant field and evidence of sustained productivity and teaching competence.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Microbiology position:

We seek candidates studying fundamental questions in microbiology or host-microbe interactions/microbiome sciences, including but not limited to bacteriology, eukaryotic microbiology, virology, pathogenesis, immunology, microbial ecology, and environmental microbiology.

Evo-devo position:

We seek candidates studying fundamental questions in the evolution of development, including but not limited to genetic regulation, phenotypic novelty, epigenetics, phenotypic plasticity, and evolution of behavior. Candidates studying model or non-model organisms are equally encouraged to apply.

Working Conditions and Physical Effort

The majority of the work is performed in a classroom or lab environment. Some duties include hands on instruction, which could involve moderate exposure to extreme temperatures, dirt, dust, unpleasant odors, and/or loud noises.

Department Profile

The Department of Biological Sciences provides in-house research infrastructure including new imaging and high-performance computing resources. Core facilities within the department also include a BSL-2 AALAC-accredited animal care facility, a forest reserve, and common-use molecular and imaging facilities. The department also houses the Mississippi State University herbarium (MISSA), which is part of a campus-wide museums and galleries group ((Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).).

The department offers B.S. (Biological Sciences, Medical Technology, and Microbiology), M.S., and Ph.D. (Biological Sciences, Computational Biology) degrees. Faculty in the department have diverse research interests in bioinformatics, cell biology, developmental biology, ecology, evolutionary biology, genetics, microbiology, and systematics, and have been recently funded by a variety of agencies including NIH, NSF (including four current CAREER awards), DOE, DARPA, USDA, USDT, and DOJ, as well as state and private organizations.

Biology faculty interact with other campus research centers and institutes () and have ongoing collaborations involving all eight of the university's colleges.

Mississippi State University is a comprehensive Carnegie R1 "Very High Research Activity" campus and a top-100 university by research expenditure. The campus is situated in a small, inclusive community boasting an exceptional standard of living (). Within a short drive of Starkville are more than 120,000 acres of state and federal natural areas, with abundant opportunities for research and recreation. This includes the Sam

D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge (https://), and the Tombigbee National Forest. We are Mississippi's land-grant institution and principal research…