Professor of Indigenous Conservation

Overview

The Rob Walton School of Conservation Futures (SCF) in the Rob Walton College of Global Futures (CGF) at Arizona State University invites applications for a full‑time, academic‑year faculty appointment. This is a tenured/tenure‑track position at the rank of assistant, associate, or full professor with an anticipated start in Fall 2026.

The Rob Walton School of Conservation Futures is a first‑of‑a‑kind transdisciplinary school at the vanguard of redefining conservation as a field. It is part of the Rob Walton College of Global Futures, the academic cornerstone of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory  school will transform teaching and learning systems in conservation science to protect and restore the richness of life on our complex and rapidly changing planet.

It will value, uplift, and apply a wide array of worldviews, knowledge systems, and conservation practices to build and advance a global conservation community and workforce that reflects the local and global communities it serves. In partnership with a variety of organizations and industry across the conservation sector, the school will serve a range of learners, including conservation organization employees, executives at multinational corporations, youth leaders, policymakers, and undergraduate and graduate students.

Faculty will build an engaging and innovative curriculum that includes real‑world skills, digital, hybrid, experiential, and place‑based learning, as well as new technologies that build upon the application and theory of conservation science.

This position is part of the new School’s commitment to advancing research, teaching, and partnerships that support Indigenous‑led conservation, multiple knowledge systems, community land stewardship, and environmental governance. The successful candidate will contribute to transdisciplinary collaborations across fields such as Ecology, Sustainability, Environmental Science, Anthropology, Geography, Native American and Indigenous Studies, Forestry, or Public Policy.

Candidates whose work addresses issues such as biocultural conservation, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Indigenous land stewardship and management, climate resilience, restoration ecology, co‑management, Indigenous food systems, environmental justice, or Indigenous governance of natural resources are especially encouraged to apply.

Successful candidates will demonstrate a strong commitment to catalyzing interdisciplinary, solution‑oriented research that advances protection, sustainable management, and large‑scale restoration of natural systems; mentor and attract multidisciplinary teams of scholars and trainees; secure and leverage external funding and partnerships across academia, government, industry, and communities; and contribute to strategic program development, infrastructure growth, and translational pathways that move science into effective conservation policy and practice.

• Conduct research that is ethical, collaborative, and accountable to Indigenous communities and Tribal Nations.
• Contribute to strategic program development, infrastructure growth, and translational pathways that move science into effective conservation policy and practice.
• Engage in transdisciplinary collaborations across the university and with key SCF partners and communities, including government, Tribal Nations, NGOs, and industry.
• Produce peer‑reviewed and community‑based scholarship and pursue externally funded research.
• Advance biocultural conservation, Indigenous ecological knowledge, land stewardship, and Indigenous environmental governance.

Successful candidates will demonstrate excellence in developing innovative, competency‑based courses and experiential learning opportunities that prepare future conservation practitioners for real‑world career paths, including field training, project‑based instruction, internships, and partnerships with government, NGOs, and industry. Candidates should be committed to inclusive teaching practices, mentoring an inclusive student body,…