Assistant Professor - MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory

The Michigan State University-Department of Energy (MSU-DOE) Plant Research Laboratory (PRL) has a tenure-track position available at the Assistant Professor level. We seek to recruit a scientist whose research program focuses at least in part on fundamental biological questions and molecular mechanisms of plants, algae, or photosynthetic bacteria. The PRL engages in interdisciplinary research broadly aimed at improving the mechanistic understanding of photosynthetic organisms, as well as efforts to improve photosynthetic performance and productivity. PRL faculty aspire to contribute to interdisciplinary questions that are broader than those that can be addressed by a single research team, including but not limited to: “How do plants respond across dynamic environments, including changes in global climate?”; “How are photosynthetic processes coordinated over multiple scales (e.g., subcompartments, cells, tissues) to efficiently allocate resources for organism growth and development?”; and, “How can forward-looking bioengineering strategies be leveraged to elucidate fundamental mechanistic principles, to enhance plant performance, and enable sustainable technologies?” More information on the breadth of the PRL mission is available at https://prl.natsci.msu.edu/research-tech/research-projects/.

The PRL is a highly collaborative environment for conducting creative and rigorous research. Our ideal future colleague will expand the expertise at the PRL through their leadership of an independent research program contributing to the understanding of the biology of photosynthetic organisms - and which may extend more broadly beyond photosynthetic organisms. We seek a colleague who will engage in our tradition of collaborative, interdisciplinary research, participate in ongoing PRL-wide research supported by the DOE, and contribute their unique perspective to PRL’s community. PRL faculty have twelve-month, continuing appointments and are full members of the MSU tenure-stream faculty and jointly appointed in an academic department.

Applicants must have a PhD and postdoctoral research experience. Applications should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and a statement of past research accomplishments and future research plans totaling up to 5 pages. A statement of teaching and mentoring experience and philosophy (up to 2 pages) should also be provided. Applicants should include expressions of their interests and/or efforts in furthering diversity and inclusion within the context of both their research and teaching statements (e.g., through mentoring, pedagogy, outreach, etc.). Contact information for three referees should also be provided. Application materials should be submitted as a single PDF file through the MSU applicant page at https://jobs.msu.edu (position # 722357: https://careers.msu.edu/en-us/job/507559/assistant-professortenure-system). Questions regarding this position should be directed to the chair of the search committee, Daniel Ducat (ducatdan@msu.edu). Consideration of applications will begin on October 1, 2021.

MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer and is committed to achieving excellence through diversity. The University actively encourages applications of women, persons of color, veterans, and persons with disabilities, and we endeavor to facilitate employment assistance to spouses or partners of candidates for faculty and academic staff positions.