The Lafayette College Department of Chemistry is searching for a tenure-track faculty member to join the department beginning the 2025-2026 academic year. We seek a biochemist who will complement our current expertise with shared teaching duties in the biochemistry sequence. The individual will also contribute to courses in introductory chemistry and the Lafayette Common Course of Study. Applicants should identify in their application materials departmental courses that they are well-qualified to teach. Successful candidates are expected to develop an active research program involving undergraduate students that complements other areas of research emphasis in the department. The position will be at the assistant professor rank. Candidates must have a Ph.D. degree in biochemistry or closely related field. Postdoctoral and full-course teaching experience are preferred.
The normal faculty teaching load at Lafayette College is three courses one semester and two courses the other semester (3:2) but with a reduced load (2:2) in the first year. Laboratory contact hours are counted on a one-half basis when calculating teaching hours, so two three-hour laboratory sections are considered equivalent to a lecture course. Although not normally in the first year, other responsibilities will include student academic advising and service on College committees.
New faculty are expected to initiate a research program during their first year at the College, with startup support provided to assist in establishing a research laboratory. Active involvement of our students in the faculty member’s research program is expected. Typically, 15-20 undergraduate students per year carry out research in the department for academic credit or salary during the academic year. The College supports a summer, January interim, and academic year research program (EXCEL Scholars and Bergh Family Fellows programs) that provides salary for qualified students involved in research. Members of the chemistry department have been successful in developing research programs that result in jointly-authored student-faculty papers published in refereed research journals and presented at national and regional conferences. , Their research has been supported by grants from various funding agencies. The Department of Chemistry Tenure and Promotion Guidelines summarize the departmental position on how the various elements of the record of scholarship are valued by the Department of Chemistry.
Applicants should upload their materials at http://apply.interfolio.com/149897. Applicants should provide a cover letter, curriculum vitae, a statement of teaching expertise and philosophy (1-2 pages), a summary of a proposed research program (3-4 pages) including a preliminary breakdown of startup cost estimates, and they should arrange for three letters of recommendation to be submitted by the evaluators by October 4, 2024 to receive full consideration. In the cover letter candidates should address how their scholarship, teaching, mentoring, and/or service will support Lafayette College’s commitment to diversity and inclusion articulated in the College’s (https://about.lafayette.edu/diversity-statement/) and Department’s diversity statements (https://chemistry.lafayette.edu/dei-statement). Prospective applicants with inquiries about the position can contact Chip Nataro, Marshall R. Metzgar Professor, Head of Chemistry, and Chair of the Search Committee at nataroc@lafayette.edu or 610-330-5216.
Lafayette College was founded in 1826 in Easton, Pennsylvania, a city of about 30,000 residents. Easton is located in the Lehigh Valley, with a total population of around 840,000, about 70 miles west of New York City and 60 miles north of Philadelphia. Lafayette is an independent, undergraduate, coeducational, residential highly selective liberal arts college that offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in 34 fields and Bachelor of Science degrees in 10 fields of science and 5 fields of engineering. Total enrollment is approximately 2,700 students. Enrollees are from 44 U.S. states and territories and 60 countries, and there is a 10 to 1 student/faculty ratio. The faculty includes 247 full-time members with 98% holding the doctorate or other terminal degree. The Lafayette College endowment is valued at over $1 billion. Lafayette College is committed to creating a diverse community: one that is inclusive and responsive, and is supportive of each and all of its students, staff, and faculty. All members of the College community share a responsibility for creating, maintaining, and developing a learning environment in which difference is valued, equity is sought, and inclusiveness is practiced. All Lafayette operations reflect the College’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion (DEAI) initiatives, and Lafayette welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds
The Lafayette College Department of Chemistry offers Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts majors in both Chemistry and Biochemistry, and students completing the B.S. Chemistry program are certified by the American Chemical Society. There are no graduate programs at Lafayette College.
The Department of Chemistry and Department of Physics both occupy Hugel Science Center, which was completed in 2001. This building houses lecture halls and classrooms for chemistry and physics, seminar rooms, dedicated laboratories for teaching general, analytical, biochemistry, organic, physical and inorganic chemistry, numerous instrument rooms, offices and chemical storage areas, and multiple instrument rooms and research laboratories. Each faculty member supervises a research laboratory for collaborative faculty/student research. All departmental instrumentation and equipment is available for use by properly trained students, and is shared among the faculty.
Support is provided by a department secretary, a departmental technician, as well as information technology staff, electronics and machine shop technicians. Our stockrooms are supervised by a technician who aids in preparing reagents and equipment for course laboratories, maintains an inventory of chemicals and supplies, and coordinates chemical waste disposal. Our staff includes an Instrumentation/Laboratory Specialist with a Ph.D. degree in analytical chemistry, whose duties include teaching some laboratories, supporting faculty in the setup, operation and performance testing of instruments, training students in the proper use of instrumentation, assisting faculty with the testing and implementation of new laboratory experiments, and working with faculty in the application of research and teaching instrumentation.
The Department of Chemistry is staffed with ten full-time tenure-track faculty positions, one full-time lecturer, and three administrative staff positions that include laboratory teaching among their responsibilities. All of these individuals hold the Ph.D. degree, and include faculty with a range of expertise that spans the chemical subdivisions. Seven of the faculty positions are currently held by tenured faculty members, and there are three continuing tenure-track assistant professors. The full-time administrative positions in the department include an Instrumentation/Laboratory Specialist, a General Chemistry Laboratory Coordinator, and an Organic Chemistry Laboratory Coordinator.
Lafayette College has a merit-based tenure system with criteria based on teaching, scholarship, and College, departmental, and professional service. A one-semester junior faculty research leave is available following a successful mid-term review, normally in the third year of service. College-wide policies regarding tenure and promotion are described in detail in the Lafayette College Faculty Handbook (see https://provost.lafayette.edu ),as well as the Department of Chemistry statement of departmental promotion criteria in the Department of Chemistry Tenure and Promotion Scholarship Guidelines.
Lafayette College offers a competitive benefit program for employees, and those policies and programs are described in detail in the Faculty Handbook and in the Department of Human Resources Benefits web page. In addition, College-owned rental properties are leased to new employees on an as-available basis, and the Lafayette College Early Learning Center is located on campus, also on an as-available basis.
More detailed information about departmental major programs, courses, faculty, staff, instrumentation and facilities is available on the departmental web page at http://chemistry.lafayette.edu/.