Specialist - Teacher-Continuing

Lyman Briggs College (LBC) at Michigan State University (MSU) invites applications for a long-term, teaching-focused faculty position to join the college’s Biology Group starting August of 2025. MSU and LBC actively promote a dynamic working and learning environment in which qualified individuals of differing perspectives and cultural backgrounds pursue academic goals with mutual respect and shared inquiry. Candidates must have a master’s (minimum) or doctoral (desired) degree in biology (any subdiscipline), biology education, or closely related field by the start of employment. The successful candidate will be committed to high-quality and inclusive undergraduate biology teaching and will join the college’s ongoing efforts to improve undergraduate STEM education, particularly with respect to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEI&B). A scholarly approach to teaching students and mentoring student learning assistants is essential. 

The successful candidate will teach five or six courses every academic year. The LBC Biology Group offers introductory courses that include both lecture and laboratory components in both organismal biology and cellular and molecular biology. The lectures emphasize active learning and labs are typically inquiry-based; both are supported by undergraduate learning assistants. Biology faculty also offer an undergraduate research course and interdisciplinary, senior capstone courses. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work on teaching and learning projects (e.g., curriculum development, assessing the impacts of teaching innovation) as needs and interests arise.  

This position offers exciting opportunities for individuals interested in teaching in a liberal-arts style residential college embedded within a large “Big Ten” research-intensive university. Founded in 1967, LBC is an interdisciplinary undergraduate residential college within MSU that aims to transform what it means to be a scientist. There are approximately 2,000 LBC students engaging in a curriculum that integrates the natural sciences and mathematics with the human, social, and global dimensions of the sciences. The LBC student body is diverse, with 66% identifying as women and 31% identifying as students of an/multiple underrepresented racial/ethnic group. Additionally, 32% of LBC students are members of the MSU Honors College and 12% are first generation students. Faculty work closely with students in small classes (e.g., the largest biology lecture is <50 students), and the college is known as a place for interdisciplinary scholarship, teaching and learning, and engagement. The college boasts a dynamic community of students, staff, and faculty who make LBC an exceptional place to learn and work. As part of the LBC 2032 Strategic Plan, the college is committed to recruiting a diverse community of faculty, staff, and advisors that represent to our students and the larger community a wide range of identities, experiences, and fields of expertise. As such, applicants from all identity groups are invited and welcome to apply.  

The successful candidate will be an Academic Specialist in the Continuing Appointment System. LBC Academic Specialists are long-term, teaching-focused faculty who are outstanding instructors in the classroom, support curriculum improvement, and who support and mentor undergraduates. Academic Specialists also contribute professional service to the college and university, including membership on committees, have full voting rights in the college, are supported in their professional development, and follow a career progression (i.e., reappointment, reappointment with Continuing Status, promotion to Senior Academic Specialist). The successful candidate will start with a three-year probationary appointment that has the potential, after successful reappointment, to become a long-term position in the Academic Specialist Continuing Appointment System (for details see the MSU Academic Specialist Handbook at https://www.hr.msu.edu/policies-procedures/faculty-academic-staff/academic-specialist-handbook/cont_probationary_apps.html). Reappointment and continuing appointment decisions are based on performance reviews that include peer and student teaching evaluations.  

To ensure a holistic assessment of candidates, we request that applications include: 

1. a CV, including education background/qualifications; a list describing teaching and mentoring roles; leadership positions; contributions to the academic community; pedagogical training, certifications or workshops; and publications. 

1. a teaching portfolio that includes: 

1. A 2-page teaching statement that describes your core teaching values and examples of how they are or would be manifested in a typical biology course this statement should highlight the applicant's efforts to foster inclusive learning spaces and innovative pedagogies;  

1. An exemplar learning objective from a biology lecture or lab that includes 1) a lesson plan or brief description of a class activity designed to help students meet the learning objective and 2) a plan to assess student learning, as well as 3) an explanation of how these align with the learning objective 

1. a 1-2 page diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEI&B) statement that demonstrates an understanding of the barriers preventing full participation of underrepresented and/or marginalized groups in higher education; as well as how the applicant has previously, and shall in this new position, advance issues related to DEI&B in their teaching, service, and/or community  

1. a cover letter that frames the application in the context of this position in Lyman Briggs College  

In addition, contact information for three potential references will be asked for in the MSU’s application system. Recommenders will be contacted only for those candidates who are selected for pre-screens and/or interviews.