Assistant/Associate/Full Professor Tenure System

Working/Functional Title

Assistant/Associate/Full Professor Tenure System

Position Summary

The Department of Integrative Biology (IBIO) at Michigan State University (https://integrativebiology.msu.edu) invites applications from visionary and accomplished scientists for a tenure-system position at the rank of Associate or Full Professor in Rapid Organismal Change. The successful candidate will play a defining leadership role in establishing and directing a new interdisciplinary research center focused on understanding how animals respond to rapid change in their biotic and abiotic environments.

We seek an exceptional scientist and intellectual leader who can bring together scholars with diverse areas of expertise, forge ambitious research collaborations, and build a nationally and internationally recognized program in organismal biology. This appointment offers a unique opportunity to shape the scientific direction, collaborative culture, and future growth of an emerging research focus at MSU.

Some organisms thrive in the face of rapid environmental change while others fail to persist. Understanding  the bases of these different responses has emerged as a national research priority. How organisms build resilience within their lifetimes through plasticity, physiology, and behavior, and across generations through population-level processes and adaptive evolution determines which populations and species persist. MSU is well-positioned to lead in this realm by pairing a deep tradition in organismal biology with the field, experimental, theoretical, and computational capacity needed to understand resilience well enough to predict it.

Integrative Biology faculty regularly cross disciplinary boundaries, integrating genomes, physiology, behavior, evolution, and ecology to understand organisms and their associated habitats/environments as whole systems. We welcome applicants working in any animal system and subdiscipline of integrative biology, but we are particularly interested in candidates whose research and leadership vision push that integration further to open new avenues for discovery and collaboration.

Leadership Opportunity

A central expectation of this position is to lead the development of a new interdisciplinary center for research on rapid organismal change, drawing upon existing strengths within the Department of Integrative Biology and across MSU. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to define the center's intellectual identity, establish its scientific priorities, cultivate institutional and external partnerships, and develop a sustainable strategy for growth and impact.

We seek candidates with demonstrated success in collaborating and/or leading initiatives that extend beyond their own research programs. Such experience may include building interdisciplinary research collaborations, leading multi-investigator projects or research networks, developing shared research infrastructure or training programs, and/or organizing other substantial scientific initiatives.

The successful candidate will be expected to articulate and pursue a compelling vision that:

• Unites researchers from diverse disciplines around ambitious scientific questions that cannot be adequately addressed by individual laboratories alone.
• Leverages and expands existing strengths at MSU while creating opportunities for new scientific directions.
• Builds an engaged, collaborative intellectual community that supports faculty, students, and external partners.
• Pursues opportunities for significant extramural funding, interdisciplinary training, and national and international research partnerships.
• Establishes a distinctive scientific identity and long-term trajectory for the emerging center.

We are especially interested in candidates who combine scientific ambition with a demonstrated ability to inspire colleagues, build productive collaborations, and translate collective vision into sustained accomplishments.

Research, Teaching, and Institutional Environment

The successful candidate will maintain a nationally or internationally recognized and externally funded research program, contribute to undergraduate and/or graduate teaching, and mentor students and postdoctoral scholars.

IBIO has strong connections to the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, MSU Museum, and numerous interdisciplinary graduate training programs. The diverse and complementary expertise across MSU in environmental change, biodiversity, animal health and physiology, and theoretical, statistical, and computational biology offers rich opportunities for collaboration.

Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. MSU will provide support for research startup and center development. The center is also envisioned as a focal point for future faculty recruitment and institutional investment.

Please note that this is a union position represented by the Union of Tenure System Faculty (UTSF). The university is working with the union to establish a collective bargaining agreement.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Degree

Terminal -Rapid Organismal Change - Biology or related field

Minimum Requirements

• A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in biology or a related field.
• A distinguished record of research accomplishments in organismal biology, appropriate for appointment at the rank of Associate or Full Professor.
• A strong record of peer-reviewed scholarship and sustained extramural research funding.
• Demonstrated commitment to or, ideally, leadership of significant scientific collaborations, programs, or initiatives extending beyond the candidate's individual research group.
• Evidence of ability to establish productive collaborations across disciplinary or institutional boundaries.
• A compelling vision for building and leading an interdisciplinary research center.
• A strong record of mentorship and commitment to undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral education and training.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience developing and/or leading multi-investigator research proposals, collaborative research networks, or interdisciplinary programs.
• Evidence of successfully building research partnerships, shared scientific resources, or collaborative training initiatives.
• Experience with strategic planning, program development, or other forms of academic leadership.
• A strong record of engagement with broader scientific communities, stakeholders, and/or public audiences.

Required Application Materials

Applicants should submit the following materials through the MSU faculty employment website at https://jobs.msu.edu:

1. Cover Letter (maximum 2 pages): Briefly describe your interest in the position, your qualifications, and how your research and leadership experience align with this opportunity.
2. Curriculum Vitae: Include publications, extramural funding, teaching and mentoring experience, academic leadership, collaborative initiatives, and relevant professional service.
3. Research Statement (maximum 3 pages): Summarize major research accomplishments, ongoing work, and future research directions, including plans for extramural funding.
4. Leadership and Center Vision Statement (maximum 3 pages): Describe your vision for establishing an interdisciplinary research center focused on rapid organismal change at MSU. Candidates should identify compelling scientific opportunities, explain how their vision would connect with and expand existing research strengths, and outline priorities for developing a collaborative and sustainable research enterprise. This statement should also provide specific examples of any past leadership accomplishments, clearly identifying your role in developing, organizing, and advancing collaborative initiatives beyond your individual research program.
5. Teaching and Mentoring Statement (maximum 2 pages): Describe your teaching and mentoring experience, educational philosophy, and plans for supporting students and trainees from a variety of backgrounds.
6. References: Names and contact information for three professional references who may be contacted at a later stage.

Special Instructions

Review of applications will begin on January 15th, 2027 and continue until the position is filled.

Questions about the position may be directed to search co-chairs Jason Gallant (jgallant@msu.edu) or Elise Zipkin (ezipkin@msu.edu)

Review of Applications Begins On

01/15/2027

Website

www.integrativebiology.natsci.msu.edu

MSU Statement

Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.