Assistant Professor - Environmental Risk and Society

About the role

The Department of Environment and Society (ENVS) in the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (QANR) at Utah State University (USU) invites applications for a tenure-track position of Assistant Professor with expertise in the geography and human dimensions of environmental hazards and disaster risk. The successful candidate will apply social and/or behavioral sciences to advance understanding and mitigation of risks from environmental hazards such as air pollution, droughts, earthquakes, extreme heat, flooding, and/or wildfire, including in the context of a changing climate and with relevance to the state of Utah. This is a teaching excellence position with an emphasis distribution of 60% teaching/advising, 30% research, and 10% service. The position is full-time, academic year (nine-month), based at the USU main campus in Logan, with a start date of August 2027. Application review begins December 10, 2026; the position remains open until filled. For further information, contact the search committee chair, Dr. Courtney Flint (courtney.flint@usu.edu).

Responsibilities

• Develop an outstanding teaching and mentoring program to support student success in the Department’s academic programs and the University’s Center for Civic Excellence.
• Teach courses that prepare students to understand environmental hazard risks, communicate about risks, evaluate risk-reduction strategies, and support mitigation and preparedness activities.
• Contribute to the University’s General Education program and to the Department’s majors in environmental studies, environmental science and sustainability, geography, and recreation resource management.
• Teach courses in hazards and society and contribute to other departmental and Center for Civic Excellence curricular areas depending on specific expertise.
• Provide leadership for a shared departmental commitment to community-engaged, experiential education for undergraduate students, including leading projects with Utah communities and public agencies that develop skills relevant to environmental hazard mitigation, public safety, and emergency management.
• Lead a research program investigating individual or community decision-making in the context of environmental hazards and disaster risk reduction.
• Mentor undergraduate researchers and advise graduate students in a supportive learning environment that promotes the success of all students.
• Teach courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels, delivered in person, via virtual or online learning, or in a blended format.
• Participate in university faculty duties and wider professional involvement (service).

Qualifications

Minimum qualifications

• An earned PhD at date of hire in geography or a related field, with background in environmental hazards and society.

Preferred qualifications

• A prior teaching and mentoring record that demonstrates potential for teaching excellence.
• Demonstrated interest in community-engaged and experiential learning that complements USU’s Land Grant mission.
• Demonstrated application of research to understanding and mitigating the impacts of hazards through social and behavioral science perspectives.
• A publication record consistent with career stage.
• Demonstrated potential to build and maintain an effective research program, including the ability to secure funding.
• Evidence of successful collaboration with natural and social scientists as well as practitioners across disciplines.
• Experience with or the desire to learn about virtual and online course delivery.
• Demonstrated ability to contribute to a learning community of members from a range of backgrounds and experiences and to foster a sense of belonging for all students.

Required documents

• Resume/CV (uploaded in the Candidate Profile under “Resume/CV”).
• Cover letter (2-page maximum, uploaded under “Documents 1-10”).
• Research statement covering research experience and interests (2-page maximum, uploaded under “Documents 1-10”).
• Teaching statement covering teaching experience and philosophy, including fostering the success of students from all backgrounds (2-page maximum, uploaded under “Documents 1-10”).
• Three professional references with contact information (typed at the beginning of the application).

Document size may not exceed 10 MB.