Assistant Professor of Geology

Location: Walla Walla, WA | Open Date: Jul 30, 2026

About the Role

Whitman College, located in the vibrant community of Walla Walla, WA, seeks applicants for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the Department of Geology, beginning August 2027. The college is home to an intellectually diverse and supportive community of approximately 500 staff and faculty serving 1,500 students. Whitman is recognized for its academic excellence as a top undergraduate liberal arts college.

The Department of Geology invites applicants with expertise in sedimentology and stratigraphy. The successful candidate will contribute to the college’s academic mission through teaching, research, and service.

Responsibilities

• Teach courses in sedimentology/stratigraphy, introductory geology, and courses that fulfill the College's general education requirements.
• Develop and teach additional courses in the candidate’s area of expertise, such as historical geology, low-temperature geochemistry, sedimentary basin analysis, or topics in climate change (e.g., paleoclimate archives or sedimentary processes in coastal, marine, or flood settings).
• Participate in the department’s twice-yearly Regional Geology class, a 4-day field trip to geologically active areas in the Pacific Northwest, fostering experiential learning and community-building among students, staff, and faculty.
• Engage in collaborative research with undergraduate students, leveraging Whitman’s emphasis on experiential learning and its role as a founding institution of the Keck Geology Consortium.
• Contribute to faculty governance, mentorship, or other forms of service aligned with the candidate’s interests and talents.
• Sustain an active scholarly or creative research agenda.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Geology or a related field, completed by the start of the position.
• Demonstrated potential for excellence in undergraduate instruction, including teaching majors and non-majors at all levels.
• Commitment to fostering an inclusive learning environment and advancing equity and inclusion in classroom and scholarly practices.

About the Department

The Geology Department at Whitman offers a popular Geology major, combined majors with Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Studies, French, and Physics, and an Oceanography program in collaboration with the University of Washington. The department values creative teaching approaches and collaborative research with undergraduates.

The standard annual teaching load is five courses. The college provides a generous pre-tenure sabbatical program and professional development support for research and teaching.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Basic life, accidental death and dismemberment, and long-term disability insurance, with options for additional voluntary coverage.
• 403(b) Defined Contribution Retirement Plan with matching contributions after eligibility requirements are met.
• Tuition remission for dependent children (after eligibility requirements).
• Employee tuition waiver for two Whitman courses per semester.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Relocation stipend for moving expenses based on distance.

Pay

Salary Range: $75,000 - $82,000