Title: Assistant Professor, Chemistry
Area: College of Arts and Sciences
Department: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Telework Availability: On-campus Position
Employee Classification: Tenure Track Faculty (Full-time)
Appointment Percentage: 100
Months per year: 9
Salary Range: The budgeted annual salary that the University reasonably expects to offer for this position is $76,697. The internal salary range is $76,697 - $81,810.
Is this position eligible for relocation reimbursement?: Yes
Is this position eligible for a signing bonus?: No
At this time, the University has suspended all new H1B visa sponsorships.
Job Purpose:
Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA, invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. We seek a teacher-scholar with expertise in experimental organic chemistry or biochemistry. Interdisciplinary research programs are welcome, and candidates should be prepared to develop laboratory-based research projects that support the department’s strong undergraduate research program. Applicants open to collaborations within the Department and/or University, such as new and emerging programs in neuroscience, biomaterials and biomedical engineering, are desired. Teaching responsibilities will include general chemistry lecture and laboratory, and will further include foundational, advanced, and upper-division elective courses in organic chemistry and/or biochemistry based on the candidate’s expertise. The total teaching load will be the equivalent of 18 credits per year.
Candidates should demonstrate a commitment to excellent undergraduate teaching and mentoring in inclusive, equity-minded learning environments. We especially value experience working with students from a variety of backgrounds and identities, including those historically marginalized in the sciences, such as first-generation students, students from low-income families, students of color, LGBTQ+ students, and students with disabilities.
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (www.gonzaga.edu/chemistry) and College of Arts and Sciences are committed to inclusive excellence and actively promote the success of diverse population of undergraduate students, staff, and faculty. Gonzaga University is a Jesuit, Catholic, humanistic institution, and is therefore interested in candidates who will contribute to its distinctive mission of educating students “for lives of leadership and service for the common good.” The University is committed to fostering “a mature commitment to dignity of the human person, social justice, diversity, intercultural competence, global engagement, solidarity with the poor and vulnerable, and care for the planet.” Successful applicants will have read the mission statement and engaged with it throughout the application. We particularly seek candidates who can demonstrate how their research connects to the University mission.
Who we are:
Gonzaga is a primarily undergraduate institution committed to teaching excellence. The departments will provide support for developing engaging, inclusive, interactive courses that meet our learning objectives. In addition, Gonzaga’s Center for Teaching and Advising provides regular faculty development and education opportunities, including an optional New Faculty Learning Community program to help welcome and support new faculty throughout their first year at Gonzaga. Faculty in our science departments maintain robust mentoring of undergraduate students in research experiences during the school year. Funding opportunities are also available to support undergraduate student-faculty research during a 10-week summer session. The recently-opened Bollier Family Center for Integrated Science and Engineering on Gonzaga’s campus contains teaching, research, and collaboration spaces for faculty from Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Neuroscience, Environmental Studies and Sciences, Math, Physics, Psychology and Engineering. The Ferro Center for Materials Research provides cutting-edge instrumentation in support of student/faculty research within the department.
Gonzaga’s campus sits adjacent to downtown Spokane, WA, along the Spokane River in the Inland Northwest’s most metropolitan region. We exist on the traditional homelands of the Spokane people, one of the Interior Salish speaking tribes of the region. Spokane is Washington’s second largest city and boasts a vibrant restaurant, entertainment, and arts community; it is also home to diverse array of neighborhoods and popular outdoor recreational areas.
For more information on our mission, please visit: https://www.gonzaga.edu/about/our-mission-jesuit-values/mission-statement
Essential Functions:
- Teach first semester General Chemistry and laboratory, and depending on the candidate's expertise, foundational, advanced, and elective upper-division courses and laboratories in organic chemistry and/or biochemistry. Teach an equivalent to 9 credits each semester. - (Essential)
- Establish a laboratory-based research program in organic chemistry and/or biochemistry. Mentor and oversee undergraduate research assistants involved in the research. Communicate results through peer-reviewed papers, presentations, and other communications appropriate to the discipline. Pursue external funding for research. - (Essential)
- Provide academic and career advising and mentoring to up to 15 undergraduate students per year. - (Essential)
- Support the department, university, and discipline through committee service and other forms of academic citizenship. - (Essential)
Minimum Qualifications:
- Ph.D. in Chemistry, Biochemistry, or a related discipline.
- Expertise in organic chemistry and/or biochemistry.
- Research record in one or more subdisciplines of chemistry.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Postdoctoral and/or professional record.
- Evidence of effectiveness in teaching and/or mentoring undergraduate students with a variety of backgrounds, identities, and experiences, including those historically marginalized in the sciences.
- Evidence of engaging a mission-centered teaching at the undergraduate level.
- Ability to establish a laboratory-based research program that integrates and is accessible to undergraduate students. Applicants with a research focus that complements the University's new and emerging programs such as neuroscience, biomaterials and biomedical engineering, are encouraged.
- Evidence of effectively working with or within communities historically marginalized in the sciences.
- Evidence of engagement with Gonzaga's mission in application materials.
Educational Requirement:
Terminal Degree
Physical & On-Campus Requirements:
In-Office Presence - Ability to work on-site in typical office setting and participate in in-person meetings with colleagues: 5 days/week
Standing/Sitting - Ability to remain in a stationary position for a prolonged period: Often (50%-75% of time)
Walking - Ability to move about on foot to accomplish tasks: Rarely (1%-49% of time)
Lifting/Carrying - Ability to move or transport objects up to a specified weight: Never (0% of time)
Attention to Detail - Ability to focus on detailed tasks for extended periods: Daily (>75% of time)
Problem-Solving - Ability to identify and resolve issues effectively: Daily (>75% of time)
Required Application Materials: To apply, please visit our website at: www.gonzaga.edu/jobs. Applicants must complete an online application and submit the following:
1. A statement (two page maximum) of teaching philosophy that includes evidence of teaching effectiveness and describes how the candidate creates and maintains an inclusive environment that can support and promote learning for students with a variety of backgrounds and identities, including groups historically marginalized in the sciences.
2. A statement (four page maximum not including references or addendum) that describes the candidate’s research program and explains: how it can connect to the University’s mission, how it can support undergraduate research experiences, how it contributes to existing expertise in the departments, and how it can be competitive for external funding. The statement should also describe the candidate’s experience mentoring undergraduates from backgrounds, identities, experiences, including those historically marginalized in the sciences. A one-page addendum describing highest-priority equipment needs and any additional requirements for the proposal’s success at Gonzaga should be added to the statement.
3. A cover letter that summarizes the areas above and describes the candidate’s understanding of and commitment to the University’s mission.
4. A curriculum vitae.
Names and contact information of three professional references will be collected during the interview process (letters will be requested when finalists are selected).
Questions about this position can be directed to Dr. Greg Gidofalvi, Chemistry & Biochemistry Department Chair at [email protected]. Posting will close September 15, 2026. To ensure consideration for the application, submit application by 11:55 p.m., September 15, 2026, U.S. Pacific Standard Time. For assistance with your online application, call 509.313.5996.
