The University of Oklahoma Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences is excited to announce an open faculty position at any rank in the Department of Biology. As part of our Biology of Behavior strategic initiative, the department continues to build an internationally recognized center of excellence in studying mechanisms of organismal behavior. We are searching for creative, collaborative thinkers to join us in taking an integrative and multifaceted approach to revealing the ultimate and proximate causes of behavior. The Department of Biology already has a strong focus on the study of animal behavior, including 16 complementary faculty research programs that investigate physiological, developmental, and evolutionary processes that underlie how animals behave.
We seek to enhance the collaborative momentum of this initiative by hiring a Geneticist who uses leading-edge molecular, genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and/or related methods to understand the specification, regulation, and/or evolution of organismal behavior. We invite individuals with creative, innovative, and dynamic research programs who would like to be part of a strong group of researchers to apply for this faculty position.
The anticipated start date for this position is August 2022. For additional details, please visit http://ou.edu/bb and http://www.ou.edu/cas/biology.
At any given moment, an organism’s behavior reflects the integration of that that animal's history from the evolutionary forces that shaped its genome through development of organ and physiological systems during the lifespan, the modification of physiological systems by experience, and the real-time integration of experience, sensory inputs, and motor outputs. The Biology of Behavior Group at OU asks this fundamental question: How is an organism’s history integrated to generate and regulate behavior? Understanding the Biology of Behavior is rooted in the idea that organismal history is anchored in genes (genotype) and behavior is a terminal trait (phenotype). Thus, our ultimate goal is to understand genotype-phenotype causality for behavior.
The University of Oklahoma is a growing Carnegie-R1 public research university located in the city of Norman, Oklahoma. The University and the surrounding community create an ideal environment where our faculty can integrate work and achievement with family, recreation, and a high quality of life. Find out more about how OU and the Norman community do this.
"We are thrilled to be searching for multiple faculty in this critical area of research and discovery. We hope to find energetic teacher-scholars who are collaborative and bold. The Department of Biology at OU is leading the way in crafting forward-looking cluster hires that attract the most dynamic and talented faculty around cross-cutting themes like the Biology of Behavior. OU is an institution on the move, seeking to grow its research portfolio while maintaining its dual commitment to excellence and accessibility as a public university. Come join us!”
-Kyle Harper,
Senior Vice President and Provost
“In these challenging times, I have told our faculty that all future hires must be strategic. It is telling that all of Biology’s positions in Biology of Behavior are “open rank” searches. Our goal is to bring the best available researchers and teachers to the University of Oklahoma.”
-David Wrobel, Dean
College of Arts and Science
Candidates must have a Ph.D. degree and a record of outstanding achievement as evidenced by publications. Preferred candidates will have a promising (Assistant professor) or externally funded (Associate/Full professor) research program. Successful candidates will be expected to provide excellent research training for students and postdocs and contribute to undergraduate and graduate teaching (one course per semester) in areas such as animal behavior, genetics, physiology, neurobiology, cell biology, genomics, or bioinformatics.
Applicants should submit a cover letter describing their interest in the position, a full curriculum vitae, research and teaching statements, a statement on contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and up to five selected reprints/preprints as PDF files. Applications should be submitted online via Interfolio at https://apply.interfolio.com/94332.
Applicants at the rank of Assistant Professor should also arrange to have three signed letters of reference uploaded to the appropriate website. Applicants at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor may submit names and contact information for three references in lieu of letters. Screening of candidates will begin October 20, 2021 and will continue until the positions are filled.
The University of Oklahoma is an EO/Affirmative Action institution http://www.ou.edu/eoo/. Individuals with disabilities and protected veterans are encouraged to apply. The University of Oklahoma, in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, age, religion, disability, political beliefs, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices, or procedures. This includes, but is not limited to: admissions, employment, financial aid, housing, services in educational programs or activities, or health care services that the University operates or provides.
The OU Biology Department currently has a broad research strength in the study of animal behavior, including complementary faculty research programs that investigate mechanisms of behavior from social to molecular levels and on timescales ranging from millennia to milliseconds. Through key hires that complement our existing strengths, we will develop our Department and the University of Oklahoma as an internationally recognized center of excellence for the study of the mechanisms that determine organismal behavior.
We are committed to the position that a full accounting of behavior requires an integrative approach that considers evolutionary, developmental, and physiological mechanisms. The behavioral biologists at OU already cross these boundaries, and our strengths in combining evolutionary, physiological, and genetic approaches to behaviors differentiate the OU Biology Department from many other biology departments. The two positions we seek to fill will complement and advance these strengths.