Career opportunities at COA

Position Overview

College of the Atlantic seeks a full-time faculty member in chemistry to teach a wide range of courses to undergraduate students within our single interdisciplinary degree in human ecology. We seek a colleague who is actively interested in teaching and collaborating across disciplinary boundaries. The new faculty member will have curricular and creative control over the design of foundational and topical chemistry instruction for students at a variety of skill levels. Candidates at any career stage are welcome to apply. Candidates must have prior teaching experience and a PhD in chemistry or a related field by the anticipated start date of September 1, 2027. This is a full‑time (10-month), permanent, benefits eligible position.

The successful candidate will teach sequences in general chemistry, organic chemistry, and environmental chemistry. We are also interested in courses on: materials science, chemistry of food, green chemistry, biochemistry, geochemistry, and/or other courses that explore the intersections of chemistry with the human experience as well as the wider academic domains of the sciences, arts, and humanities. The teaching load is five courses across three 10-week trimesters (e.g., 1-2-2). Other responsibilities include mentoring and advising students, supervising senior capstone projects and independent studies, and contributing to college governance. Candidates for this position will also be expected to direct the management of chemistry teaching facilities alongside colleagues and work-study students or teaching assistants.

All COA students design individualized, interdisciplinary degrees within our Bachelor of Arts in Human Ecology. We seek a colleague who is interested in collaborating on teaching and research projects across disciplines in order to offer challenging and engaging opportunities for students with a wide range of interests. We invite imaginative thinking about how candidates might use the college’s flexible curricular structure to offer collaborative, experimental, experiential, or travel courses. COA faculty have the opportunity to develop curricular and co-curricular projects connected to the resources available on campus and in the surrounding area, including the Dorr Museum of Natural History, the college waterfront, the school’s fleet of boats, Beech Hill and Peggy Rockefeller farms, and the Cox Protectorate; the college’s field stations located on Great Duck Island, Mount Desert Rock, and in Willimantic, Maine; as well as the college’s proximity to and relationship with Acadia National Park, the Jackson Laboratory, Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, and other local and regional communities and institutions.

Compensation

Annual salary range is $75,000 to $105,000, commensurate with experience. Benefits package includes health, dental, and life insurance, retirement, vacation, short- and long-term disability, and College of the Atlantic tuition relief for employee and dependents.

To Apply

Interested candidates should submit the following materials here, combined as a single PDF file, in the following order:

• A cover letter describing their interest in and unique qualifications for this position
• A curriculum vitae including contact information for three professional references
• A teaching statement that describes the following: a) specific examples of their teaching experience and pedagogical approaches, b) how they engage undergraduates as student researchers both inside and outside the classroom, and c) how their experience will inform their teaching and advising at COA
• Brief course descriptions (course titles and one-paragraph descriptions, not syllabi) for three potential course offerings that would complement and extend the COA curriculum

Application review will begin on November 1, with successful candidates expected to visit campus for interviews in Jan-Feb 2027. Questions about the search can be directed to the search committee chair, Dr. Sarah Hall at [email protected].