Assistant Professor of Wildlife Biology (Aquatic Ecology)

Posting Details

Position Information

Job Title Assistant Professor of Wildlife Biology (Aquatic Ecology) Classification Title Rank Tenure Information Job Description

Title: Assistant Professor of Wildlife Biology (Aquatic Ecology)

Term: Full time (9 month) faculty appointment

School: May School of Natural and Health Sciences

Lees-McRae is a small, four-year, liberal arts college serving Appalachia and the Southeastern United States. The College is located in the town of Banner Elk in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains of northwestern North Carolina. Banner Elk is nestled between two popular ski areas and is within a short drive of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Appalachian Trail. The area is popular with outdoor enthusiasts: skiing, cycling, hiking, climbing and fly fishing are among the many attractions. The college also owns and maintains the Elk Valley Preserve and Field Station and the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Please visit our website at www.lmc.edu.

Summary/Objective

The May School of Natural and Health Sciences at Lees-McRae College invites applications for the position of Assistant Professor of Wildlife Biology. This is a full-time, main campus faculty position starting for the academic year 2026-2027. The appointment will begin August 2026. At the time of hire, the successful applicant must have completed a PhD. degree in Wildlife Biology, Ecology, or a closely aligned discipline, with expertise in Fisheries Ecology or Ichthyology.

Depending on their background, the successful candidate will be required to teach among the following courses: Freshwater Ecology, Ichthyology, Zoology, and Population Ecology. Furthermore, our School is developing a new Master of Science in Wildlife Conservation Sciences. The successful hire will be able to develop specialized courses related to their experience to support the growth of both our undergraduate and graduate curricula. The successful candidate will also contribute to our PEAK experiential learning initiative by offering summer intensive courses on a rotating schedule, which will be paid as a separate contract.

Essential Functions

Teaching:

• The faculty member will be required to teach 24credit hours per academic year on regular contract. The faculty member will teach up to an additional 6 credit hours during the PEAK Intensive academic calendar on an every- other year basis.
• Teaching responsibilities include but are not limited to: classroom management, student assessment, and assessment of student learning.
• Maintain professional standards of practice in teaching in the classroom
• Meet LMC standards for learning management system usage, course syllabi creation and submission, classroom management, use of technology, grade submission, and records management.
• The faculty member is expected to help mentor students in their Omega project, a senior research or capstone experience.

Advising

• Support student success through mentoring, tutoring, and advising. Faculty serve as advisors to students after the first year with the College.
• Faculty maintain regular office hours to meet with students as outlined in the Faculty Handbook

Scholarship and Professional Development

• The faculty member is expected to continue their professional development and maintain currency in their field through seminars, classes, and scholarship.
• Faculty promote and support undergraduate research opportunities.

Service

• Faculty members are expected to serve on committees of School, College, and Faculty Senate. Faculty are encouraged to participate in service to their community and field.
• Faculty attend and participate in scheduled faculty/administrative meetings
• Other duties as assigned by the Dean of the May School of Natural and Health Sciences.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Ability to stand for periods of time. The employee is occasionally required to sit, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must frequently lift or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Occasional evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand.

Travel

None required.

Additional Notes

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

To apply, please complete application on LMC website to include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, teaching philosophy, unofficial transcripts, and the names of three references with contact information.

Any questions regarding the application process, please contact Deborah Lowery at loweryd@lmc.edu.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Lees-McRae College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity/Americans with Disabilities Act employer committed to excellence through diversity.

Required Qualifications

• A PhD. degree Wildlife Biology, Ecology, or a closely aligned discipline, with expertise in Fisheries Ecology or Ichthyology earned from an accredited institution recognized by the US Department of Education.
• Appropriate teaching experience at the college level.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to consistently multi-task.

Preferred Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess strong quantitative skills and expertise in Population Ecology. The ideal candidate will contribute to the development of the Masters in Wildlife Conservation Sciences through curricula that emphasize applied ecology, conservation, and habitat restoration

Posting Detail Information

Posting Number F047P Open Date Close Date Open Until Filled Special Instructions to Applicants

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Documents Needed To Apply

Required Documents

• Resume
• Cover Letter

Optional Documents

• Transcripts
• Letter of Recommendation
• Curriculum Vitae
• Media File
• Portfolio
• Teaching Philosophy