Job Details

Assistant Professor in Neuroscience for the Department of Psychology
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Position Number: 5726657
Location: Santa Clara, CA
Position Type: Liberal Arts - Psychology

Assistant Professor in Neuroscience for the Department of Psychology

Position Type:
Assistant Professor in Neuroscience for the Department of Psychology

Position Type:
Regular

Salary Range:

The salary range for this position is $102,060 to 113,443, depending on the successful candidate's years of teaching experience at the college-level. The position comes with generous benefits (scu.edu/hr/benefits), including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, and university contributions toward retirement. There are two housing assistance programs: Rental assistance to ease the transition into the local housing market, and housing purchase assistance for tenure-stream faculty.

Purpose:

The Department of Psychology at Santa Clara University, a Jesuit, Catholic university, invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position beginning Fall 2025. We seek applicants with expertise in neuroscience to help support the interdisciplinary psychology and neuroscience majors. The area of subspecialization is open, but preference is for clinical, computational, or behavioral neuroscience. Applicants must have a PhD or ABD (all but dissertation) by September 2025 in a relevant field. We seek a balance between scholarship and teaching and are interested in candidates who are passionate about both. We highly value candidates who demonstrate inclusive pedagogical practices that advance SCU goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and provide evidence of experience teaching and mentoring a diverse population of undergraduate students.

Santa Clara is a private, Jesuit, Catholic university, located in the heart of California's Silicon Valley. Faculty are teacher-scholars who are expected to balance a commitment to research (40%), teaching (40%), and service (20%). This is an in-person position. Specific duties include, but are not limited to:

Research

Develop a rigorous research program at SCU that will result in high-quality peer-reviewed publications and/or other scholarly products, per the department and university scholarship standards.

The research program should be innovative, scientifically rigorous, impactful in the research community, and/or potentially have a societal impact.

Highly valued products include but are not limited to peer-reviewed journal articles, books published by an academic or reputable press, and PI or co-PI on external grant applications or funded grants.

Other forms of scholarly products include but are not limited to edited books or chapters, textbooks, invited presentations at professional or scholarly conferences, and so on.

Establish a research program that can accommodate the participation of undergraduate trainees.

The research program should provide learning/training opportunities accessible to students with a range of prior academic experiences.

Candidates should have a mentoring plan to help undergraduate trainees understand scientific theories and research ethics and train them with practical research skills.

Candidates are expected to engage undergraduate students with meaningful outcomes, such as publications or professional conference presentations with student co-authors no matter the authorship order.

Promote collaborative work within the Psychology Department or across different departments.

Advance the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives of the university whether in research topics, research that expands the generalizability of findings in the field, populations that the work serves, or the diversity of the participants, methods used, or research team.

Endorses open science practices that promote transparency, replicability, and ethical scholarship.

Teaching

Teach lower- and upper-division courses in the major and university core curriculum, as assigned by the chair. The candidate should be prepared to teach upper-division courses in Clinical Neuroscience / Neuropsychology, Behavioral Neuroscience / Physiological Psychology, and/or Computational Neuroscience, as well as a balance of introductory, methods, and/or capstone courses in psychology and the undergraduate neuroscience major. SCU is on the quarter system and a typical load is two courses per quarter. Teaching responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

Conducting all assigned class meetings in a timely and prepared manner that demonstrates a command of the discipline and skill in presenting it effectively.

Creating an inclusive learning environment and materials for undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds.

Assigning and evaluating written work, projects, and exams that align with course or core learning objectives and providing timely feedback to students.

Holding weekly office hours at times reasonably convenient to students.

Assigning and submitting student grades that are appropriate, accurate, and fair measures of student performance.

Administering numerical and narrative course evaluations in each section for all courses.

Develop and teach courses that contribute to curriculum development in the relevant degree program and/or the university core.

Participate in assessment of student learning for courses in the department.

Provide informed academic advice and mentor undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds.

Fulfill other instructional or academic duties as may be assigned by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences or by the Chair of the Psychology Department.

Service

Provide effective service to the Department of Psychology, the College, the University, and the profession through contributions other than teaching and scholarship, such as service on committees, participation in professional organizations and activities, leadership, and community service performed by virtue of professional expertise or association with the university as appropriate to rank and experience.

COVID-19 Statement

The health and safety of the University community are top priorities. The University strongly recommends that all employees be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, as the vaccination and boosters are safe, effective tools that significantly minimize the chances of serious illness and hospitalization. Please contact Human Resources if you have any questions.

Applicants are invited to visit the University's website (www.scu.edu) for background on Santa Clara's mission, the scope of programs and degrees offered, and faculty opportunities for interdisciplinary programs and research, including the recently established STEM research facility. The successful candidate will be able to address ways in which they can help the university achieve its goals.

Santa Clara University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, committed to excellence through diversity and inclusion, and, in this spirit, particularly encourages applications from women, persons of color, and members of historically underrepresented groups. The University will provide reasonable accommodations to individuals with a disability.

Minimum Qualifications:

PhD or ABD (all but dissertation) required by appointment start date.

Evidence of a program of research and promise of publication in the area of expertise.

Evidence of potential for effective and excellent university-level teaching in upper- and lower-division classes by the time of appointment

Potential to utilize inclusive pedagogical practices that advance SCU's goals of diversity and equity.

Preferred Qualifications

Post-doctoral research and/or undergraduate teaching experience, research published in peer-reviewed and/or other scholarly outlets.

A rigorous and long-term research plan that could be supported by external funding and provide opportunities for undergraduate involvement

Research expertise in the subfields of clinical, computational, or behavioral neuroscience.

Appointment Type and Salary

Assistant Professor

Competitive salary and benefits package; housing assistance program

Starting Date: September 1, 2025

Application Deadline: November 15, 2024

Application Procedure

Applicants should submit (1) a single PDF file of a cover letter or personal statement that includes (a) a projected research agenda, (b) a statement of teaching philosophy, (c) the applicant's experience and skills in working with people of diverse cultures and identities, (d) a statement on the candidate's ability to contribute to interdisciplinary ventures that contribute to the department, College or university priorities, and (e) the applicant's understanding of the mission of Santa Clara; (2) a current curriculum vitae; (3) at least one example of representative scholarship; (4) sample syllabi and teaching evaluations (if available) from any courses taught; (5) graduate school transcript(s); and (6) the names of three references that may be contacted by the search committee chair, Dr. Lang Chen. All materials should be submitted via Workday.

COVID-19 Statement

The health and safety of the University community is a top priority. The University strongly recommends that all employees are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 as the vaccination and boosters are safe, effective tools that significantly minimize the chances of serious illness and hospitalization. Please contact Human Resources if you have any questions.

Telecommute

Santa Clara University is registered to do business in the following states: California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and Illinois. Employees approved to telecommute are required to perform their work within one of these states.

Work Authorization:

A foreign national who is appointed to a tenured or tenure-track faculty position is eligible for visa sponsorship assessment by Santa Clara University together with its legal counsel.

EEO Statement

Equal Opportunity/Notice of Nondiscrimination

Santa Clara University is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all Federal and California State laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. Applications from members of historically underrepresented groups are especially encouraged. For a complete copy of Santa Clara University's equal opportunity and nondiscrimination policies, see https://www.scu.edu/title-ix/policies-reports/

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972

Santa Clara University does not discriminate in its employment practices or in its educational programs or activities on the basis of sex/gender, and prohibits retaliation against any person opposing discrimination or participating in any discrimination investigation or complaint process internally or externally. Information about Title IX can be found at www.scu.edu/title-ix. Information about Section 504 and the ADA Coordinator can be found at https://www.scu.edu/oae/, (408) 554-4109, oae@scu.edu. Inquiries can also be made to the Assistant Secretary of Education within the Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

Clery Notice of Availability

Santa Clara University annually collects information about campus crimes and other reportable incidents in accordance with the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. To view the Santa Clara University report, please go to the Campus Safety Services website. To request a paper copy please call Campus Safety at (408) 554-4441. The report includes the type of crime, venue, and number of occurrences.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Santa Clara University affirms its' commitment to employ qualified individuals with disabilities within the workplace and to comply with the Americans with Disability Act. All applicants desiring an accommodation should contact the Department of Human Resources, and 408-554-5750 and request to speak to Indu Ahluwalia by phone at 408-554-5750 or by email at iahluwalia@scu.edu.

To view the full job posting and apply for this position, go to https://wd1.myworkdaysite.com/en-US/recruiting/scu/scu/job/Santa-Clara-CA/Assistant-Professor-in-Neuroscience-for-the-Department-of-Psychology_R4649