The Department of Biology at Xavier University of Louisiana invites applicants for a tenure track position in biology at the assistant professor level beginning August 2025. The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D. in the biological sciences. Postdoctoral experience is strongly preferred.
The department seeks candidates whose area of concentration, academic interest and training is in Neuroscience. Candidates with an interest in neurodevelopment disorder or the cellular mechanisms of disease are encouraged to apply. Qualified candidates should possess a promising record of scholarship and a strong research agenda. Candidates must demonstrate effective undergraduate teaching ability and be able to support our growing department of HBCU students through advising and mentorship. The department is particularly interested in candidates who have experience working with students from diverse backgrounds, minimizing barriers, and increasing equity and completion rates between members of different demographic groups.
Duties
Teach 12 credit hours of Biology courses per semester;
Develop and maintain an active research program;
Mentor undergraduate students in research projects;
Advise Biology majors;
Develop and sustain independent and externally funded research; and
Participate in service activities for the Department, the University, their discipline, and the community.
The Department of Biology is the largest in the College of Arts & Sciences at Xavier with a total of 800 majors each year. There are 24 full-time faculty members ready to serve all students, including three former XU-Biology graduates. Faculty members in the department are research active and provide opportunities for our students to receive research experience. The department has taken the lead on redesigning and revising our pre-med curriculum so that our students will excel on the redesigned Medical College Admissions Test and to address the growing and urgent national problem of declining numbers of African American professionals in the field of medicine.
Minimum Qualifications:
Ph.D. in the biological sciences with an emphasis in Neurobiology;
Experience teaching at the undergraduate level, and experience mentoring students in the biological sciences;
Teaching and research experience in at least one of the following areas: Neural Development, Neurobiology of Disease; Synaptic Activity and Plasticity, Cellular Neuroscience;
Ability to teach and develop face-to-face as well as online classes;
A strong potential for excellence in teaching and mentoring undergraduate students;
Commitment to developing an active research program within the area of the applicant's expertise, including seeking external funding and submitting scholarly articles;
Established record of research productivity, proportional to experience, in a research area mentioned above;
Demonstrated commitment to working successfully with a diverse student population; and
Write and Speak English proficiently.
Preferred Qualifications:
Advanced training beyond the Ph.D., e.g., post-doc, industry, etc.;
Successful experience teaching undergraduate courses in biological sciences;
Established track record of meaningful mentorship of undergraduate students;
Successful experience teaching biological sciences to a diverse student body and knowledge of effective strategies (e.g., culturally responsive or inclusive pedagogy, awareness of issues that may affect the success of minoritized students) supporting underrepresented groups in STEM;
Awareness of pedagogical best practices and ongoing commitment to developing and maintaining knowledge in this area;
A research project that complements existing department research and instrumentation; and
Xavier University of Louisiana, founded by St. Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in 1925, is Catholic and historically Black. The ultimate purpose of the University is to contribute to the promotion of a more just and humane society by preparing its students to assume roles of leadership and service in a global society. The only historically Black, Catholic university in the United States, XULA is a private, liberal-arts based, co-educational institution offering 40 undergraduate majors, 5 master’s degree programs and a doctor of pharmacy program. More than one-half of its 3,100 students are from Louisiana, but it draws students from nearly all fifty states and 35 countries. Xavier is recognized as a national leader in the sciences and the liberal arts: • #1 in the nation in the number of African American graduates who go on to complete medical school (AAMC data 2019). • Among the nation’s top four colleges of pharmacy in graduating African Americans with Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D) degrees. (2018) • #1 in the nation in awarding bachelor's degrees to African American students in the biological and biomedical sciences, the physical sciences, and physics. ...(2018) • #3 in the nation in the number of African American graduates who go on to earn a Ph.D. in science and engineering disciplines. (2018) • The Department of Physics is #1 in the nation for awarding African Americans baccalaureate degrees in physics and the physical sciences, according to the American Institute of Physics. (2018) Xavier is consistently ranked by the American Chemical Society as one of the top 25 universities in the nation. • The 2020 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges named Xavier among its 300 “best and most interesting” four-year colleges and universities. • Xavier was also singled out as one of the nation’s 385 best institutions for undergraduate education by The Princeton Review in the 2020 edition of its annual “The Best 385 Colleges”. • College Consensus, a unique college ratings website that aggregates publisher rankings and student reviews, ranks Xavier as the nation’s #3 Historically Black Colleges and Universities) (2019). It also ranks Xavier as #3 among all Louisiana colleges. • College Factual ranks both Xavier’s biology and chemistry programs as program as No. 1 in Louisiana. (2019) • Your 2018 Guide to College Transfer lists Xavier as one of only 90 colleges and universities nationwide profiled as “transfer friendly” in this guide to the college transfer process by the Kaplan Educational Foundation. • The Student Loan Report ranks #Xavier 12 out of 800 Private schools who left graduates with the least amount of private student loan debt, a form of financial aid known for higher interest rates and less forgiving repayment programs. (2018) • Zippia.com named Xavier's Psychology Program as #1 in Louisiana. (2018) • Learn.org ranks Xavier Among the Top 50 STEM schools in the U.S. (2019) • The Edvocate ranks Xavier as the nation’s No. 3 Catholic University. (2019) • Zippia.com rates Xavier #1 in Louisiana in its 2019 report, “Best College in Each State for Getting a Job”.