Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in Earth and Oceanographic Science at Bowdoin College

Bowdoin College's Department of Earth and Oceanographic Science invites applications for a full-time tenure-track  faculty appointment  in geoscience applications of artificial intelligence at the Assistant Professor level, beginning July 1, 2027.  The department seeks candidates whose scholarship critically examines, thoughtfully utilizes, or ethically guides AI to advance understanding of geoscience processes. Areas of geoscience expertise might include glacial geology/geomorphology, glaciology, geophysics, neotectonics, sedimentology, stratigraphy, tectonic geomorphology, or atmospheric science, with a preference for those whose work intersects with surface earth processes and focuses on thousand- to million-year timescales. These fields and timescales have critical intersections with and implications for how humans live on and with Earth, even as the landscape and climate change in response to both natural and human activities. These areas of geoscience expertise also align with the EOS Department's earth system science approach to investigating fundamental questions about Earth's past, present, and future.

The successful candidate will teach three courses per year, including two courses with separate lab sections. Bowdoin is particularly interested in candidates dedicated to undergraduate teaching and with a promise of long-term, successful scholarship and who will offer opportunities to engage students in research. A Ph.D. in geoscience or a related field is expected by the date of the appointment.

Bowdoin's Hastings Initiative for AI and Humanity aims to critically examine, thoughtfully utilize, and ethically guide AI's trajectory. A $50 million dollar gift by Reed Hastings funds ten new faculty positions, including this one, across disciplines; supports faculty in AI-related teaching, research, and creative work; sponsors workshops, symposia, and student research; and prepares the next generation of leaders to engage responsibly with the opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence.

The College's location along the rocky Maine coast provides excellent local field sites for teaching and research. Bowdoin maintains a High Performance Computer (HPC) cluster and access to GIS software. Department facilities include mineral, rock, and fossil collections; augmented reality sandbox; stream table; rock saws; shallow water current meters; remote water samplers for river analysis; ACDP; petrographic microscopes; and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) with CL/EDS/EBSD capabilities. For more information, please visit https://www.bowdoin.edu/earth-oceanographicscience/.

Bowdoin College offers opportunities for professional development, a fully-funded, year-long pre-tenure sabbatical leave (after three years of teaching and successful reappointment), and regular, generously funded, post-tenure sabbaticals. Support for teaching, grant submission, computing software, and community partnerships in courses is available. The College also offers robust programming and resources for establishing and enhancing mentoring networks. 

Bowdoin is committed to inclusive excellence, an ongoing collective practice that honors its institutional commitment to provide an outstanding liberal arts education and serve the common good. The College is home to talented students, faculty and staff, and encourages applications from candidates committed to the inclusive instruction and support of a diverse student population, and those who will enrich and contribute to the College's multifaceted diversity.

Accessibility during the application and interview stages, as well as once employed, is a priority of the College: https://www.bowdoin.edu/accessibility/index.html. In addition, visa sponsorships for faculty hires are available.

Bowdoin College accepts only electronic submissions. Please visit https://careers.bowdoin.edu/postings/18096 to submit the following: (1) a one-page cover letter; (2) a curriculum vitae; (3) a three-page statement that describes your teaching practices, including a description of courses you would be interested in teaching that would enrich existing curriculum in EOS (https://bowdoin-public.courseleaf.com/courses/eos/); (4) a two-page research statement; (5) a one-page statement that describes your philosophy and use of AI; and (6) the names and contact information for three references who have agreed to provide letters of recommendation. Letters will be automatically requested from the references for candidates invited for interviews.

Review of applications will begin September 1, 2026, and continue until the position is filled. The anticipated hiring range for this appointment at the assistant professor rank without prior tenure-track experience is $92,000 - $98,000 annually; the salary offered will be commensurate with the successful candidate's experience and with internal peer equity. All offers of employment are contingent upon the successful completion of a satisfactory background check.

Founded in 1794, Bowdoin has maintained its commitment to the liberal arts for well over 200 years. Bowdoin's reputation as a preeminent liberal arts college rests on the excellence of its faculty, students, and staff; intimate size; strong sense of community; and connections to the people, history, and natural beauty of Maine. Bowdoin's campus is situated in a beautiful natural setting. Located in Brunswick, Maine, a town of approximately 20,000, the College is a short drive from the Maine coast, twenty-five miles from Portland and 120 miles from Boston. Bowdoin College complies with applicable provisions of federal and state laws that prohibit unlawful discrimination in employment, admission, or access to its educational or extracurricular programs, activities, or facilities based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry and national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, age, marital status, place of birth, genetic predisposition, veteran status, or against qualified individuals with physical or mental disabilities on the basis of disability, or any other legally protected statuses. For further information about the College and department, please visit the website: http://www.bowdoin.edu.