California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) is located in San Bernardino in the Inland Empire, 60 miles east of Los Angeles and operates a satellite campus in Palm Desert located in Coachella Valley. CSUSB serves approximately 20,000 students, of which 81% are first-generation college students and graduates about 5,000 students annually. As a designated Hispanic Serving Institution, CSUSB reflects the dynamic diversity of the region and has one of the most diverse student populations of any university in the Inland Empire, and the second highest Hispanic enrollment of all public universities in California. CSUSB employs 467 full-time faculty and offers 48 undergraduate, 35 graduate, and one doctoral degree programs and 14 academic programs with national accreditation.

At CSUSB, diversity, equity and inclusion are values central to our mission. We recognize that diversity and inclusion in all its forms are necessary for our institutional success. By fully leveraging our diverse experiences, backgrounds and insights, we inspire innovation, challenge the status quo and create better outcomes for our students and community. As part of CSUSB’s commitment to hire, develop and retain a diverse faculty, we offer a variety of networking, mentoring and development programs for our junior faculty. We are committed to building and sustaining a CSUSB community that is supportive and inclusive of all individuals. Qualified applicants with experience in ethnically diverse settings and/or who demonstrate a commitment to serving diverse student populations are strongly encouraged to apply. CSUSB has received the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, which recognizes CSUSB’s ongoing commitment to service-learning, a high-impact practice that combines classroom instruction with meaningful volunteer service and correlates strongly to student success.

JOB SUMMARY

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at California State University, San Bernardino invites applications from a diverse group of qualified applicants for a new department of physics and astronomy chair to begin August 2025. This is a full time tenure track position with a half-time chair appointment. The ideal candidate will be an experienced faculty member with demonstrated leadership and administrative skills, an established record of scholarly research, and evidence of commitment to student success. The Chair is expected to provide leadership in shaping and facilitating the future of the department including faculty and staff development, faculty mentoring, strategic planning, and student recruitment and success initiatives. The Department Chair will serve in a leadership capacity in support of the mission of the College of Natural Sciences. They will provide academic and administrative leadership and facilitate the orderly conduct of the affairs of the Department and the College. Preference will be given to candidates with familiarity in navigating large public education systems, such as the CSU. The Department offers B.A. and B.S. degrees in Physics, with minors in astronomy and applied physics, and is currently in the planning stages for an interdisciplinary M.S. degree in Materials Science, which is associated with the Center for Advanced Functional Materials (https://materials.csusb.edu). Preference will be given to candidates who are able to teach courses within the full range of undergraduate physics courses and graduate courses in support of the Master Program in material sciences  The successful candidate will join an intellectually stimulating and innovative academic environment that embraces diversity. We are particularly interested in receiving applications from all groups historically underrepresented in Physics/Astronomy and STEM fields, including intersections across multiple groups.

TYPICAL ACTIVITIES

The successful Chair candidate is expected to provide strong leadership, teach undergraduate courses in physics and graduate courses in materials science, maintain a robust and ongoing research agenda and mentor students. Candidates will be expected to maintain an active research program that affords research opportunities for students. The candidate will also advise students and perform career related service roles on and off campus for the department, college, university and professional societies. Furthermore, the candidate will lead activities that will advance scholarly excellence in Physics, Astronomy and Materials Science. 

The successful candidate will be expected to meet the requirements of excellence in teaching, active scholarly and professional work, and service to the University and community expected of tenure-line faculty. 

Qualified candidates must demonstrate a commitment to excellence in teaching and mentoring a diverse student population and to working effectively with faculty, staff and students across a wide range of disciplines.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Candidates are required to have a Ph.D. in Physics or an equivalent degree in a closely related area and demonstrated leadership and administrative skills. We welcome applications from all areas of research in Physics and Astronomy, with a strong preference to research in materials science.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Preference will be given to candidates who could teach a broad spectrum of undergraduate physics courses, have experience conducting research with undergraduate students and, can assist in building the curriculum for the future masters degree program in materials science.

Evidence of scholarly activity, publication, and innovation is valued. Evidence of exemplary graduate-level teaching and leadership experience at program level is preferred and should be noted in application.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS

The person holding this position is considered a 'mandated reporter' under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

Following a conditional offer of employment, a background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate may start work with CSUSB. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may result in the withdrawal of the offer of employment. Note: CSUSB cannot deny an applicant a position solely or in part due to a criminal conviction history until it has performed an individualized assessment and linked the relevant conviction history with specific job duties in the position being sought.

Please note: Current employees who are offered positions on campus will be required to undergo a background check for any position where a background check is required by law or that CSUSB has designated as sensitive. Sensitive positions are those requiring heightened scrutiny of individuals holding the position based on potential for harm to children, concerns for the safety and security of people, animals, or property, or heightened risk of financial loss to CSUSB or individuals in the university community.

For health and well-being, CSUSB is a smoke & tobacco-free campus. The university is committed to promoting a healthy environment for all members of our community.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

The Department of Physics and Astronomy currently offers B.A. and B.S. degrees in Physics, with minors in astronomy and applied physics, and is in the planning stages for an interdisciplinary M.S. degree in Materials Science, which is associated with the NSF CREST-funded Center for Advanced Functional Materials (https://www.csusb.edu/center-advanced-functional-materials) and expected to begin in Fall 2025.

Our faculty are actively involved in research and in professional organizations in their respective fields. Faculty have been successful in obtaining grants through the funding organizations such as NSF and NASA, in particular for multi-million-dollar, interdisciplinary programs both with faculty at CSUSB and external collaborators. We have approximately 70 majors, 10 tenure-line faculty, and 11 lecturers, with a gender balance among both tenure-line and lecturer faculty members. 

Our department ranked number three in the number of physics degrees granted to underrepresented minority students at bachelor’s institutions and number ten in physics degrees granted to Hispanic students among all institutions nationally. A significant number of students participate in research with CSUSB faculty. The department is actively involved in, and a strong supporter of the Cal-Bridge program (https://www.calbridge.org) and is a recent PhysTEC grantee. CSUSB physics alums have successfully transitioned to graduate school at institutions such as Arizona, Maryland, UCLA, UCSB, UCI, UCM, and/or been hired at companies such as Tokyo Electron, Lockheed Martin, NASA Armstrong, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Kelly Space, Millennium Space Systems/Boeing, and local school districts. Multiple alumni in recent years have been awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships.

To find out more about the Department of Physics and Astronomy visit our website: https://www.csusb.edu/physics

For more information regarding the position, please contact:

Recruitment Chair

Dr. Laura Woodney

woodney@csusb.edu

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit:

1. Curriculum Vitae

2. Cover Letter that includes the following four (4) separate statements regarding your preparation for the position. The hiring committee will be conducting an initial blind review of applications; therefore, applicants should avoid including any identifying information (names, affiliations, gendered language, etc.) in these statements: 

   1. A Leadership and administrative Statement with details about leadership philosophy and relevant administrative experience in an academic environment. (Please upload this statement under "other documents requested by hiring department")

   2. A Teaching Statement that details your teaching philosophies and how to promote learning in diverse student populations. We request that applicants address how they would promote our Physics Program Learning Outcomes 2 and 3 in their teaching. (https://www.csusb.edu/physics/degrees-and-certificates/program-learning-outcomes)

   3. A Research Statement that details your research, professional accomplishments, and future plans at CSUSB. Include sustainability of research endeavors at CSUSB and how undergraduates would be involved in a meaningful way. 

   4. A Diversity Statement that includes your understanding of the current state of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) issues. The statement should describe your plan to advance DEI initiatives, as well as how you will work to enhance the success of minoritized students, faculty, and staff at CSUSB and beyond. The statement should include specific examples of how your background and your educational and/or professional experiences have prepared you for this role at CSUSB. (maximum 1,000 words)

3. Reference List - names, telephone numbers, and email addresses of three (3) referees whom we may contact to obtain letters of recommendation.

4. Confidential letters of recommendation may be solicited from those listed as references on the application if the applicant is moved forward in the recruitment process. 

5. Additional documentation (i.e. transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc.) may be required prior to interviews and/or hiring.

Formal review of applications will begin September 16, 2024 and continue until the position is filled. 

If you are interested in this opportunity, we invite you to apply by using this CSU Recruit Hyperlink at:  

https://secure.dc4.pageuppeople.com/apply/873/gateway/Default.aspx?c=apply&sJobIDs=533791&SourceTypeID=803&sLanguage=en-us&lApplicationSubSourceID=11248

Salary is commensurate with experience.

CSU Salary Schedule: https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/careers/compensation/Pages/salary-schedule.aspx

Department Chair 12 Month (Assistant Professor)         (Range 3) - $6,190 – $14,893

Department Chair 12 Month (Associate Professor)        (Range 4) - $7,102 – $16,352

Department Chair 12 Month (Professor)                       (Range 5) - $8,964 – $17,127

A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with the CSU. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current CSU employees who apply for the position.

The person holding this position is considered a 'mandated reporter' under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

California State University, San Bernardino is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, medical condition, disability, marital status, or protected veteran status. This position adheres to CSU policies against Sex Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, and Sexual Violence, including Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking. This requires completion of Sexual Violence Prevention Training within 6 months of assuming employment and on a two-year basis thereafter. (Executive Order 1096)

This position may be “Designated” under California State University's Conflict of Interest Code. This would require the filing of a Statement of Economic Interest on an annual basis and the completion of training within 6 months of assuming office and every 2 years thereafter. Visit the Human Resources Conflict of Interest webpage link for additional information:
https://www.csusb.edu/human-resources/current-employees/employee-relations/conflict-interest