TWO POSITIONS—University of Oklahoma 

    Assistant Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology, Sam Noble Museum & Assistant Professor, School of Geosciences, Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy; and
    Assistant Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology, Sam Noble Museum & Assistant Professor, School of Geosciences, Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy  

The Sam Noble Museum (https://samnoblemuseum.ou.edu/) and the School of Geosciences (https://www.ou.edu/mcee/geosciences) at the University of Oklahoma seek two innovative and enthusiastic colleagues to fill tenure-track split positions as Assistant Curators at the Sam Noble Museum and Assistant Professors in the School of Geosciences to begin in July 2022. 

We seek colleagues who will establish discipline-leading, student-involved, and externally funded research programs; build collaborations within and outside the University; and work with colleagues and students toward OU’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals. The ideal candidates for these Assistant Curator/Assistant Professor positions will perform specimen-based research in any related subfield of vertebrate or invertebrate paleontology, including but not limited to biodiversity, paleoecology, phylogeny reconstruction, evolutionary or conservation paleobiology, isotope or trace element geochemistry, and/or paleoclimatology, and would have experience working with museum collections. 

In the Sam Noble Museum, the Curators will be responsible for growing and curating the museum’s collection of fossil vertebrates or invertebrates from around the world, obtaining grants, and interpreting its community, public and intellectual significance through research, exhibits, education and outreach. 

With over 80,000 cataloged specimens spanning over 300 million years, the nucleus of the vertebrate paleontology collection was made under the auspices of the Works Projects Administration led by the museum’s first director, J. Willis Stovall. The collection has roughly tripled in size since the late 1980s, and the numbers of type and figured specimens have increased accordingly. The collection is especially strong in Early Permian tetrapods, Jurassic dinosaurs, Cretaceous vertebrate faunas from the Western Interior including important microvertebrate (e.g., mammals and lizards) faunas, and Mio-Pliocene mammals of Oklahoma.

With nearly one million specimens from every major invertebrate fossil group, the invertebrate paleontology collection is among the most scientifically important in North America. It contains nearly 3,000 primary type specimens and about 7,000 figured specimens. A large donation of fossils from BP-Amoco expanded the collection into a unique resource for research. Much of the collection comprises Paleozoic-age specimens from the southern mid-continent, with significant material from the Mesozoic and Cenozoic of Alaska. 

The School of Geosciences has over a century of history preparing students for impactful careers in basic and applied geosciences. In the School of Geosciences, the successful candidates will teach and mentor undergraduates from diverse backgrounds in support of the major and the School’s popular paleontology concentration, which includes courses in vertebrate paleontology, invertebrate paleontology, evolutionary paleobiology), and/or through general education classes. The candidates for these positions will also provide invested mentorship and instruction in the graduate program at Master’s and Ph.D. levels, as well as  teach graduate level courses in their specialization. The Assistant Curators/Assistant Professors will play an important role in facilitating wider synergies among the Museum, the School, and other units on campus and around the State. 

The University of Oklahoma is committed to achieving a diverse, equitable, and inclusive university community by embracing each person’s unique contributions, background and perspectives. The University of Oklahoma recognizes that fostering an inclusive environment for all, with particular attention to the needs of historically marginalized populations, is vital to the pursuit of excellence in all aspects of our institutional mission. The commitment enhances the OU experience for all students, faculty and staff and for the communities we engage. 

The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Carnegie-R1 comprehensive public research university known for excellence in teaching, research, and community engagement, serving the educational, cultural, economic, and healthcare needs of the state, region, and nation from three campuses: Norman, Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City and the Schusterman Center in Tulsa. OU enrolls over 30,000 students and has more than 2,700 full-time faculty members in 21 colleges. In Fall 2019, approximately 23% of OU’s freshmen were first-generation students, 33% of all students belonged to a minority race/ethnicity and 6% were international. 

Qualifications 

Applicants must have: 

    Ph.D. in geoscience, biology, or other related field in hand by start date; 
    an established record of high-quality research and publications; 
    a demonstrated record of or clear potential for strong extramural funding; 
    a familiarity with and commitment to inclusive teaching and mentoring; 
    a record of specimen-based collection experience and of, or potential for, specimen-based curation and obtaining collection grants; 
    a record of or potential for collection interpretation, exhibition, and outreach and community engagement; 
    a demonstrated or explicit commitment to outreach, community engagement, and service to the museum, school, university, and discipline. 

Application Instructions 

            For the position of Assistant Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology & Assistant Professor of Geosciences, please submit to https://apply.interfolio.com/93461.  

            For the position of Assistant Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology & Assistant Professor of Geosciences, please submit to https://apply.interfolio.com/93465.  

Review of applications will begin November 15, 2021 and the search will continue until the positions are filled. The anticipated starting date for both positions is July 2022.

Applicants are requested to submit the following documents as (1-3 pages each): 1) a cover letter describing your interests in and qualifications for the position including your museum experience with collections, collection interpretation, exhibition, and outreach and community engagement; 2) your current CV including contact information for three potential references; 3) a teaching statement briefly describing your past instructional and mentorship experiences, your pedagogical philosophy, and your plans/goals for teaching at OU (including existing and proposed courses) and advising a diverse cohort of undergraduate and graduate students; 4) a diversity statement describing your knowledge of and/or experience addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion issues in the geosciences and an outline of plans for contributing to diversity, equity, and inclusivity efforts through research, teaching, and/or service; 5) and a research statement describing your research focus, methods, and future trajectory. Questions, information requests, and nominations should be addressed to Dr. Richard Lupia, University of Oklahoma, Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Ave, Norman, OK 73072 or [log in to unmask] 

Application Process 

This institution is using Interfolio's Faculty Search to conduct this search. Applicants to this position receive a free Dossier account and can send all application materials, including confidential letters of recommendation, free of charge. 

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement 

The University of Oklahoma, in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, age, religion, disability, political beliefs, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices, or procedures. This includes, but is not limited to:  admissions, employment, financial aid, housing, services in educational programs or activities, or health care services that the University operates or provides. 

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