Job Description

General Statement
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Montana State University invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in biochemistry or chemical biology. Appointments will be considered at the Assistant Professor level. The successful candidate must have a Ph.D. in Biochemistry or Chemistry or a related field by the start date. Candidates are expected to develop an internationally recognized, independent research program involving any area of biological chemistry. Programs with interdisciplinary research themes are encouraged. Excellence in teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels is expected, and postdoctoral experience is desirable.

We seek candidates who work professionally and effectively with individuals from all backgrounds, possess effective interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills and have the ability to contribute positively to the academic success of the students and the mission of Montana State University.

Montana State University values all perspectives and is committed to continually supporting, promoting and building a whole community, which includes people of many backgrounds.
Duties and Responsibilities
The successful candidate will conduct research in biochemistry/chemical biology and establish an independent, productive, externally funded, nationally-competitive research program. Duties also include teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels in areas of biochemistry and chemistry that are of mutual interest to the Department and the candidate, advising, and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, participating in appropriate departmental and university service functions, and collaborating with other faculty and departments to enhance programs at Montana State University.
Required Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills
Ph.D. in Biochemistry or Chemistry or a related field by start date .
Potential to establish an internationally recognized and externally funded independent research program.
Potential to effectively teach and mentor undergraduate and graduate students.
Preferred Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills
Postdoctoral experience.
Interest in and ability to establish multidisciplinary collaborative research.
Commitment to excellence in graduate and undergraduate teaching and research.
Demonstrated commitment to value and support students, faculty, and staff from all backgrounds.
The Successful Candidate Will
Be a dynamic, committed, and visionary scientist and educator who will advance MSU’s goals of outstanding research, teaching, and service.
Have excellent communication skills.
Have an appreciation for all constituencies and continuously support, promote, and build a whole community, which includes people of many backgrounds.
Position Special Requirements/Additional Information
This job description should not be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements, but a general description of the job. Nothing contained herein restricts Montana State University’s rights to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.
Physical Demands
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodations. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
The Program
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is one of Montana State University’s premier research departments. We continually strive for excellence in all of MSU’s core values. We are a vibrant, cohesive community with faculty, staff, and students who are dedicated to teaching, research, and service.

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry offers a true synthesis of its two allied, constituent disciplines with research strengths at the chemistry/biology interface. State-of-the-art instrumentation and shared instrumentation facilities, both within the Department and elsewhere on campus, provide essential infrastructure. Our faculty members play leading roles in multi-disciplinary research programs that integrate efforts across the College of Letters and Science, across Montana State University, and with other academic institutions and industrial partners both locally and more widely. We leverage our research activities to provide outstanding opportunities for our students, post-doctoral associates, and staff scientists. After earning their degrees, our Ph.D. graduates have taken positions in universities, industry, and government labs. Our faculty, staff, and students share a common vision of maintaining a collegial environment in which the professional, intellectual, and personal growth of each individual is nurtured. We strive to stimulate all of our students to learn, imagine, and discover, and to equip them with every tool that they need to flourish in rewarding careers.

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry values all perspectives and is committed to continually supporting, promoting, and building a whole community, which includes people of many backgrounds. In support of our strategic plan, which promotes access and respect, traditionally underrepresented minorities are particularly encouraged to apply.
The Department
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Montana State University (MSU) is a vigorous, research-active department with strong interdisciplinary collaborations. Research thrusts of the Department and University include structural biology, biophysics, bioinorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, nanomaterials, optical spectroscopy, and energy research. The Department is composed of 17 tenure track faculty, several research faculty and approximately 90 graduate students. The Department grants Ph.D. degrees in both Chemistry and Biochemistry and also has a strong tradition of undergraduate participation in research. The Department’s research building (built in 2008) houses shared instrumentation including a new macromolecular x-ray diffractometer, NMR and Mass spectrometry facilities, high field and pulsed EPR, CD, femtosecond laser spectrometers, microscopes, FTIR spectrometers, steady state and time resolved emission laser spectrometers, molecular graphics, and parallel computing with a 90-processor heterogeneous Linux cluster. We have also recently installed a cryo-electron microscope, the only instrument of its kind within the greater 5-state, Northern Plains and Northern Rockies region. Other instruments including SEM, TEM, confocal microscopy, scanning Auger, and scanning probe techniques, are available in shared user facilities at MSU.

MSU is connected to the very broadband network system (vBNS) that provides fast Internet access and facilitates remote computing at national supercomputer sites. The department values all perspectives and is committed to continually supporting, promoting and building a whole community, which includes people of many backgrounds.
The College
The College of Letters and Science (L&S), the largest center for learning, teaching and research at Montana State University, offers students an excellent liberal arts and sciences education in nearly 50 majors, 25 minors and over 25 graduate degrees within the four areas of the humanities, natural sciences, mathematics and social sciences.

Building on the great strength of our traditional disciplines, the college provides exciting opportunities for faculty and students at the cutting edge of interdisciplinary inquiry. L&S is dedicated to supporting student success, discovering and disseminating new knowledge, and providing an atmosphere in which discovery and learning are integrated and valued. L&S is at the confluence of intellectual tradition, discovery, and innovation.