Laboratory Supervisor

Laboratory Supervisor (Instructional Staff Position)

Job Details:

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) invites applications for the full-time position of a Lab Supervisor beginning August 2021 with a renewable 10-month contract (August-June).  IWU is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse workforce, and the department is committed to supporting culturally and academically diverse instructors. We strongly encourage applications from members of underrepresented groups.

Institutional and Departmental Information:

Illinois Wesleyan is a private, undergraduate liberal arts institution with high academic standards and an enrollment of approximately 1560 students. Our department is ACS accredited and has graduated an average of 11 students per year in the last ten years.  Some students seek careers in industry, while the majority of our graduates pursue professional degrees (MD, PhD, JD, etc.)  Our current students are 55% female and 30% BIPOC/International.  The department consists of four tenure-line faculty, a stockroom manager/safety officer, and an instrument technician. The department has a strong undergraduate research program with about 75% participate rate.  We value student-faculty interaction and seek candidates who share our enthusiasm for involving students in interactive learning and student-faculty research.

Responsibilities:

The primary responsibilities of this position include teaching 4-5 lab sections each semester.  These may include organic, general, or non-major chemistry labs.  The lab supervisor will also: co-ordinate the delivery of the laboratory curriculum (i.e., design and update manuals, conduct pre-lab lectures, and coordinate grading of lab reports etc.); evaluate the needs of each experiment together with the stockroom manager; hire and supervise undergraduate teaching assistants and graders; and annually review and update the experiments for those labs. Undergraduate teaching assistants are available to assist in teaching laboratory sections and grading.  Applicants will also be encouraged to participate in scholarly activities, provide academic advising to students, and be engaged in the wider activities of the department and University.

Applicants must have demonstrable skills in oral and written communications.  In addition, they must be dedicated to undergraduate education, enthusiastic for professional engagement with students in and out of the classroom, and able to work in teams in a collegial environment.

Qualifications:

Candidates should have a Ph.D. or equivalent experience in chemistry or a closely related field (by summer of 2021). Strong preference is given to candidates with significant post baccalaureate organic synthesis and teaching experience and a commitment to scholarly research and the liberal arts. 

Illinois Wesleyan University is strongly committed to recruiting, supporting and fostering a diverse, inclusive and civil community of outstanding faculty, staff and students.  We seek candidates who have a demonstrated commitment to supporting and further building our community in these dimensions.  Illinois Wesleyan University is an EEO Employer.

Review of complete applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. 

To Apply:

Submit the following as a single pdf to chembiochemsearch@iwu.edu:

1. a cover letter addressing qualifications
2. a curriculum vitae
3. unofficial transcripts
4. a single-page teaching statement
5. a clear statement describing how the candidate’s prior research, teaching, and/or service experience prepares them to promote diversity and the inclusion of those historically marginalized
6. Please arrange for three professional references to submit letters to chembiochemsearch@iwu.edu (letters that address teaching abilities will be particularly useful)

Questions may be directed to:

Manori Perera (Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Chair)
Tel: 309.556.3330
E-mail: mperera@iwu.edu