Assistant Professor of Inorganic Chemistry

Date Posted: October 16, 2009

Job Status: Full-time

Primary Location: Biddeford

Job Description

The Department of Chemistry and Physics at the University of New England invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track faculty position in Inorganic Chemistry to begin September 2010.

The Department seeks an individual who is highly committed to an academic appointment at a primarily undergraduate institution, can demonstrate potential for excellence in teaching at the introductory and advanced undergraduate levels, and has an interest in developing an active program of undergraduate research. A Ph.D. in Chemistry is required by the time of appointment. Post-doctoral experience is desirable, although not required.

The specialty area within inorganic chemistry is open; candidates with expertise in bioinorganic, synthetic inorganic or organometallic chemistry, materials chemistry, nanotechnology or other areas complementing those of existing faculty members are encouraged to apply. Teaching responsibilities will vary from year to year, and may include the two-semester General Chemistry sequence, the one-semester Introductory General, Organic, and Biochemistry (GOB) course, intermediate Inorganic Chemistry, and advanced courses in the appointee's area of expertise, including Advanced Inorganic Chemistry. The successful applicant will have the opportunity to develop a laboratory component for the advanced inorganic course or contribute to the design of an advanced, integrated laboratory course.

The Department values undergraduate research as a capstone experience for its students; therefore, the development of an active research program involving undergraduates will be expected. Members of the Department have been leaders among the faculty at the University in terms of encouraging undergraduate participation in their research. The research culture at the University, and within the College of Arts and Sciences, is evolving, and a significant part of the College's Strategic Plan addresses the desire to increase the opportunities and support for scholarly activity in general and undergraduate research in particular.

Facilities and Equipment

The Department of Chemistry and Physics is located primarily in Morgane Hall, which opened in January 2009, and houses faculty offices, the general chemistry, biochemistry and physics teaching laboratories as well as two faculty research laboratories. The Chemistry wing of the Alfond Science Center (opened 1997) houses the organic chemistry and quantitative/instrumental analysis teaching laboratories as well as additional faculty research laboratories and major equipment.

The Department has high quality laboratory space and is well equipped with modern instrumentation. In addition to routine instruments and apparatus (e.g., pH meters, vacuum pumps, electronic balances, etc.), the Department's holdings include the following major instrumentation:

Spectrometers

• Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer, 300 MHz (JEOL, purchased 2003)
• UV-Vis Spectrophotometers (Shimadzu, purchased 2009, Perkin-Elmer and Ocean Optics)
• Raman Spectrometer (Delta-Nu Advantage 785, purchased 2009)
• Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometers (2; Thermo-Nicolet)
• Atomic Absorption Spectrometer; flame and graphite furnace (GBC)
• Spectrofluorometers (SLM-Aminco and Jasco)
• Filter Fluorometer (Turner)

Chromatography

• GC-MS (Hewlett-Packard, refurbished and updated 2009)
• Capillary GC, flame ionization and TCD (HP and Perkin-Elmer)
• HPLC with variable wavelength UV detector (Waters/Varian; refurbished and updated 2009)
• HPLC with conductivity detector (Beckman)
• HPLC with variable wavelength UV and refractive index detectors (Perkin-Elmer)
• Packed column GCs (4; Gow-Mac)

Miscellaneous Instrumentation

• Electrochemical Analyzer (BAS)
• Electrophoresis Equipment
• Atomic Force Microscope (Digital Instruments Nanoscope IIIA, purchased 2004)
• Photochemical Reaction Chamber (Luzchem, purchased 2009)
• Computational Cluster (purchased 2007)

Academic Programs

The Department offers B.S. degree programs in the following fields:

• Chemistry
• Chemistry/Secondary Education
• Biochemistry
• Laboratory Science
• The Department also administers the two-year Pre-Pharmacy program

Faculty

The Department of Chemistry and Physics has an energetic faculty actively engaged in teaching, program development, and undergraduate research. The Department includes seven tenured or tenure-track faculty positions in Chemistry and Biochemistry (including this position), three full-time equivalent (FTE) chemistry instructors, a full-time laboratory coordinator/instructor, and two FTE laboratory assistants. Also included in the Department are one tenured faculty member and two full-time instructors teaching physics and one FTE physics lab assistant. Current chemistry faculty members specialize in analytical chemistry, biochemistry, organic/medicinal chemistry, physical organic/photochemistry and physical chemistry/computational chemistry; physics faculty specialize in atomic force microscopy/nanotechnology. For more detailed information please visit our research web page as well as the undergraduate research web page.

Location

The University has campuses in Biddeford and Portland, Maine. Most of the Department's courses are offered on the Biddeford campus, with over 4,000 feet of waterfront where the Saco River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Biddeford is located about 20 miles south of Portland and less than 2 hours from Boston, in an area that offers a wide range of recreational and cultural opportunities.

To Apply for This Position

1. Submit an application package containing the following:

a. Letter of Application
b. Current Curriculum Vitae
c. Brief statement of teaching philosophy and interests (2 page maximum)
d. Concise description of research plans (4 page maximum), including a list of any nonstandard equipment needed and a brief description of the expected role of undergraduates in the project(s)
e. Names and contact information for three individuals who have been asked to provide letters of reference
f. Copies of undergraduate and graduate transcripts (unofficial copies acceptable)

2. Arrange for three letters of reference specifically addressing potential for excellence in teaching and/or development of an undergraduate research program, to be sent directly by the referees.

The application package and letters of reference should be sent (preferably electronically) to the Department's Administrative Assistant, Anne Marie Rousselle: arousselle1@une.edu.

Please indicate "Inorganic Chemistry Search" in the subject line of all correspondence.

* Background check may be required.

Review of applicants begins November 27, 2009.

Contact

Review of applications will begin November 27, 2009, and continue until the position is filled.

If it is necessary to send a hard copy application via the mail, please address it to:

Inorganic Chemistry Search
c/o Anne Marie Rousselle
Department of Chemistry and Physics
University of New England
11 Hills Beach Rd.
Biddeford, Maine 04005
arousselle1@une.edu

For More Information

Visit the Department Web Site www.une.edu/cas/chemistry
Contact the Department Chair, Dr. Larry Thompson, lthompson2@une.edu or (207) 602-2317