The School for the Environment is seeking an outstanding individual at the Full Professor level to become the Distinguished Professor of Coastal Resilience with a specific expertise in nature-based approaches, to begin September 1, 2024. The University’s location with its main campus on Boston Harbor and its field station on Nantucket makes it ideal for the study of coastal ocean processes and the impacts of and adaptations for sea-level rise. We seek a climate change adaptation expert who can interact with colleagues who emphasize the biological, geological, engineering, socio-economic, and planning impacts of climate change with an emphasis in coastal urban systems. This Distinguished Professor will analyze and/or model the effects of storms, sea-level rise, and warming oceans on macrotidal Northeastern estuaries (developed and undeveloped) and coastal oceans and take on a leadership role in The Stone Living Lab (stonelivinglab.org). The Stone Living Lab is a natural laboratory comprised of Boston Harbor and its islands for the study of the role of nature-based solutions on reducing the risk of present and increased coastal flooding under present and future climates. Strong opportunities exist to work with the Stone Living Lab partners, the Mass Bays National Estuary Partnership, the Urban Harbors Institute, and the BEACON blue tech lab, all within the School for the Environment. The School for the Environment seeks a colleague who will leverage state-of-the-art laboratory and field-based facilities and our nationally recognized academic programs in the environmental and marine sciences, to advance coastal resilience science at the local and global levels.

The successful candidate should possess a strong background in one or more of these fields: climate science, coastal ocean processes, urban systems, and adaptations of communities to climate change and sea level rise. Ability to work across disciplines with geologists, chemists, biologists, economists, engineers, developers, regulators, and urban planners is required, along with a desire to work with stakeholders and urban communities at the interface among the natural, human, and built systems with our diverse student body to promote climate equity.  An interest in developing Blue Technology opportunities, advancing appropriate climate policies, working with local, regional, and international partnerships, and/or leading large collaborative research efforts would be a plus. Research interests in coastal modeling, ocean sensor networks, nature-based approaches, climate change, and/or climate equity would provide strong opportunities for collaboration.

The ideal candidate will combine rigorous basic research with applied research on societal implications and have a desire to teach undergraduate and graduate students, and mentor graduate students through advanced degrees in marine and environmental systems. The successful candidate must demonstrate the ability to build a strong program of externally funded, transdisciplinary research and to promote diversity at all levels within the environmental sciences.

Minimum Qualifications: A Ph.D. with post-doctoral experience and 6 years of established project leadership is required. The applicant will have the demonstrated capability to carry on an active, externally funded research program of international caliber and to supervise graduate and undergraduate students. The applicant will have an ability to contribute to the undergraduate and graduate teaching needs in environmental and marine sciences offered by the School for the Environment, and a willingness to engage in collaborative research with School and University colleagues.  Experience and a strong interest in encouraging and promoting increasing diversity within the School, the University, and ocean and environmental science fields generally are criteria for selection We invite applications from candidates who engage the diverse life experiences of our student body, who appreciate that students bring their holistic selves into the academic setting, and who recognize and articulate how their own life experiences and backgrounds have shaped their journeys, practices, and commitments as researchers, scholars, and educators. The School for the Environment comprises a diverse and dynamic core and affiliate faculty with research expertise in coastal sensor networks, coastal zone management, urban planning, hydrology,  coastal planning law, oceans and human health, climate adaptation, hydrogeology and geochemistry, and coastal ecology. 

To Apply: upload a curriculum vitae, a letter describing research and teaching interests, a list of five publications, and the names and contact information (including email address) of three references. Application review will begin January 31, 2024 and continue until the position is filled.

For more information about the School for the Environment, please visit www.umb.edu/environment. The University of Massachusetts Boston provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military status, or genetic information.  In addition to federal law requirements, the University of Massachusetts Boston complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the university operates. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment.

The University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB) is the Commonwealth’s public urban-serving research university. UMB is a university with a teaching soul, whose impact is both local and global. We are the third most diverse university in the country - more than 60% of our undergraduate students come from minoritized communities and groups and more than half of our students are the first in their families to attend a college or university. Thus, our students come to us from richly diverse life experiences and backgrounds; they bring to our classrooms and research settings the robust range of perspectives growing out of the socio-cultural, economic, and historical contexts in which they have lived, along with the challenges they encounter, engage, and strive to overcome. We invite applications from candidates who engage the diverse life experiences of our student body, who appreciate that students bring their holistic selves into the academic setting, and who recognize and articulate how their own life experiences and backgrounds have shaped their journeys, practices, and commitments as researchers, scholars, and educators.

Located along the recently completed, forty-seven-mile, oceanside Harbor Walk in Boston, UMB shares the Columbia Point Peninsula with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Archives, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Museum and Archive, and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the US Senate. UMB is also part of the rich ecosystem of universities in greater Boston and the UMass university system. Nearly 16,000 students are enrolled in UMB’s seventy-nine undergraduate and one hundred fifteen graduate programs.

The School for the Environment’s (SFE) mission is to generate, communicate, and activate knowledge aimed at promoting the health, sustainability, and resilience of coastal ecological systems and communities. SFE pursues its environmental health and justice research, teaching, and outreach agenda through a transdisciplinary approach designed to enhance the problem-solving capacity of local communities and institutions. SFE’s thirty-seven core and adjunct faculty support four undergraduate programs (community development, environmental science, environmental studies, and marine science), three master’s degree programs (environmental science, marine science, urban planning, and community development), and PhD Programs in environmental science and marine science.

Interested candidates are encouraged to discuss this opportunity with Search Committee Chair, Bob Chen (bob.chen@umb.edu).

UMass Boston is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact HRDirect@umb.edu or 617-287-5150.