Assistant Professor of Energy Governance - University of Oregon

Department: Environmental Studies
Rank: Assistant Professor
Annual Basis: 9 Month

Application Deadline

December 1, 2024; position open until filled

Required Application Materials

Applicants are invited to submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and three statements that are each 2 pages maximum: (1) a research statement that describes the candidate’s area of inquiry, methodology, and research relationships and/or collaborations; (2) a teaching statement; and (3) a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) statement that describes the candidate’s understanding of and potential for participating in remedying past inequities and exclusions in the area of inquiry and in mentorship, research, and teaching.

Applicants are also asked to list 3 references who will be contacted in the case a candidate is shortlisted. At that point, shortlist candidates will also have the option of submitting a letter of endorsement from a community collaborator, if applicable

Position Announcement

The University of Oregon’s Environmental Studies Program invites applications for a transdisciplinary tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the area of energy transitions and decarbonization. Successful candidates will have demonstrated potential to center environmental justice and/or climate justice and climate solutions in the advancement of knowledge on renewable energy and energy decarbonization in area(s) including but not limited to: policy, governance, social movements, land use, generation and storage, ecological impacts, Indigenous and energy sovereignty, economics, energy futures, energy justice, the intersections of settler colonialism, racial capitalism, militarism, and fossil fuel dependence, and the intersection of equity and climate resilience.

We encourage applications from candidates who will focus on the sociocultural, sociotechnical, and material dimensions of energy systems, who will use methodologies including but not limited to those from environmental studies and/or Indigenous, race and ethnic studies, political science, history, anthropology, economics, and sociology, who have the potential to catalyze existing University of Oregon strengths such as in environmental justice (e.g. in the programs Indigenous, Race and Ethnic Studies, Native American and Indigenous Studies, Center for Environmental Futures, Just Futures Institute; Sociology; and others), energy governance (e.g. in the School of Law), solar energy and energy storage (Departments of Chemistry and Architecture), climate science (Departments of Earth Sciences and Geography), environmental planning (College of Design including in Planning Public Policy and Management and in Landscape Architecture), and/or who have the potential to position graduating students for leadership in environmental justice and climate solutions.

To build capacity in climate and environmental justice, we encourage applications from candidates who will work "alongside" rather than conduct research "about" marginalized communities, who draw from their own situated or embodied knowledge or lived experience, and who have the potential to develop research and teaching that engages perspectives beyond dominant hegemonic frameworks. Candidates may center interdisciplinary formations, epistemologies, or ontologies from historically excluded groups including but not limited to: Black, Pasifika, Native American, First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and other Indigenous and Latinx communities who are at the leading-edge of climate research and activism, from the multi-national United States, refugee and/or diasporic communities.

Department or Program Summary

The Environmental Studies Program is part of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oregon, an Association of American Universities member and tier-one research institution in the Pacific Northwest that is ranked “highest research activity” by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The Environmental Studies Program offers a doctoral degree program in Environmental Sciences, Studies, and Policies, a Master of Environmental Studies, and undergraduate degree programs in Environmental Studies and Environmental Science. Faculty in the Environmental Studies program teach research-informed introductory and subject area courses that include faculty and students from across the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, the School of Law, the College of Design, the School of Journalism and Communication, and the College of Education.

Minimum Requirements

• Ph.D. or terminal degree in an applicable field.
• Demonstrated potential to carry out research and teaching on topics in renewable energy and energy decarbonization, as broadly defined.
• Scholarship and/or teaching that demonstrates potential to build institutional capacity in the areas of environmental and/or climate justice.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstration of research methods that deliberately embrace relational principles and ethical/reciprocal collaborations.
• Demonstrated potential to use transdisciplinary research methods to develop a robust research program for advancement of knowledge in the area of energy transitions and decarbonization for environmental and climate justice and solutions.
• Demonstrated potential to deliver research-informed teaching in introductory and subject-area courses in environmental and climate justice and/or topics in energy futures.
• Demonstrated potential to advise doctoral and masters students in research frameworks and areas of expertise that are beyond dominant hegemonies, that center interdisciplinary formations from historically-excluded epistemologies/ontologies, and/or that are currently underrepresented in the program.
• Demonstrated awareness of inequities and challenges faced by underrepresented minority students and faculty and track record (commensurate to career stage) of activities that reduce barriers in education or research for students and faculty from historically underrepresented groups.

About the University

The main campus of the University of Oregon is in Eugene, Oregon, a socially-progressive, bike-friendly, and family-friendly city with ambitious goals for carbon emissions reduction and for community well-being. The University of Oregon has an active Native American Student Union centered at the Many Nations Longhouse.

Land Acknowledgement: The University of Oregon is located within the traditional homelands of the Southern Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855, the Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to the Coast Reservation in Western Oregon. Today, descendants are citizens of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians of Oregon.

All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

The University of Oregon is proud to offer a robust benefits package to eligible employees, including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off. For more information about benefits, visit https://hr.uoregon.edu/about-benefits.

The University of Oregon is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the ADA. The University encourages all qualified individuals to apply and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected status, including veteran and disability status. The University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request an accommodation in connection with the application process, please contact us at uocareers@uoregon.edu or 541-346-5112.

UO prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy (including pregnancy-related conditions), age, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including family medical history), ancestry, familial status, citizenship, service in the uniformed services (as defined in federal and state law), veteran status, expunged juvenile record, and/or the use of leave protected by state or federal law in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by UO policy. Questions may be referred to the Office of Investigations and Civil Rights Compliance. Contact information, related policies, and complaint procedures are listed here.

In compliance with federal law, the University of Oregon prepares an annual report on campus security and fire safety programs and services. The Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report is available online at https://clery.uoregon.edu/annual-campus-security-and-fire-safety-report.